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Leavenworth, KS - It appears that an American Indian leader's repeated requests for medical treatment have finally been fulfilled by Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Leonard Peltier was transferred to the BOP's Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota yesterday, Monday, March 20, 2000, at 10:00 a.m. According to the BOP the move to Minnesota is temporary.

Leonard Peltier, considered Internationally as a political prisoner, has been suffering from a jaw condition for many years. Peltier 's condition is steadily growing worse after undergoing two surgeries in 1966. The surgeries were performed by Doctor Thomas Collins at the BOP's Springfield Medical Facility. At a video conferencing on March 16, 1999, attended by the Director of the Leavenworth Prison Medical Facility, Dr. Hill and Doctors Jackson and Thrapp , were told by Doctor Collins and the medical staff of the Springfield Facility that they were not able to help Leonard Peltier.

On April 14, 1997 a specialist at the Mayo Clinic, Eugene E. Keller, D.D.S., M.S.D., considered an expert in the field of jaw disorders, extended an offer to consult and if necessary also treat Peltier's condition. The BOP has ignored this offer. The BOP's Medical facility in Rochester is located near the Mayo Clinic.

Peltier has also been diagnosed with diabetes and has heart problems. The jaw condition reportedly stems from a tetanus infection which he suffered as a child. The jaw condition limits the type of foods that can be consumed, which greatly complicates the treatment of his diabetes.

Peltier is only able to open his mouth to about a quarter to a half inch. Food has to be jammed into his mouth by hand. The condition is also very painful so adds additional stress, which greatly affects both his diabetes and the heart condition.

Leonard Peltier's, lawyers, defense committee, and internationally known human rights advocates have been working for months to get Peltier proper medical treatment. They are also working for his unconditional release.

Leonard Peltier, 55, is serving two life terms for the killing of two FBI agents during a 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation located in South Dakota. Peltier has repeatedly been turned down for parole. A request for a new trial was also turned down even though Peltier's defense has come up with newly compiled evidence that shows proof of Leonard Peltier's innocence.

The FBI is fighting to stop any of this newly compiled evidence from being presented at a new trial. The FBI has gone so far as to run expensive, full page ads in newspapers and on the Internet. The FBI stated on national television that it didn't matter whether or not Peltier was guilty or innocent, someone has to pay.