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France's former first lady, Danielle Mitterrand will be leading an official fact finding mission on behalf of U.S. federal prisoner and Native American human rights advocate, Leonard Peltier. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Rigoberta Menchu plans to accompany Mitterand to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary to meet with Peltier.

"I would like to assure you anew of my complete support and tell you my hope about this new action undertaken to obtain executive clemency. I feel particularly concerned, knowing that your health is getting worse due to the lack of appropriate medical care and I hope the prison authorities, with regard for the basic rights of any human being, will agree to transfer as soon as possible to the Mayo Clinic." Danielle Mitterrand wrote in her letter to Leonard Peltier.

France's former first lady, Danielle Mitterrand will be leading an official fact finding mission that will meet with several government officials and NGOs in Washington D.C. on April 29, 1999. She will then be meeting with Native American Political Prisoner, Leonard Peltier on April 30th at the US Federal Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. Rigoberta Menchu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate recognized for her human rights work in her homeland of Guatemala, is planning on accompanying Danielle Mitterand to Leavenworth Prison to meet with Leonard Peltier.

Danielle Mitterrand is the president of the human rights NGO, France Libertes. She has made fact finding missions to Mexico, Turkey and other countries where governments have violated human rights. She will now be conducting a human rights investigation in the U.S. on the behalf of Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu Jamal. Both controversial cases have received international attention for the blatant governmental misconduct which was used to convict both political activists.

International pressure on the United States to free both political prisoners is increasing. On February 11, 1999 the European Parliament passed a resolution demanding the United States free Leonard Peltier. They have also passed a similar resolution on behalf of Mumia Abu Jamal. Other governments including Belgium and Italy have also called on the United States to free Leonard Peltier. The high level visit by Mitterrand is another indication that international pressure to free Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu Jamal is building.

Danielle Mitterrand is the former first lady of France and the president of France Libertés - Foundation Danielle Mitterrand. Her husband was François Mitterrand, the president of France from 1981 to 1995. She is a world renowned human Rights activists and has taken fact finding missions to observe alleged abuses in Turkey, Mexico and Bosnia, amongst other places.

Danielle Mitterrand will be in the United States to investigate the conditions of political prisoners Mum Abu-Jamal and Leonard Peltier. She will visit journalist and death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal and Pennsylvania officials April 26 and 27th. On April 30. 1999 Danielle Mitterrand will be visiting Native American Political Prisoner Leonard Peltier at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas. During the week she will be urging officials of the United States government to grant them their freedom. She plans to meet with members of the Senate, the Congress and Mrs. Clinton. She will go to visit Leonard Peltier in prison and hold a press conference outside the Penitentiary.

For many years, her organization, the France Libertés Foundation has been running human rights projects all over the world. For example: it helps to build schools in Kurdistan, it assists in AIDS education in Africa, it is involved in training doctors in the Amazonian jungle, it provides health care grants for Palestinian children, it promotes the right to freedom of opinion and repression in Burma.

The foundation is active on all fronts. It believes that the promotion of human rights does not just mean adopting a theoretical stance – it means specific action. Basic economic and social rights (satisfying hunger, having access to education and health care) must be guaranteed, otherwise genuine freedoms cannot be exercised.

The Foundation is active in the world, and especially in Europe. Proof of this is the European Passport against Racism, which France Libertés launched three years ago. This bold initiative has had a considerable impact. The passport, which today has a circulation of 2.5 million and has been translated into 14 languages (including several regional languages), was taken up by the council of Europe under its recent "all different, all equal" campaign. The European Passport against Racism is not an official action, but calls for a personal commitment to building a Europe of solidarity and peace. The document lists various legislative texts which define the criminal nature of racist actions. It also explains what people should do if they witness or suffer a racist attack.

The France Libertés Foundation has produced a European CD-ROM against racism in co-operation with 17 non-governmental organizations throughout the Union. The multimedia product provides, for information and teaching purposes, a collection of legislative texts again racism. It is mainly aimed at trainers, teachers and activity leaders.

Mitterrand has also encouraged co-operation among NGO's. After the success of the Passport, the France Libertés Foundation kept up the momentum by stepping up its efforts in pursuit of citizenship based on human rights, tolerance and solidarity. Hence the idea of a CD-ROM to reinforce the European dimension of education on the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia. Like the passport, the CD-ROM is a large scale project: it covers the fifteen countries of the European Union and involves no fewer than 17 non-governmental organizations in 13 countries. This initiative is more targeted than the previous one, as it is designed to be a tool for adult training, aimed at people such as teachers, trade union representatives and socio-cultural leaders.

Press conferences will be held on Thursday, April 29, 1999, at 10:00 a.m., at Amnesty International, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., SE 5th Floor - Washington, D.C. and on Friday, April 30, 1999, at 3:00 p.m., Outside Leavenworth Federal Prison, 1300 Metropolitan Street (Highway 73 ) Leavenworth, Kansas.

Contact Anita Texier at the, Astrid Sobreiro France Libertés Fondation, Danielle Mitterrand 22, rue de Milan 75009 Paris, France. Phone 33.1.53.25.10.40. - FAX: 33.1.48.74.01.26. Email: fdm@club-internet.fr