Indigenous sisters wrongfully convicted for murder
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- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
Imagine that you are an Indigenous woman who has been wrongly imprisoned for close to 30 years and at your latest parole hearing you are told:
“It appears that as we continue through the hearing, your emotions become more difficult to manage. We’ve made the decision that we are going to adjourn your hearing today for up to two months.”
Imagine being told you are too emotional at your own parole hearing, after nearly 30 years of being imprisoned for a crime you did not commit. This is what Odelia Quewezance was told at her last parole hearing on February 25 of this year.
Odelia and Nerissa Quewezance (pictured) are sisters from Keeseekoose First Nation in Saskatchewan. They are serving life sentences for a crime someone else confessed to, after being convicted by an all-white jury... in 1993. You can add your name to demand their release.
Senator Kim Pate, a longtime advocate for Canadians in prison, is one of several prominent figures asking for the sisters’ case to be reviewed. At a recent press conference where their situation was discussed, she pointed out:
"The majority of women receiving life sentences now are Indigenous women. Virtually all of them are receiving [these] sentences in response to their response to violence perpetrated against them.”
Odelia and Nerissa deserve their freedom. Between the six years of abuse they endured in residential schools, and the nearly 30 years they have served for a crime they did not commit, they have been robbed of a lifetime. They deserve an opportunity to finally be free and find peace and healing within their community.
Federal Justice Minister David Lametti is the only person with the power to give the sisters back their freedom. If we do not act, they will spend the rest of their lives imprisoned. Click here to add your name to the petition and let Minister Lametti know you’re counting on him to do the right thing.
Thank you for being a voice for Odelia and Nerissa.
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