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APRIL 19, 2001

Elton Bear Eagle Chavez, an 36-year-old Oglala Lakota man serving a life sentence in a New Mexico state penitentiary, is on a hunger strike to protest policies he says deprive American Indians of religious freedom.

As a result, Chavez has been moved from the Sante Fe area facility to a police hospital near Los Lunas. State Corrections Department spokesman Gerges Scott says his health is being monitored.

American Indian prisoners in the state have long complained about being denied access. A group has filed a religious freedom lawsuit against state corrections officers.

Get the Story:
Prisoner On Hunger Strike For Indian Rights (AP 4/19)

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