MADISON, Wis. -- Supporters of arrested Hmong Gen. Vang Pao rallied and marched around the federal courthouse in Madison on Monday seeking his release.

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Pao was among 10 Hmong leaders arrested on June 4 and charged in federal court in California with conspiracy to overthrow the communist Laotian government by killing officials and leveling government buildings. Some local Hmong leaders said that Vang Pao is only fighting for democracy and they can't believe the U.S. government has charged him with a crime. Supporters have often compared Pao to American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., WISC-TV reported.

Prosecutors contend Vang Pao masterminded the plot, which involved raising money to recruit a mercenary force and equipping a small army to launch coordinated attacks using anti-tank missiles, grenade launchers and C-4 explosives.

Vang Pao led CIA-backed Hmong forces in Laos against communists in the 1960s and 1970s. The conflict claimed thousands of lives. Many Hmong credit him with freeing them from oppression in southeast Asia and helping them build new lives in the U.S., where he immigrated in 1975.

The Madison march is one of a number of marches going on across the country calling for Pao's release.

During the march and rally outside the federal courthouse, speakers asked the public to keep an open mind and investigate claims made against the former general. Sheboygan resident Houa Vang asked the public to keep an open mind before passing judgment on the revered Hmong leader, WISC-TV reported.

"We say to you, the people of America, even though the Hmong people face difficulty today and tomorrow, we still share a dream with you," said Houa Vang.

"Prosecuting the Hmong people means we are prosecuting our own democracy beliefs in this country," Vang told the crowd through a megaphone. "Think about it. You the people are the judge and jurors of democracy in the land of the free."

Protestors held signs calling for Vang Pao's release from jail. A federal judge in Sacramento, Calif., recently denied his release as the case against him moves forward.

The march wasn’t directly tied to a Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education meeting on Monday night, during which members were to reconsider naming a new elementary school after Vang Pao. The board voted to change the name, WISC-TV reported. (For more on this story, read this story)

Agent Orange Vigil Held Nearby Rally

By coincidence, a vigil in support of those affected by Agent Orange was going on at the same time. Some in the Vang Pao rally were moved to tears by the pictures of the chemical's effects.

Mike Boehm of the Madison chapter of Veterans for Peace took these pictures on behalf of Madison Quakers during humanitarian missions. The Quakers build homes for those that need them in Vietnam, WISC-TV reported.

In New York on Monday, an appeals court heard oral arguments in a case to give compensation to U.S. service members and Vietnamese citizens effect by Agent Orange. The case was thrown out in 2005 and is now on appeal, WISC-TV reported.

Members of the Madison Chapter of Veterans for Peace said that they believe the federal government should take responsibility for the effects of Agent Orange.