President Biden commuted the life sentence of Leonard Peltier, an Indigenous activist convicted in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents. Peltier, 80, will transition to home confinement. The decision follows decades of lobbying and protests on Peltier's behalf, but it has also been met with opposition from law enforcement and the families of the slain agents.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Just moments before leaving office, President Joe Biden commuted the life sentence of Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents. Peltier, 80, wasn't eligible for parole again until 2026. He was serving life in prison for the deaths of the agents during a standoff on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Biden said Peltier will transition to home confinement.
Peltier's supporters have long argued that he was wrongfully convicted and that he should be granted clemency. They pointed to his age, health problems, and the lack of strong evidence against him. Peltier's conviction has been controversial for decades, with many believing that he was targeted for his activism in the American Indian Movement. Biden's action follows decades of lobbying and protests on Peltier's behalf by Native American leaders, human rights activists, liberal lawmakers and celebrities who maintain he was wrongfully convicted. Amnesty International has long considered Peltier a political prisoner. Advocates for his release have included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, civil rights icon Coretta Scott King, actor and director Robert Redford and musicians Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte and Jackson Browne. Law enforcement officers, former FBI agents, their families and prosecutors have strongly opposed a pardon or any reduction in Peltier’s sentence for just as long. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama rejected Peltier’s clemency requests, and he was denied parole in 1993, 2009 and 2024. Shortly before Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence, the No Parole Peltier Association led by former FBI agents posted a statement celebrating the fact he hadn’t been pardoned. “President Biden certainly recognized the unrepentant act of a cold-blooded murderer and denied Peltier’s clemency application,” the group posted before Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence. The group didn’t respond to a message seeking comment after Peltier’s sentence was commuted.
LEONARD PELTIER JOE BIDEN COMMUTATION FBI AGENTS AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT PINE RIDGE RESERVATION NATIVE AMERICAN ACTIVISTS
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