John

When the FBI invaded the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975, the confrontation turned into a shootout, and a young Native man and two FBI agents were killed. The feds arrested American Indian Movement leader Leonard Peltier, but falsified evidence implicating Peltier presented by the FBI has since been recanted.

Now, as Peltier has been imprisoned over 48 years, the attorney who prosecuted Peltier himself has called on President Biden to pardon him. Prosecutor James Reynolds wrote,

“With time, and the benefit of hindsight, I have realized that the prosecution and continued incarceration of Mr. Peltier was and is unjust. We were not able to prove that Mr. Peltier personally committed any offense on the Pine Ridge Reservation.”

Further judicial review has also pointed to an improper trial leading to an improper incarceration that has already stretched for nearly half a century. Tenth Circuit Court Judges Seymour, Anderson, and Brorby wrote, “The government withheld evidence. It intimidated witnesses. These facts are not disputed.”

And Eighth Circuit Court Judge Gerald Heaney, who heard two of Peltier’s appeals, wrote, “The FBI used improper tactics… At some point, a healing process must begin.”

Now, Peltier is in poor health, with diabetes and kidney disease which have worsened since he came down with COVID in prison. At this time, all he wants is to be reunited with his family, to hug his grandchildren, and live out the rest of his life in freedom. But Peltier was denied parole again this year, and President Biden has still failed to act.

Send a message calling on President Biden to pardon and free Leonard Peltier from prison after doing 48 years for a crime he did not commit.

Now almost 80 years old, imprisoned since 1976, Leonard Peltier is the longest-serving political prisoner in the United States.

Peltier needs our voices of support. At a recent White House rally, 35 Native leaders and activists were arrested protesting for his release. Many organizations have spoken up to advocate for his freedom, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the National Caucus of Native American State Legislators.

Some of the world’s most influential human rights leaders have called for his release, including Coretta Scott King, the 14th Holy Dalai Lama, and South African Bishop Desmond Tutu, each of whom have gone on record with written statements of support.

Leonard Peltier’s own perspective is heartbreaking. As he has written,

“What I am is a father, a grandfather, a great grandfather, and an artist. I am a man who loves his people and wants to go home.”

For Peltier to still be imprisoned after all these years tells America’s Indigenous peoples that the United States continues to impose systemic inequities. His release would be a good-faith statement that the United States can honor and respect the Native nations within its borders.

Send your message to urge President Biden to pardon and free Leonard Peltier now.

Thank you for your commitment to justice and freedom.

- DFA AF Team