John

The push to free Leonard Peltier, the oldest living Indigenous political prisoner in American history, has taken on new urgency in the last few weeks of President Biden’s term.

U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush have each separately called on President Biden to issue executive clemency for the 80-year-old member of the Turtle Mountain band of Chippewa Indians.

In a faulty trial, Peltier was wrongly convicted of killing two FBI agents in a 1975 shoot-out, though the FBI withheld exonerating evidence concerning the weapon, and coerced witness testimony from a woman who later admitted she had never set eyes on Peltier.

In a recent speech, Rep. Cori Bush made a powerful case for Peltier’s release, calling his case “a symbol of the deep injustices within our justice system… rife with prosecutorial misconduct and glaring violations of due process.” She calls on President Biden, saying,

“Clemency will not only free an elder whose health is failing, but also serve as a profound acknowledgement of the injustices faced by Indigenous peoples in this country. To leave Peltier to die in prison would be a stain on this nation’s conscience, again. Justice demands his release.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also called on Biden to act, placing the call for clemency within the context of Biden’s pardon for his own son, Hunter, after his conviction on gun charges:

“It’s less about the fact that the President pardoned his son and more about the fact that he's only really pardoning his son when there are, in fact, many people, including Leonard Peltier… who are facing the end of their lives if this president does not act.”

In addition, a letter from seven U.S. senators, including Brian Schatz, chair of the Committee on Indian Affairs, and 26 representatives, including Raul Grijalva, Ranking Member of the Committee on Natural Resources, calls on President Biden “with renewed urgency” to grant clemency for Leonard Peltier after nearly 50 years of imprisonment.

“The power to exercise mercy in this case lies solely within your discretion, and we urge you to grant Mr. Peltier clemency, allowing him to return home and live out his remaining days among his own people… We commend the steps that your Administration has taken to right past wrongs of our federal government’s treatment of Native Americans, and the steps you have taken to uphold the American values of liberty and justice, including rectifying inequities in our nation’s criminal justice system. In keeping with these principles, we strongly urge you to commute Mr. Peltier’s sentence.”

With only days left before President Biden leaves office, this is Leonard Peltier's last chance for clemency before the next administration. Please sign and send your direct message to the White House urging President Biden to take action now.

The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) joined the already existing calls for clemency by the ACLU, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. NACDL President James Wellborn draws attention to the values represented by a commutation of Peltier’s sentence:

“Surely compassion dictates that Mr. Peltier poses no danger to society and no good comes from his strangely prolonged imprisonment…. I implore you to act with courage and compassion and release Leonard Peltier. His freedom would be a beacon of hope for countless others who have suffered injustice.”

Over the years, human rights leaders throughout the world have spoken up in favor of releasing Leonard Peltier, including Pope Francis, Saint Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and Coretta Scott King.

President Biden became the first US President in history to formally apologize for the abuses suffered in boarding schools. Now the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition is urging him to follow up on this apology, as they note that Peltier’s incarceration started even a quarter century earlier, when he was forcibly taken to Wahpeton Indian Boarding School at just nine years old. There, forced to assimilate to non-Native culture, he met secretly with other Native youth, to sing their traditional songs and speak their language. Now, the Coalition writes to President Biden:

“By ending his incarceration, you can… make steps toward restoring the dignity of Mr. Peltier, his relatives, his Tribal Nation, and Indian Country. President Biden, we call on you to use your executive authority to Free Leonard Peltier.”

Your action today is crucial and timely. At 80 years old, Leonard Peltier deserves to be reunited with his family and to hug his grand-children while he still can.

Thank you for bringing the urgency and timeliness of Leonard’s situation to the President’s attention.

- DFA AF Team