In a surprise move during the final moments of his presidency, President Joe Biden has granted clemency to Leonard Peltier, the 80-year-old Indigenous activist and political prisoner. Peltier, who spent nearly five decades in federal prison, will now live under house arrest.
Peltier’s case has been a long-standing symbol of injustice. He, along with fellow American Indian Movement (AIM) members Dino Butler and Bob Robideau, was charged with the 1975 murders of two FBI agents during a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
Butler and Robideau were acquitted, successfully arguing self-defense. Peltier, who had fled to Canada fearing he wouldn’t receive a fair trial, was extradited based on false testimony coerced by the FBI. Myrtle Poor Bear, a Native woman with documented mental health issues, later admitted to being intimidated into fabricating her affidavit. Despite this, the judge barred her from testifying about the FBI’s actions during Peltier’s trial.
Key evidence used to convict Peltier has been widely disputed. Forensic analysis revealed that the rifle attributed to him could not have fired the fatal shots. Even federal prosecutors later admitted, “We do not know who specifically fired what killing shots.”
Peltier has steadfastly maintained his innocence, becoming a global symbol for Indigenous rights and a target of criticism for systemic failures in the U.S. justice system. His release is seen by many as a long-overdue acknowledgment of the deeply flawed case against him.
This moment is a victory for justice and a call to continue addressing the injustices faced by Indigenous communities.
1 comment:
eehe, this means yes in Nahuatl language, azteca Mehsheeecah is our tribe to nation and then became a civilization. Well i m writing to you because we are happy he is out and last we remember being @ a Powow in Minishota and we rmemeber seeing some white men, good white peole individguals not like trump ? peoples and we where happy that they where allowing other indigenous peoples be heard and that we where able to write to him in and with a post card our natve issues. ! one of the issues was that we wanted himLenord Peltier know that we gradguated from anaheim high school in orange county california and that we the soverign natives of the contienent of Ishahcilankah or Ishachilan where angry and hurt as he Lenord Peltier and we felt his pain as native peoples we never had colonists borders and how we here never in ndnd reservations and that we didnt like the treatment of the u.s goverment the feds and how also the anaheim school board where racist and some what are steel this ways towards native americans and native indigenous mexicans especially if you where born with roots of the state of OAXACA and Mexicah Azteca nahuatl dna blood. We wrote to lenord peltier how we are fighting to Decolonize The Colony here in the city of anaheim how the colonists name is offensive and hpw we wished that he came here to speak at anaheim high school and the school baord and Includein Congressmen Lou Correa district 46th i belive and also to speak to Avelino Valencia he seats mext to Senatore Ramos witch we agree with hes new bills that will tackle the schools and racxist names like the colonists at anaheim high school, and the comanche warriors and the fullerton indians wellwe hope these bills help us remove and exsecute the names and we hope the city mayor that lives in anaheim hills Mayor Ashlin aikens and Natalie Rubalcava we wish they stood next to us all these epeople includeing Cathrine Smith from the schpool board shes been there to long and MR Oniel president the need to be checked on schooled about native american history the bills 1074 and ab bill 1821 and bill 3074 will help us tackle this down. its coming and we had a vition just how that native american rappernamned Bugin Malone was said in hes poem song i had a vition we saw lenord peltier walcking out of prison... well we got news for ndnd country we seeing we saw we had a vtion my self as well we saw that we where walcking in the back of the anaheim high school and we saw students walcking behind the gym where the track is @ and we saw that the students from anaheim high schoolls and alumnis said look maestro teach temeachtiani look behind you and i remember not seeeing the name colonists no more at anaheikm high school so we know that this will come true, just how lenord peltier was freed we where told by prophecy from our ancestours my amwelito grandpa chettos said that this land is all natve land and america colonists stold it and we will see it fall but we natives will take over and donlad trumpo wpuld be the last savior for there racist white colonists like trump and they will fail and make evil things but we can do is lay low seat back and learn the native tonguva wways tradtional ways because casonos will come and go. B. C like a poem we wrote titled Colonists ay and maybe the tribe nation pechanga can donate money to take down that name from anaheim high school the colonists and last talck to washintinton and name the school home of the Jaguares. ok anyways thank you all for your work and this space for me to write on this blog. sincerly mazatl tecpatl tepehyolotzin we spoke t and wrote to Lenord Peltier......... and we are happy you are finally getting home with Oyate !
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