L'ÉPOQUE - Leonard Peltier, a dedicated advocate for Native American rights, has been released from federal prison in Central Florida after nearly 50 years of unjust incarceration for the tragic deaths of two F.B.I. agents. At 80 years old, Leonard Peltier will now serve the remainder of his two life sentences in home confinement in North Dakota, where he proudly belongs to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.
02.19.2025 © L'ÉPOQUE USA
By Jeremy Cooper
« Today I am finally free! They may have imprisoned me but they never took my spirit! » said Leonard Peltier. « Thank you to all my supporters throughout the world who fought for my freedom. I am finally going home. I look forward to seeing my friends, my family, and my community. It’s a good day today ».
This momentous commutation of Leonard Peltier’s sentence was one of former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s last significant actions before leaving office. A diverse coalition of voices, including Nobel Peace laureates, former law enforcement officials, human rights organizations, and prominent figures like Steven Van Zandt, rallied for his clemency. Their calls reflect a growing recognition of the injustices Leonard Peltier has faced, particularly given his deteriorating health and partial blindness.
In stark contrast, F.B.I. agents, including former director Christopher Wray, vehemently opposed this clemency, labeling it a betrayal of the fallen agents, Jack Coler and Ronald Williams. Mr. Wray has characterized Leonard Peltier as “a remorseless killer.” However, at a news conference following his release, Leonard Peltier’s legal team, standing firm in his assertion of innocence, argued that even house arrest is an unlawful restraint. « We still have work to do », declared lead attorney Jenipher Jones. « It is our proposition that any detention of Leonard is unlawful ».
While opinions among Native Americans regarding Leonard Peltier’s case are varied, many celebrated his release as a triumph against a long history of injustice. « Leonard did 50 years for us, and tomorrow we are going to welcome him as a hero in our homeland », proclaimed Chase Iron Eyes, a Native American civil rights lawyer.
Leonard Peltier’s involvement with the American Indian Movement (AIM) brought national attention to the systemic mistreatment of Native Americans. He was convicted in connection with a 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which resulted in the deaths of two agents and an activist. Prosecutors claimed the agents were shot at point-blank range, but Mr. Peltier has consistently maintained that he fired in self-defense and did not kill the agents.
Out of the more than 30 individuals present during the shootout, Leonard Peltier was the sole person convicted of a crime. Two other AIM members faced murder charges but were acquitted on self-defense grounds. Crucially, exculpatory evidence that could have exonerated Leonard Peltier was excluded from his trial, leading supporters to argue that his legal proceedings were fundamentally flawed.
In 1986, an appeals court acknowledged that the government had withheld critical evidence, including ballistic analysis details from the scene. However, it concluded that this omission would “probably” not have altered the jury’s guilty verdict.
In 2021, James Reynolds, a former federal prosecutor involved in the case, joined the chorus advocating for Leonard Peltier’s clemency, stating that prosecutors had failed to establish any wrongdoing on his part and had not adequately considered “the F.B.I.’s role in the creation of dangerous conditions” on that fateful day.
Now, as Leonard Peltier begins a new chapter of his life, it is imperative that we recognize the broader implications of his story—a testament to resilience, the fight for justice, and the ongoing struggle for the rights of Native Americans.