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Biden commutes life sentence of Leonard Peltier, Native American activist imprisoned for almost 50 years

Peloquin, a convicted murderer, was responsible for the deaths of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and had escaped from federal prison.

He has been struggling with poor health over the past few years due to complications from diabetes and high blood pressure, along with vision loss caused by a stroke and additional health setbacks from COVID-19.

The White House announced that the commutation will allow Peltier to spend his final days free, but it will not forgive him for the original wrongdoing he was convicted of.

Kathy Peltier, Peltier’s daughter, expressed shock upon learning what Biden had done, considering previous presidential requests for clemency had been unsuccessful for her father.

“I’m really thankful that he mustered the courage and determination to make it happen,” she said of Biden’s decision.

A family member of one of the two agents who was fatally shot, Jack Coler, expressed discontent on Monday, saying they believed the parole board’s decision in June to deny supervised release was a genuine re-evaluation of the case.

The Coler family is exasperated and full of anger after a long struggle to keep Peltier behind bars, the board’s decision to deny him parole makes President Biden’s last-minute commutation decision even more shocking and extremely disheartening.

In a statement obtained by the NDN Collective, an advocacy group led by Native American leaders, Peltier declared he was prepared to leave prison.

It’s finally done,” Peltier said. “I’m heading back home, and I want to prove to everyone that I’m a kind person with a genuine heart.

Peltier’s future was now in the hands of President Biden. Peltier has always claimed he is innocent, and many law enforcement officials strongly disagree with Biden’s consideration to commute his two consecutive life terms. They argue his sentences were rightfully given for his role in the fatal shootings of FBI agents Coler and Ron Williams in 1975, which occurred in South Dakota.

different critics have urged Biden not to commute Peltier’s sentence. According to them, agreeing to Peltier’s request would be “wholly unjustified and would be an affront to the rule of law.”

Mr. President, I strongly advise against pardoning Leonard Peltier or reducing his sentence, I implore you to reconsider this decision

Only minutes before Trump’s swearing-in ceremony, news arrived regarding a petition for clemency by Peltier, but Trump failed to act on it during his presidential term. Likewise, past U.S. presidents, both Democrats and Republicans, had declined to take any action on clemency for Peltier.

A statement issued yesterday by the lawyer who lobbied for Peltier’s parole praised the outgoing president.

President Biden has taken a huge step forward in healing and reconciliation with Native American communities,” said Attorney Kevin Sharp. “It took nearly 50 years to acknowledge the wrongness of Leonard Peltier’s conviction and prolonged imprisonment, but with the President’s act of compassion, Leonard can now return to his reservation to spend the rest of his life.

He turned down the presidential pardon offer, stating he didn’t want it since it would be given for a crime he’s asserting he didn’t commit. What he really sought was to be released from prison and have a chance to receive another trial.

I wish I could go home,” Peltier said over the phone from the Federal Correctional Complex Coleman in Florida. “My family is eager to help care for me and so is my tribe.

Well-known figures including the Dalai Lama, and Nobel Peace Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu, have lent their support for Peltier’s release.

Peltier’s story was showcased on MTV in the 1990s in the music video for “Freedom” by Rage Against the Machine. This helped the band become a prominent voice for progressive causes and marginalized groups.

I’m very glad that Leonard has become a close friend over the years, and it’s wonderful that at 80 and with health issues, he’ll be able to spend his remaining years surrounded by loved ones.

The CEO of the NDN Collective, Nick Tilsen, described Peltier’s conviction as a reflection of the age-old conflict between Native American communities and the federal government, particularly on lands traditionally held by Indigenous peoples.

Tilson said Leonard Peltier’s freedom will bring us all joy, and we plan to honor him by returning him to his homeland, where he can spend the remaining years of his life with loved ones, finding peace, and reconnecting with his Native American heritage and the natural world.

Critics argue that supporters of Peltier have been misleading the public about what happened leading up to his arrest and trial.

Natalie Bara, the president of the FBI Agents Association, strongly expressed her disapproval over Biden’s decision to pardon Leonard Peltier.

The last-minute, regrettable decision made by President Biden, while not affecting Peltier’s underlying responsibility for his actions, is an act of cowardice that avoids full accountability,” Bara said in a statement. “This decision is a disheartening betrayal to the families and colleagues of these fallen law enforcement officers and is an affront to the law enforcement community.

.

A local grassroots group advocating for Indigenous rights was found to be the only one on the reservation possessing a firearm capable of discharging the kind of bullet used in the agents’ fatal shooting.

on appeal.

Although the FBI stands by the conviction’s validity, stating it was both appropriately and fairly obtained, the evidence has actually withstood multiple court challenges, even reaching as high as the U.S. Supreme Court.

Kathy Peltier hasn’t seen her dad since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. She and her family are now “overjoyed” to learn that he will be finally returning home, where they’ll finally get to spend time together again and show him their dozen great-grandchildren and all the loved ones who stood by him for all these years.

It’s a huge relief,” Kathy Peltier said. “We’ll finally be able to physically embrace him and spend as much time with him as we want, without feeling limited. There was so much he had missed out on.

This article was originally published in a special scientific journal that explores the intersection of technology and society.

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