Native American activist Leonard Peltier walked free from a Florida prison on Tuesday after spending nearly five decades behind bars, following a commutation from former U.S. President Joe Biden.
The 80-year-old, who had become a global symbol for Indigenous rights, exited the federal detention centre in Coleman, Florida, and was taken away in an SUV without speaking to reporters. His release marks the end of a decades-long campaign by supporters—including Amnesty International and actor Robert Redford—who argued that his conviction was unjust.
EDITOR’S PICKS
A member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Peltier has long maintained his innocence in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. His trial, critics say, was riddled with misconduct, including suppressed evidence and coerced testimony.
“Today I am finally free! They may have imprisoned me, but they never took my spirit!” Peltier said in a statement released by the NDN Collective, an activist group. “I look forward to seeing my friends, my family, and my community. It’s a good day today.”
He will return home to the Turtle Mountain Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota, where a homecoming celebration is planned for Wednesday.
Peltier was convicted in 1977 for the deaths of FBI agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams, who were at the reservation to serve an arrest warrant. A violent shootout erupted at the Jumping Bull Ranch, involving members of the American Indian Movement (AIM), of which Peltier was a member.
Two other AIM members, Robert Robideau and Darrelle Butler, were acquitted on self-defence grounds, but Peltier, who had fled to Canada and was later extradited, was convicted. While he admitted to firing his weapon in self-defence, he has always denied shooting the agents.
Prosecutors claimed Coler and Williams were executed at point-blank range, but Peltier maintained he was not near them at the time of their deaths. His supporters have pointed to evidence suppression and later-recanted testimony as proof that he did not receive a fair trial.
Atiku Abubakar denies reports of his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), calling them…
Hon. Akinloye Ismail extends heartfelt birthday wishes to Oba Ayodele Kolawole Aliyu at 85 Describes…
Celebration of Oba Ayodele Aliru Alade-uraka’s 85th birthday in Poka Land Youth leaders commend the…