Leonard Peltier leaves prison after his sentence commuted in FBI agents murder case; details here

Leonard Peltier on Tuesday came out of the prison in Florida after former US President Joe Biden commuted his life sentence to home confinement -- a decision that was heavily criticised by law enforcement officials. The Native American activist was serving a jail term in connection with the killings of two FBI agents in 1975.

The 80-year-old left Coleman penitentiary in an SUV, The Associated Press reported. Peltier did not even stop to address the media and his supporters who had gathered to celebrate his release from prison.

Who is Leonard Peltier?

Peltier is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. He will now serve the remainder of his two life sentences in home confinement in North Dakota, The New York Times reported.


Peltier, who is ailing and is partially blind, got major support from Nobel Peace laureates and former law enforcement officials, who urged for clemency. The commutation of his sentence was one of final decisions taken by Biden before he left office.

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Celebrating his return, the tribe has arranged a house for Peltier to live for the rest of his life.

Peltier was active in the American Indian Movement (AIM), formed in the 1960s to fight for Native American treaty rights as well as tribal self-determination.

Case against Leonard Peltier

Peltier was convicted for his involvement in the 1975 shootout between FBI agents and activists on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Two agents and an activist were killed in the incident. Prosecutors claimed that the agents of the federal agency were shot at point-blank range.

Having served nearly five decades in prison, Peltier has always maintained that he did not kill FBI agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams. He admitted to firing from a distance, but claimed that he did so in self defence.

FBI back then stated that Coler and Williams went to the area to serve arrest warrants in connection with a case of robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon.

According to The New York Times, more than 30 people were present during the shootout, but Peltier was the only once convicted of crime,

Two other Native American activists, who were initially tried for murder, were later acquitted from the case.

Mixed reactions over Leonard Peltier release

The former US president's decision to commute Peltier’s sentence to home confinement had angered many who considered him guilty.

Former FBI Director Christopher Wray had even called Peltier “a remorseless killer”.

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Several Native Americans believe that Peltier served as a political prisoner since he was wrongly convicted.

Nick Estes, a professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota, told The Associated Press that Peltier represents "every person who’s been roughed up by a cop, profiled, had their children harassed at school”.

FAQs

1. What were the charges against Leonard Peltier?
Peltier was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and served two consecutive life sentences.

2. When was Leonard Peltier last denied parole?
Peltier was last denied parole in July last year, making him eligible to be considered for it again only in 2026.