Minnesota tribal leaders call for #Biden to commute #LeonardPeltier's sentence

by Melissa Olson, January 14, 2025

"A group of over 120 elected current and former tribal leaders from across the United States are calling on President Joe Biden to grant clemency to Leonard Peltier, a longstanding political activist convicted in 1977 in the murder of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, according to a story first published Monday by HuffPost.

"Peltier is a member of the #AmericanIndianMovement, a grassroots Native American organization formed in Minneapolis in the late 1960s in response to police violence.

“'For the majority of his life, Leonard Peltier has been serving a sentence based on a conviction that would not hold up in court today and for a crime that the government has admitted it could not prove. Mr. Peltier’s continued incarceration is a symbol to Native Americans of the systemic inequities of the criminal justice system in America,' read the letter from tribal elected officials published on #NDNCollective.

"The letter was signed by over a dozen elected tribal officials in Minnesota, including president of the #LowerSioux Indian Community Robert Larsen, who verified the accuracy of the letter to MPR News, as well as Chair of #BoisForteBand of Chippewa Cathy Chavers and Chief Executive of the #MilleLacs Band of# Ojibwe Virgil Wind, who signed the letter as President of the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes.

"Faron Jackson, chair of the #LeechLakeBand of Ojibwe, also signed the letter. Jackson spoke to MPR News while attending the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe annual state of the band address Tuesday.

"'I think it was an injustice from day one,” said Jackson. “He’s been sitting in prison for almost 50 years on a lot of circumstantial evidence that just didn’t add up to justice.'

"Peltier, a citizen of the #TurtleMountainBand of #Chippewa in North Dakota, is currently serving two life sentences at a federal prison in Florida. Peltier has maintained his innocence since he was first imprisoned."

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/01/14/minnesota-tribal-leaders-call-for-biden-to-commute-leonard-peltier-sentence
#FreeLeonardPeltier #AmnestyForLeonardPeltier #ClemencyForLeonardPeltier #AIM

#LeonardPeltier Denied Parole: #NDNCollective Responds

By NDN Collective • July 2, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 2, 2024

Rapid City, South Dakota – "Today, NDN Collective and millions of people across #IndianCountry are devastated to learn that Leonard Peltier, an #activist and member of the #AmericanIndianMovement (#AIM), has been denied #parole by the United States Parole Commission. The Commission issued the decision today after a parole hearing on June 10 at the United States Penitentiary Coleman I in #Florida, where Mr. Peltier is currently incarcerated.

"'Today is a sad day for #IndigenousPeoples and #justice everywhere. The U.S. Parole Commission’s denial of parole for Leonard Peltier, America’s longest serving #Indigenous political prisoner, is a travesty,' said Nick Tilsen, president and CEO of NDN Collective. 'They denied parole to a survivor of genocidal Indian #BoardingSchools as he struggles to survive this unjust incarceration, they insist on holding him for a crime for which they have no physical evidence against him. Clearly, the Parole Commission – which is supposed to be an independent body – was influenced by the #FBI. The FBI continues to abuse its power, promote false narratives, and engage in counterintelligence activities. The FBI has no regard for the Constitution or the laws they have sworn an oath to protect.'

"'This decision is consistent with how the #UnitedStates government has treated the Indigenous Peoples of these lands. They have broken every promise they have ever made to our Nations, and have ignored their Constitution in order to erode the civil and #HumanRights rights of #Native people. But while we are heartbroken by the parole commission’s decision, our work to ensure that Leonard will receive justice and freedom will continue with renewed dedication,' Tilsen said.

"Leonard Peltier, a member of the #TurtleMountainBand of #Chippewa Indians, is in his 49th year of imprisonment. He stands as a symbol of the ongoing #racism and oppression against Native Americans in the United States criminal justice system, issues that Leonard fought against in the 1970’s and throughout his incarceration.

"NDN Collective will continue to demand freedom for Leonard Peltier as his attorneys file an appeal of this decision. The organization will also continue its advocacy for a grant of clemency from President #JoeBiden.

Read more:
https://ndncollective.org/leonard-peltier-denied-parole-ndn-collective-responds/

#ACAB #FreeLeonardPeltier #JusticeForLeonardPeltier

#LeonardPeltier awaits decision in high-stakes parole bid on anniversary of #PineRidge shootout

Story by Kaitlyn Kennedy
June 26, 2024

"Demands for justice for #Indigenous #FreedomFighter Leonard #Peltier are expected to resound loudly on the anniversary of the infamous June 26, 1975, shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in so-called South Dakota.

"A member of the #TurtleMountainBand of #Chippewa, Peltier was taken into US custody after he was convicted of killing FBI special agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams.

"The killing of an Indigenous man, #JosephStuntz, during the shootout was never investigated, nor have any charges ever been issued.

"Now 79 years old, Peltier is incarcerated in a maximum-security facility in Coleman, Florida. He has spent over 48 years behind bars.

"Peltier was granted a parole hearing in early June in order that he might once again make his case for release.

"#NDNCollective President and CEO Nick Tilsen was one of only two witnesses allowed to testify in the hearing. 'How Leonard was treated during his prosecution and during his continued incarceration is consistent with how they have treated Indian people throughout history,' he said in a webinar earlier this month.

"During the hearing, Tilsen also spoke to Peltier's legacy, explaining how he and the #AmericanIndianMovement contributed to the revitalization of #IndigenousLanguages, #ceremonies, and #culture.

"'We didn't have to do our #ceremonies in hiding anymore because people fought for those rights,' he said during the webinar. 'They made it okay for us to be proud of who we are.'"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/oglala-commemoration-day-leonard-peltier-awaits-decision-in-high-stakes-parole-bid/ar-BB1oWrWR

#FreeLeonardPeltier #FreeLeonard #IndigenousLandDefenders #Injustice