Biden commutes sentence for Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, convicted in killing of FBI agents

WASHINGTON — 

With conscionable moments near earlier helium leaves office, President Joe Biden commuted the beingness condemnation of Indigenous activistic Leonard Peltier, who was convicted successful the 1975 killings of 2 FBI agents.

Peltier was denied parole arsenic precocious arsenic July and wasn't eligible for parole again until 2026. He was serving beingness successful situation for the deaths of the agents during a standoff connected the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation successful South Dakota. He volition modulation to location confinement, Biden said successful a statement.

The combat for Peltier's state is entangled with the Indigenous rights movements. Nearly fractional a period later, his sanction remains a rallying cry.

An enrolled subordinate of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa successful North Dakota, Peltier was progressive successful the American Indian Movement, which began successful the 1960s arsenic a section enactment successful Minneapolis that grappled with issues of constabulary brutality and favoritism against Native Americans. It rapidly became a nationalist force.

The question grabbed headlines successful 1973 erstwhile it took implicit the colony of Wounded Knee connected the Pine Ridge reservation, starring to a 71-day standoff with national agents. Tensions betwixt the question and the authorities remained precocious for years.

On June 26, 1975, agents came to Pine Ridge to service apprehension warrants amid battles implicit Native pact rights and self-determination.

After being injured successful a shootout, agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were changeable successful the caput astatine adjacent range, FBI has said. Also killed successful the shootout was American Indian Movement subordinate Joseph Stuntz.

Two different question members, Robert Robideau and Dino Butler, were acquitted of sidesplitting Coler and Williams.

After fleeing to Canada and being extradited to the United States, Peltier was convicted of 2 counts of first-degree execution and sentenced successful 1977 to beingness successful prison, contempt defence claims that grounds against him had been falsified.