Editing Leonard Peltier (section)

==Clemency and commutation of sentence==

=== Support for clemency ===
Peltier's conviction sparked great controversy and drew criticism from a number of prominent figures across a wide range of disciplines. In 1999, Peltier asserted on CNN that he did not commit the murders and does not know who did. Peltier has described himself as a [[political prisoner]].<ref>{{cite web |title=AIM – American Indian Movement Store |url=http://www.aimovement.org/peltier/index.html |access-date=November 12, 2012 |publisher=Aimovement.org}}</ref> Numerous public and legal appeals were filed on his behalf; however, because of the consistent objection of the FBI, none of the resulting rulings were made in his favor. His appeals for clemency received support from world-famous civil rights advocates, including [[Nelson Mandela]], Archbishop [[Desmond Tutu]], Rev. [[Jesse Jackson]], [[14th Dalai Lama|Tenzin Gyatso]] (the 14th [[Dalai Lama]]), Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and activist [[Rigoberta Menchú]], and [[Mother Teresa]]. International and national government entities such as the Office of the [[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights|United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights]], the [[Working Group on Indigenous Populations|United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations]], the [[European Parliament]],<ref name="eu_parlm2">{{cite web |date=February 11, 1999 |title=Resolution on the case of Leonard Peltier |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A51999IP0169&qid=1678664600560 |url-status=live |publisher=European Parliament |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312234359/https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A51999IP0169&qid=1678664600560 |archive-date=March 12, 2023}}</ref> and the [[Belgian Parliament]],<ref name="bel_parlm2">{{cite web |author=Lode Vanoost |date=June 29, 2000 |title=Voorstel van resolutie betreffende Leonard Peltier |url=http://www.dekamer.be/kvvcr/showpage.cfm?section%3Dflwb%26language%3Dnl%26rightmenu%3Dright%26cfm%3D/site/wwwcfm/flwb/flwbn.cfm?lang%3DN%26legislat%3D50%26dossierID%3D0483 |url-status=dead |publisher=Belgische Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025111112/http://www.dekamer.be/kvvcr/showpage.cfm?section=flwb&language=nl&rightmenu=right&cfm=%2Fsite%2Fwwwcfm%2Fflwb%2Fflwbn.cfm%3Flang%3DN&legislat=50&dossierID=0483 |archive-date=October 25, 2016}}</ref> have all passed resolutions in favor of Peltier's clemency. Several human rights groups, including the [[International Federation for Human Rights]] and [[Amnesty International]] launched campaigns advocating for Peltier's clemency. In the United States, the [[Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights]], the [[Committee of Concerned Scientists|Committee of Concerned Scientists, Inc.]], the [[National Lawyers Guild]], and the [[American Association for Justice|American Association of Jurists]] are all supporters of clemency for Peltier.

[[File:FreeLeonardPeltierSign.jpg | thumb|right | Free Leonard Peltier sign, March 2009]]

The police officer who arrested Peltier, Bob Newbrook, is convinced that he "was extradited illegally and that he didn't get a fair trial in the United States".<ref name="echoes" />

On June 7, 2022, the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]]'s [[Working Group on Arbitrary Detention]] released a seventeen-page analysis of Peltier's detention, rendering the opinion that it contravenes "articles 2, 7, and 9 of the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] and articles 2 (1), 9 and 26 of the [[International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]], is arbitrary and falls within categories III and V." The Working Group urged a "full and independent investigation" surrounding his detention and requested that the US government remedy his situation "without delay and bring it into conformity with the relevant international norms".<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-06/A-HRC-WGAD-7-2022-USA-AEV.pdf |title=Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its ninety-third session, 30 March–8 April 2022 |author=[[Working Group on Arbitrary Detention]] |publisher=[[United Nations Human Rights Council]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006175033/https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-06/A-HRC-WGAD-7-2022-USA-AEV.pdf |archive-date=October 6, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Clemency denial and commutation===
In 1999, Peltier filed a ''[[habeas corpus]]'' petition, but it was rejected by the 10th Circuit Court on November 4, 2003.<ref>Meister, Mark, and Ann Burnett. "Rhetorical Exclusion in the Trial of Leonard Peltier." ''American Indian Quarterly'' 28.3/4 (2004): 719–42. ''ProQuest Central, Research Library.'' Web.</ref> Near the end of the [[Clinton administration]] in 2001, rumors began circulating that [[Bill Clinton]] was considering granting Peltier [[clemency]]. Opponents of Peltier campaigned against his possible clemency; about 500 FBI agents and families protested outside the [[White House]], and FBI director [[Louis Freeh]] sent a letter opposing Peltier's clemency to the White House. Clinton did not grant Peltier clemency. In 2002, Peltier filed a [[civil rights]] lawsuit in the [[U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia]] against the FBI, Louis Freeh and FBI agents who had participated in the campaign against his clemency petition, alleging that they "engaged in a systematic and officially sanctioned campaign of misinformation and disinformation." On March 22, 2004, the suit was dismissed.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 22, 2004 |title=US District Court, Peltier v. Freeh, et al. |url=http://www.noparolepeltier.com/Order-3-22-04.pdf |publisher=Noparolepeltier.com |access-date=July 29, 2005 |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522163851/http://www.noparolepeltier.com/Order-3-22-04.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> In January 2009, President [[George W. Bush]] denied Peltier's clemency petition before leaving office.<ref>{{cite web |title=Clinton refuses to pardon Leonard Peltier – World Socialist Web Site |url=http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/jan2001/pelt-j25.shtml |access-date=November 27, 2016 |website=Wsws.org |date=January 25, 2001}}</ref><ref>[http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/27/Bush-denies-bevy-of-pardons-commutations/UPI-52591233105751/ "Bush denies bevy of pardons, commutations"]. [[United Press International|UPI.com]], January 27, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2009.</ref>

In 2016, Peltier's attorneys filed a clemency application with the White House's [[Office of the Pardon Attorney]], and his supporters organized a campaign to convince President [[Barack Obama]] to commute Peltier's sentence, a campaign which included an appeal by [[Pope Francis]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Otis |first=Ginger Adams |title=President Obama won't commute Native American activist who killed FBI agents despite plea from Pope Francis |work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York |date=January 18, 2017 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/obama-won-commute-native-american-activist-leonard-peltier-article-1.2949762 |access-date=May 30, 2018}}</ref> as well as James H. Reynolds, a senior attorney and former US Attorney who supervised the prosecution against Peltier in the appeal period following his initial trial. In a letter to the [[United States Department of Justice]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Ex-U.S. Attorney backs Leonard Peltier's bid for clemency |website=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York |date=January 3, 2017 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ex-u-s-attorney-backs-leonard-peltier-bid-clemency-article-1.2933475 |access-date=March 27, 2018}}</ref> Reynolds wrote that clemency was "in the best interest of justice in considering the totality of all matters involved". In a subsequent letter to the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', Reynolds added that the case against Peltier "was a very thin case that likely would not be upheld by courts today. It is a gross overstatement to label Peltier a 'cold-blooded murderer' on the basis of the minimal proof that survived the appeals in his case."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reynolds |first1=James |date=January 17, 2017 |title=Leonard Peltier should be released in the interest of justice |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/ct-leonard-peltier-should-be-released-in-the-interest-of-justice-20170117-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201005042/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/ct-leonard-peltier-should-be-released-in-the-interest-of-justice-20170117-story.html |archive-date=2018-12-01 |access-date= |website=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> On January 18, 2017, two days before President Obama left office, the Office of the Pardon Attorney announced that Obama had denied Peltier's application for clemency.<ref name="obama" /> On June 8, 2018, KFGO Radio in Fargo, N.D., reported that Peltier filed a formal clemency request with President Trump. KFGO obtained and published a letter that was sent by Peltier's attorney to the White House.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Monk |first=Jim |date=June 8, 2018 |title=Supporters formally ask Trump to pardon Leonard Peltier |language=en-US |publisher=KFGO |url=http://kfgo.com/news/articles/2018/jun/08/supporters-formally-ask-trump-to-pardon-leonard-peltier/ |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613234409/http://kfgo.com/news/articles/2018/jun/08/supporters-formally-ask-trump-to-pardon-leonard-peltier/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hyatt |first=Kim |date=June 25, 2018 |title=Leonard Peltier's family rests clemency hopes on Trump, but North Dakota policymakers oppose pardon |language=en-US |work=St. Paul Pioneer Press |url=https://www.twincities.com/2018/06/25/leonard-peltiers-family-rests-clemency-hopes-on-trump-but-north-dakota-policymakers-oppose-pardon/ |access-date=June 26, 2018}}</ref>  On July 9, 2021, Reynolds wrote a letter to President Biden in which he stated:  “I have realized that the prosecution and  continued incarceration of Mr. Peltier was and is unjust.  We were not able to prove that Mr. Peltier personally committed any offense on the Pine Ridge Reservation."

On February 6, 2023, Leonard Peltier again made a plea for clemency.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lakhani |first=Nina |date=February 6, 2023 |title=Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier in plea for clemency after 47 years in jail |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/06/leonard-peltier-interview-prison-48-years |access-date=February 25, 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

On June 10, 2024, Peltier had his first parole hearing since 2009.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/leonard-peltier-what-is-parole-hearing-46091ed791ae39e98c79d4e1c4828bb8 |title=What to know about Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier's first hearing in more than a decade |first1=Heather |last1=Hollingsworth |first2=Jack |last2=Dura |work=Associated Press News |date=June 10, 2024 |access-date=July 1, 2024}}</ref> Ahead of the hearing, his lawyer Kevin Sharp described the hearing as "probably" his "last chance" to make a case for parole.<ref name="paroledenied" />  On July 2, 2024, he was denied parole.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/leonard-peltier-parole-hearing-2d0df4e4997d988ec229b05de9dba648 |title=Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier denied parole for 1975 killings of 2 FBI agents serving warrants |first=Heather |last=Hollingsworth |work=Associated Press News |date=July 2, 2024 |access-date=July 2, 2024}}</ref> An interim hearing to discuss parole was set in 2026, while another full hearing was set for 2039, according to Sharp.<ref name=paroledenied>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/leonard-peltier-native-american-activist-imprisoned-almost-50-years-de-rcna156877 |title=Leonard Peltier, Native American activist imprisoned for almost 50 years, denied parole request |first=Erik |last=Ortiz |publisher=NBC News |date=July 2, 2024 |access-date=July 2, 2024}}</ref> From 2014 until 2025, Peltier was housed at [[United States Penitentiary, Coleman|Coleman I]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129192714/http://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 29, 2014 |title=Inmate Locator |date=January 29, 2014 |access-date=March 27, 2018}}</ref> the high-security penitentiary wing of the [[Coleman Federal Correctional Complex]] in Coleman, Florida.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-20 |title=Biden commutes life sentence of Leonard Peltier, in last moments in office |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/biden-commutes-sentence-for-indigenous-activist-leonard-peltier-convicted-in-killing-of-fbi-agents/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US |quote=Bureau of Prisons spokesperson… said Peltier remained incarcerated Monday at USP Coleman, a high-security prison in Florida. Peltier’s lawyer said his release date was tentatively set for Feb. 18.}}</ref>

===Presidential commutation and release from prison===
[[File:Commutation-warrant-1-19-jan-2025=Leonard Peltier.pdf|thumb|150px|upright|right|Clemency granted by President Biden on January 19, 2025 which became effective on February 18, 2025]]

On January 19, 2025, the last full day of his presidency, [[Joe Biden]] commuted Peltier's life sentence to [[home confinement]] beginning on February 18, 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bendery |first=Jennifer |date=January 20, 2025 |title=Joe Biden Grants Clemency To Leonard Peltier |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-leonard-peltier-clemency_n_67608b04e4b0d06419ec6367 |access-date=January 20, 2025 |work=[[HuffPost]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release |last=Biden |first=Joe |author-link=Joe Biden |date=January 20, 2025 |title=Statement from President Joe Biden |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/20/statement-from-president-joe-biden-16/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250120165428/https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/20/statement-from-president-joe-biden-16/ |archive-date=January 20, 2025 |access-date=January 20, 2025 |publisher=[[White House]]}}</ref> Peltier was released on that date.<ref name=releasedfromprison>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/leonard-peltier-native-american-activist-released-prison-biden-commute-rcna192253 |title=Leonard Peltier, Native American activist, released from prison after Biden commuted his life sentence |first=Erik |last=Ortiz |publisher=NBC News |date=February 18, 2025 |access-date=February 18, 2025}}</ref> His son said that the Turtle Mountain Band has a home arranged for him on the reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-21 |title=Leonard Peltier to be no longer in prison |url=https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/leonard-peltier-is-no-longer-in-prison/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=KELOLAND.com |language=en-US |quote=According to his son, Peltier’s tribe, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, has a home ready for him on the Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.inforum.com/news/north-dakota/family-plans-homecoming-for-leonard-peltier-at-turtle-mountain-on-tuesday |title=Family plans homecoming for Leonard Peltier at Turtle Mountain on Tuesday |publisher=[[The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead|In Forum]] |date=February 17, 2025|accessdate=February 18, 2025}}</ref> Upon his release, Peltier's younger sister Shelia confirmed to the Minnesota-based newspaper ''[[Star Tribune]]'' that he opted to be transferred to the [[Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation]] in [[Belcourt, North Dakota]], where he could reunite with his family more.<ref name="northdakotatransfer">{{cite news |url=https://www.startribune.com/its-a-historical-day-leonard-peltier-coming-home-tuesday-after-nearly-50-years-in-prison/601224731 |title='It's a historical day': Leonard Peltier coming home Tuesday after nearly 50 years in prison |first=Kim |last=Hyatt |work=Star Tribune |date=February 18, 2025 |access-date=February 18, 2025}}</ref> On February 19, 2025, Peltier spoke publicly at Belcourt's Sky Dance Casino and Resort during an event welcoming him home.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.inforum.com/news/north-dakota/american-indian-activist-leonard-peltier-addresses-lively-crowd-after-prison-release |title=American Indian activist Leonard Peltier addresses lively crowd after prison release |publisher=[[The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead|In Forum]] |date=February 19, 2025 |accessdate=February 19, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.kfyrtv.com/2025/02/19/live-leonard-peltiers-return-north-dakota/|title=UPDATE: Leonard Peltier speaks at event welcoming him home |publisher=KMOT |date=February 19, 2025 |accessdate=February 19, 2025}}</ref>