- United States
- Colo.
- Letter
I write to demand clemency for Leonard Peltier, an Indigenous activist and member of the American Indian Movement, who has been unjustly imprisoned for nearly 50 years. Mr. Peltier’s conviction for the 1975 deaths of two FBI agents was riddled with prosecutorial misconduct, fabricated testimony, and suppressed evidence. Amnesty International considers him a political prisoner, and his case has become a global symbol of injustice.
Members of Congress, I urge you to stand with me and our communities across the nation this call for Justice.
President Biden, if you are willing to pardon Turkeys as a symbolic gesture of justice, yet ignore this opportunity to carry out justice in earnest, you will cement yourself and your administration as one who does not take the issues that our nation faces seriously.
Mr. Peltier, now 79, is a survivor of the federal Indian boarding school system and a lifelong advocate for Indigenous rights. His imprisonment is an enduring wound for Indian Country. The conditions surrounding his case, including the violence on the Pine Ridge Reservation during the “reign of terror” after Wounded Knee, demand a congressional investigation. However, immediate action can begin with your administration granting him clemency, the only remaining avenue for his release.
Indigenous leaders, tribal governments, and human rights advocates have long called for Mr. Peltier’s freedom. His health is deteriorating, and he has survived COVID-19 despite the risks posed by incarceration. His community at Turtle Mountain Ojibwe stands ready to welcome him home, providing housing and care for their elder.
Clemency is not only a matter of justice but a step toward healing the deep scars of systemic violence against Native peoples. The United States has an opportunity to honor its commitments to truth, reconciliation, and justice by ending this prolonged and unnecessary cruelty. If your administration is willing to pardon turkeys while ignoring this act of actual justice, it will further cement itself as one that does not take the critical issues facing our nation seriously.
I urge you to act immediately to grant Leonard Peltier clemency. History will remember your decision as either a perpetuation of injustice or a courageous step toward reconciliation.
