Leonard Peltier (born September 12, 1944) is a Native American activist and member of the
American Indian Movement (AIM) who was convicted of murdering two
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in a June 26, 1975, shooting on the
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He was sentenced to two consecutive terms of
life imprisonment.<a href="
Leonard Peltier - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a><a href="
Leonard Peltier - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a><a href="
Leonard Peltier - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a> Peltier became eligible for
parole in 1993.<a href="
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On January 19, 2025, Peltier's sentence was
commuted to indefinite
house arrest by President
Joe Biden shortly before he left office. On February 18, the date specified by the grant of clemency, Peltier was released and transferred to the
Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in
Belcourt, North Dakota.<a href="
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In his 1999 memoir
Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sun Dance, Peltier admitted to participating in the shootout but said he did not kill the FBI agents.<a href="
Leonard Peltier - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>11<span>]</span></a><a href="
Leonard Peltier - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>12<span>]</span></a> However, witnesses say he confessed, including
Darlene Ka-Mook Nichols, who testified against him at trial. Human rights watchdogs, such as
Amnesty International, and political figures including
Nelson Mandela,
Mother Teresa, and the
14th Dalai Lama, campaigned for clemency for Peltier.<a href="
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At the time of the shootout, Peltier was an active member of AIM, an Indigenous rights advocacy group that worked to combat the racism and
police brutality experienced by Native Americans.<a href="
Leonard Peltier - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>15<span>]</span></a>