08/30/2024
In 1975, the FBI invaded the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and a shootout ensued, resulting in the deaths of a young Native man and two FBI agents. The evidence presented that linked AIM leader Leonard Peltier to the shots that killed the agents has been recanted.
The FBI withheld crucial evidence at the trial: The bullets that killed the agents did not come from Peltier’s gun. The FBI threatened witnesses, who have now recalled their testimony. One juror admitted having racial prejudice against Peltier, and the prosecutor of the case, James Reynolds, recently petitioned President Biden for a pardon:
“With time, and the benefit of hindsight, 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… He has served more than 46 years on the basis of minimal evidence, a result that I strongly doubt would be upheld in any court today... In my opinion, to continue to imprison Mr. Peltier any longer, knowing all that we know now, would serve only to continue the broken relationship between Native Americans and the government.” -- Prosecutor James Reynolds
Further judicial review has also pointed toward an improper trial leading to an improper incarceration that has already stretched for nearly half a century:
“Much of the government’s behavior at the Pine Ridge Reservation and in its prosecution of Mr. Peltier is to be condemned. The government withheld evidence. It intimidated witnesses. These facts are not disputed.” -- Per Curiam, Judges Seymour, Anderson & Brorby, Peltier v. Booker, 348 F.3d 888, 896 (10th Cir. 2003)
“The FBI used improper tactics… At some point, a healing process must begin. We as a nation must treat Native Americans more fairly. To do so, we must recognize their unique culture and their great contributions to our nation. Favorable action by the President in the Leonard Peltier case would be an important step in this regard.” – Judge Gerald Heaney, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals judge in two of Leonard Peltier’s appeals
Now almost 80 years old, imprisoned since 1976, and denied parole again just this year, Leonard Peltier is the longest-serving political prisoner in the United States.
Send a message calling on President Biden to pardon and free Leonard Peltier from prison after doing 48 years for a crime he did not commit.