Leonard Peltier, Native American activist, released from prison after Biden commuted his life sentence
Peltier, who has always maintained his innocence in the killing of two FBI agents 50 years ago, was released Tuesday from a federal prison in Florida.
Leonard Peltier, the Native American activist who has always maintained his innocence in the killing of two FBI agents 50 years ago, was released Tuesday morning from a federal prison in Florida after former President Joe Biden commuted his two life sentences.
The act of clemency permits Peltier, who is 80 and has been in declining health for years, to serve his remaining days on home confinement.
Peltier is being transferred to his birthplace in North Dakota, where he is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and will be welcomed with celebrations to "reconnect with his home community and adjust back into life among his people," the NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led advocacy organization, said in a statement.
"We made a commitment to free Leonard Peltier and bring him back to his homelands — this is us fulfilling that commitment," Nick Tilsen, the organization's founder, said.
The federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment prior to Peltier's release, citing security and privacy reasons. Inmates in home confinement remain under BOP custody and are typically subject to conditions that limit their travel and activities; require drug and alcohol testing; and may involve electronic monitoring equipment to enforce curfews.
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