In a show of broad support from Indian Country, on January 13 2025, over 120 tribal leaders sent a letter calling for President Biden to grant clemency to Leonard Peltier. At 80 years old, Peltier is in his 49th year of incarceration.
Dear President Biden:
We are current and former elected Tribal leaders and leaders of national Tribal organizations who join our voices with the many others around the globe who have called out for the end of Leonard Peltier’s long incarceration. We urge you to grant clemency to Leonard Peltier.
The current facts of Mr. Peltier’s imprisonment call out for mercy: he is an 80-year-old enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (ND) and a boarding school survivor who is in his 49th year of incarceration at the maximum-security United States Penitentiary, Coleman outside of Orlando, FL. Key individuals involved in his prosecution have spoken out in support of the release of Mr. Peltier and have given new weight to our ask of you.
For most of his life, Leonard Peltier has been serving a sentence based on a conviction that would not hold up in court today and for a crime that the government has admitted it could not prove. Mr. Peltier’s continued incarceration is a symbol to Native Americans of the systemic inequities of the criminal justice system in America.
Mr. President, we honor your demonstrated commitment to Indian Country. You have stood with us many times – both in the White House and the U.S. Senate. Our standing in the world as a champion of freedom, justice, and human rights cannot be maintained in a system that allows Leonard Peltier to die in prison.
We ask that you urgently consider this opportunity to grant clemency to Leonard Peltier. Stand with us again.
Signatories to Tribal Leader Letterto President Joe Biden
Requesting Clemency for Leonard Peltier
