Convicted in 1977 for the killing of two agents, Leonard Peltier – considered by many a political prisoner – will serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
After half a century, Leonard Peltier has returned home. Around three hundred supporters welcomed him at the Turtle Mountain indigenous reservation in North Dakota on 19 February. The day before, he had been released from a federal prison in central Florida, where he was serving his sentence for the murder of two federal agents. Allowing the indigenous leader to serve out his sentence under house arrest was one of the last acts of Joe Biden before leaving the White House. His homecoming and the story behind it were recounted by the New York Times.
It is the 1970s. Leonard Peltier is a member of the American Indian Movement, an activist organisation through which Native Americans defend their rights and sovereignty over their lands, denounce episodes of police brutality, and fight to improve the quality of life on reservations. At the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, tensions escalate to the point where militants forcibly occupy the Sioux village of Wounded Knee and hold it for 71 days.
Two years later, again at the Pine Ridge reservation, two FBI agents – Jack Coler and Ronald Williams – attempt to arrest a person suspected of theft. A shootout breaks out, and both agents, as well as an activist, are killed. The charges fall on Leonard Peltier, who admits to having fired, but only in self-defence and without hitting anyone.
Peltier flees to Canada, but is extradited to the United States and faces a trial that many have described as tainted by a climate of repression towards indigenous people. Numerous irregularities are alleged. Several witnesses retract their statements, explaining they had been pressured by the FBI. Of the more than thirty people present, Peltier is the only one to receive a conviction – two consecutive life sentences. Multiple appeals are attempted, all rejected.
Among those who have come to Leonard Peltier's defence over the years are the non-governmental organisation Amnesty International and former South African president Nelson Mandela. Indigenous people describe him as a political prisoner who has paid for his choice to stand up for indigenous rights with his freedom. "He represents anyone who has been mistreated by a police officer, profiled, who has children who have been harassed at school," said Nick Estes, professor of Native American Studies at the University of Minnesota and member of the Lower Brule Sioux tribe. As time has passed, doubts about the regularity of the trial have been compounded by concerns over his health. Peltier, who turned eighty in prison on 12 September 2024, is diabetic and has heart problems. When he returns home, he is nearly blind and struggles to walk unaided.
The clemency act decreed by Joe Biden does not annul the sentence, but simply allows Leonard Peltier to serve it under house arrest. It is nonetheless enough to stir controversy among those who, on the strength of his definitive conviction, continue to consider him guilty. Conversely, there is a profound sense of satisfaction among indigenous communities. "We never thought he would get out," says Ray St. Clair, of the Chippewa tribe from Minnesota, who travelled all the way to Florida to witness Peltier's release. "This shows that you must never lose hope. We can begin to repair the harm that has been done. This is only the beginning."
