Leonard Peltier's Decades-Long Fight for Justice Continues
Amnesty International Calls for Clemency, Citing Concerns Over Fair Trial and Prison Treatment
Veteran Native American Activist Imprisoned for 46 Years
Leonard Peltier, a 77-year-old Native American man who has been imprisoned in the United States for 45 years, continues to fight for his freedom. Amnesty International has long advocated for clemency for Peltier, raising concerns about his fair trial and harsh treatment in prison.
Peltier, an Anishinabe-Lakota Native American, is serving two consecutive life sentences for the murders of two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents during a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota in 1975. Peltier has consistently maintained his innocence, and his case has been marked by allegations of prosecutorial misconduct and a biased jury.
Despite his age and declining health, Peltier has faced harsh conditions in prison, including solitary confinement and the denial of basic medical care. In 2021, he was denied parole after a hearing where his advanced age and health problems were not considered mitigating factors.
Amnesty International continues to stand with Peltier and his family, urging the Biden administration to grant him clemency. The organization believes that Peltier's continued imprisonment is a grave injustice that undermines both the principles of justice and the reconciliation process between the United States and Native Americans.
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