Leonard Peltier

Leonard Peltier
Peltier in 1972
Born (1944-09-12) September 12, 1944 (age 80)
Grand Forks, North Dakota, U.S.
Political partyAmerican Indian Movement
Criminal chargeFirst-degree murder
Criminal penaltyTwo life sentences
Criminal statusIn prison; next scheduled parole hearing 2024

Leonard Peltier (born September 12, 1944) is a Native American activist. He is a member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa, who is also of Lakota and Dakota descent.[1] He is a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM).

In 1977, he was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for first-degree murder in the shooting of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents during a 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Peltier is incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Coleman in Florida. Peltier became eligible for parole in 1993; his next scheduled parole hearing will be in July 2024, when Peltier will be 79.[2][3]

On January 18, 2017, the Office of the Pardon Attorney announced that President Barack Obama had denied Peltier's application for clemency. Peltier was next eligible for commutation in 2018. Peltier will remain in prison for the rest of his life.[4]

He was running for Vice President in the 2020 election as the running mate of Gloria La Riva with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.[5] He withdrew his Vice Presidential nomination in August 2020 because of health reasons.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Who is Leonard Peltier?". Footprints for peace, nonprofit organization. Archived from the original on 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  2. ↑ Doctorow, E. L.; Styron, Rose; Styron, William; Jr, Kurt Vonnegut; Matthiessen, Peter. "United States v. Leonard Peltier | by Peter Matthiessen | The New York Review of Books". Nybooks.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  3. ↑ "American Indian activist denied parole", Newsday, August 21, 2009
  4. ↑ "Federal Bureau of Prisons". Bop.gov. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  5. ↑ "La Riva / Peltier Presidential Campaign Announcement". Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  6. ↑ Winger, Richard (August 2, 2020). "Party for Socialism & Liberation Alters its Vice-Presidential Nominee". Ballot Access News. Retrieved August 3, 2020.