Just hours before leaving the White House, former President Joe Biden, in an unexpected move, commuted the sentence of Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents and is serving life in prison. Peltier was denied parole as recently as July and wouldn’t be eligible for parole again until 2026.
Deborah Jiron is from Isleta and Kewa pueblos and is an elder and activist for the American Indian Movement (AIM). She was attending an Inauguration Day protest in Albuquerque and said she was anxiously waiting Sunday for President Biden’s decision.
“Because it's sadly in the back of our minds. We know, if he doesn't get out now, he's 80 years old, what's going to happen? He's not going to survive,” she said.
Jiron said this day represents standing up for human rights.
“We have to stand up and be sure that our brothers and sisters are being remembered and being kept alive by our prayers and knowing that we're fighting for the justices, because there's a lot of injustices out there,” she said.
The commutation follows decades of lobbying and protests by Native American leaders and others who maintain Peltier was wrongfully convicted. Amnesty International has long considered him a political prisoner.
Jiron said Peltier’s release is a historic day for Indigenous people.
“We are so excited. We're so happy about it. It's a big, big day, a victory day for us, for all the grassroots movements, for everyone that has prayed, spoke, walked, did everything for his release,” she said.
Diné activist Andrew Thomas offered words of celebration for Peltier’s commutation.
“Let us as Native peoples, not forget our way of life. He is free because of who we are. We have never forgotten, and we never will” he said.
The White House said Peltier, who is now 80 and in declining health, will transition to home confinement. The commutation is not a pardon for crimes committed. That decision was welcomed by some of Peltier’s advocates since he has always maintained his innocence. But the last-minute move as Biden left office angered law enforcement officers who believe he is guilty.
Support from the coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
