Overview

• Leonard Peltier, an activist with the American Indian Movement, was convicted in 1977 for the deaths of two FBI agents during a 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
• President Joe Biden commuted Peltier's life sentence, citing his advanced age, severe health issues, and the nearly 50 years he has already spent in prison.
• The commutation does not pardon Peltier's crimes but allows him to serve the rest of his sentence at home on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in North Dakota.
• The case has drawn global attention, with figures such as Pope Francis, Amnesty International, and the late Nelson Mandela advocating for Peltier's release due to concerns over the fairness of his trial.
• Former FBI Director Christopher Wray opposed the commutation, describing Peltier as a 'remorseless killer' and warning that the decision undermines the rule of law.