Peltier's indictment and conviction have been the subject of much controversy; Amnesty International placed his case under the "Unfair Trials" category of its Annual Report: USA 2010.
Peltier is incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Coleman in Florida. Peltier's next scheduled parole hearing will be in July 2024. Barring appeals, parole or presidential pardon, his projected release date is October 11, 2040.
Early life and education
Peltier was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the eleventh of thirteen children, to Leo Peltier and Alvina Robideau. His father was Turtle MountainChippewa on his paternal side and French on his maternal side, and his mother was Dakota Sioux and French on her mother's side and Chippewa on her father's. Peltier's parents divorced when he was four years old. At this time, Leonard and his sister Betty Ann were taken to live with their paternal grandparents Alex and Mary Dubois-Peltier in the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa near Belcourt, North Dakota.
In September 1953, at the age of nine, Leonard was enrolled at the Wahpeton Indian School in Wahpeton, North Dakota, an Indian boarding school run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). He graduated at Wahpeton in May 1957, and attended the Flandreau Indian School in Flandreau, South Dakota. After dropping out in the ninth grade, he returned to the Turtle Mountain Reservation to live with his father.
Schatz Urges President Biden To Pardon Native American Activist Leonard Peltier
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, again called on President Biden to pardon Native American activist Leonard Peltier who was convicted of murder in 1977 following a controversial investigation and trial, which many civil rights leaders and legal experts have called unjust, including the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case. Since 2022, Schatz has repeatedly led colleagues in calling on the president to grant Peltier, who is now 80 and has been imprisoned for the past 49 years, clemency.
To hear more about what we’re up to, connect with us on:
X (formerly known as Twitter) → @SenBrianSchatz
Instagram → @SenBrianSchatz
Facebook → @SenBrianSchatz
Online → www.schatz.senate.gov
published: 04 Dec 2024
Imprisoned for 50 Years: Amnesty Calls for Leonard Peltier's Freedom as He Turns 80 Behind Bars
Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-desc-yt
Supporters of Leonard Peltier are calling on President Biden to grant clemency to the Indigenous leader and activist, who marked his 80th birthday behind bars on Thursday after nearly a half-century in prison for a crime he says he did not commit. The ailing Peltier, who uses a walker and has serious health conditions, including diabetes, has always maintained his innocence over the 1975 killing of two FBI agents in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation. His conviction was riddled with irregularities and prosecutorial misconduct, and he is considered to be the longest-serving political prisoner in the United States. For much of the last four years, Peltier has been held under near-total lockdown. For more on Peltier and the c...
published: 13 Sep 2024
WARRIOR The Life of Leonard Peltier
This is the definitive feature documentary about American Indian activist, Leonard Peltier. His story is told within the context of the American Indian Movement, the US federal government, and the multi national companies interested in mining the land in South Dakota.
Produced and directed by Suzie Baer. 1992
For more information about Leonard Peltier please contact http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/
For more information about film screenings contact me at [email protected]
For purchase of the film or a poster:
https://my.bigcartel.com/products
published: 17 Oct 2015
President Biden: Free Leonard Peltier
Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist, has been imprisoned for nearly 50 years in the USA for a crime he maintains he did not commit. There are serious and ongoing concerns about the fairness of his trial and conviction. Tribal Nations, Nobel Peace Laureates, former FBI agents, numerous others, and even the former U.S. Attorney, James Reynolds, whose office handled the prosecution, have called for Leonard Peltier’s release. Watch to learn more.
--
Producer/Writer: Steven Lawrence/Yerosha Productions
Narrator: Peter Coyote
Editor: Peter Shelton
Graphics: Nuncle
Music courtesy of Gary Meister/Naturalistic Music
Additional music courtesy of BANG Music + Audio Post
Sound Mix: Nick Cipriano, BANG Music + Audio Post
Talent Coordinator: Helen Garrett
This video features excerpts from ...
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, again called on President Biden to pardon Native American activist Leon...
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, again called on President Biden to pardon Native American activist Leonard Peltier who was convicted of murder in 1977 following a controversial investigation and trial, which many civil rights leaders and legal experts have called unjust, including the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case. Since 2022, Schatz has repeatedly led colleagues in calling on the president to grant Peltier, who is now 80 and has been imprisoned for the past 49 years, clemency.
To hear more about what we’re up to, connect with us on:
X (formerly known as Twitter) → @SenBrianSchatz
Instagram → @SenBrianSchatz
Facebook → @SenBrianSchatz
Online → www.schatz.senate.gov
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, again called on President Biden to pardon Native American activist Leonard Peltier who was convicted of murder in 1977 following a controversial investigation and trial, which many civil rights leaders and legal experts have called unjust, including the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case. Since 2022, Schatz has repeatedly led colleagues in calling on the president to grant Peltier, who is now 80 and has been imprisoned for the past 49 years, clemency.
To hear more about what we’re up to, connect with us on:
X (formerly known as Twitter) → @SenBrianSchatz
Instagram → @SenBrianSchatz
Facebook → @SenBrianSchatz
Online → www.schatz.senate.gov
Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-desc-yt
Supporters of Leonard Peltier are calling on President Biden to grant clemency to the Indigenous l...
Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-desc-yt
Supporters of Leonard Peltier are calling on President Biden to grant clemency to the Indigenous leader and activist, who marked his 80th birthday behind bars on Thursday after nearly a half-century in prison for a crime he says he did not commit. The ailing Peltier, who uses a walker and has serious health conditions, including diabetes, has always maintained his innocence over the 1975 killing of two FBI agents in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation. His conviction was riddled with irregularities and prosecutorial misconduct, and he is considered to be the longest-serving political prisoner in the United States. For much of the last four years, Peltier has been held under near-total lockdown. For more on Peltier and the campaign to free him, we speak with Nick Tilsen, president of the NDN Collective, and two attorneys on Peltier's legal defense team, Jenipher Jones and Moira Meltzer-Cohen.
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.
Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe
Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-desc-yt
Supporters of Leonard Peltier are calling on President Biden to grant clemency to the Indigenous leader and activist, who marked his 80th birthday behind bars on Thursday after nearly a half-century in prison for a crime he says he did not commit. The ailing Peltier, who uses a walker and has serious health conditions, including diabetes, has always maintained his innocence over the 1975 killing of two FBI agents in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation. His conviction was riddled with irregularities and prosecutorial misconduct, and he is considered to be the longest-serving political prisoner in the United States. For much of the last four years, Peltier has been held under near-total lockdown. For more on Peltier and the campaign to free him, we speak with Nick Tilsen, president of the NDN Collective, and two attorneys on Peltier's legal defense team, Jenipher Jones and Moira Meltzer-Cohen.
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.
Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe
This is the definitive feature documentary about American Indian activist, Leonard Peltier. His story is told within the context of the American Indian Movemen...
This is the definitive feature documentary about American Indian activist, Leonard Peltier. His story is told within the context of the American Indian Movement, the US federal government, and the multi national companies interested in mining the land in South Dakota.
Produced and directed by Suzie Baer. 1992
For more information about Leonard Peltier please contact http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/
For more information about film screenings contact me at [email protected]
For purchase of the film or a poster:
https://my.bigcartel.com/products
This is the definitive feature documentary about American Indian activist, Leonard Peltier. His story is told within the context of the American Indian Movement, the US federal government, and the multi national companies interested in mining the land in South Dakota.
Produced and directed by Suzie Baer. 1992
For more information about Leonard Peltier please contact http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/
For more information about film screenings contact me at [email protected]
For purchase of the film or a poster:
https://my.bigcartel.com/products
Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist, has been imprisoned for nearly 50 years in the USA for a crime he maintains he did not commit. There are serious an...
Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist, has been imprisoned for nearly 50 years in the USA for a crime he maintains he did not commit. There are serious and ongoing concerns about the fairness of his trial and conviction. Tribal Nations, Nobel Peace Laureates, former FBI agents, numerous others, and even the former U.S. Attorney, James Reynolds, whose office handled the prosecution, have called for Leonard Peltier’s release. Watch to learn more.
--
Producer/Writer: Steven Lawrence/Yerosha Productions
Narrator: Peter Coyote
Editor: Peter Shelton
Graphics: Nuncle
Music courtesy of Gary Meister/Naturalistic Music
Additional music courtesy of BANG Music + Audio Post
Sound Mix: Nick Cipriano, BANG Music + Audio Post
Talent Coordinator: Helen Garrett
This video features excerpts from the Miramax documentary “Incident At Oglala” directed by Michael Apted
Prison Footage & Guard Interview courtesy of Preston Randolph/Cactus Productions
Peltier Prison Poem footage courtesy of Claus Biegert
Peltier Prison Photos courtesy of Dick Bancroft
Fargo Courthouse Footage courtesy of State Historical Society of North Dakota
Legal Clearances: Robert Jacobs-Meadway, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott
Special Thanks: Michael Apted, Mike Förster, Jaime Haire, Peter Jaszi, David Johnson, Beth Kelley, Shane Molander, Dredeir Roberts, Susanne Rostock, John Schauerman/Visual Icon, Brad Stratton
Executive Producer for Amnesty International, USA: Zeke Johnson
Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist, has been imprisoned for nearly 50 years in the USA for a crime he maintains he did not commit. There are serious and ongoing concerns about the fairness of his trial and conviction. Tribal Nations, Nobel Peace Laureates, former FBI agents, numerous others, and even the former U.S. Attorney, James Reynolds, whose office handled the prosecution, have called for Leonard Peltier’s release. Watch to learn more.
--
Producer/Writer: Steven Lawrence/Yerosha Productions
Narrator: Peter Coyote
Editor: Peter Shelton
Graphics: Nuncle
Music courtesy of Gary Meister/Naturalistic Music
Additional music courtesy of BANG Music + Audio Post
Sound Mix: Nick Cipriano, BANG Music + Audio Post
Talent Coordinator: Helen Garrett
This video features excerpts from the Miramax documentary “Incident At Oglala” directed by Michael Apted
Prison Footage & Guard Interview courtesy of Preston Randolph/Cactus Productions
Peltier Prison Poem footage courtesy of Claus Biegert
Peltier Prison Photos courtesy of Dick Bancroft
Fargo Courthouse Footage courtesy of State Historical Society of North Dakota
Legal Clearances: Robert Jacobs-Meadway, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott
Special Thanks: Michael Apted, Mike Förster, Jaime Haire, Peter Jaszi, David Johnson, Beth Kelley, Shane Molander, Dredeir Roberts, Susanne Rostock, John Schauerman/Visual Icon, Brad Stratton
Executive Producer for Amnesty International, USA: Zeke Johnson
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, again called on President Biden to pardon Native American activist Leonard Peltier who was convicted of murder in 1977 following a controversial investigation and trial, which many civil rights leaders and legal experts have called unjust, including the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case. Since 2022, Schatz has repeatedly led colleagues in calling on the president to grant Peltier, who is now 80 and has been imprisoned for the past 49 years, clemency.
To hear more about what we’re up to, connect with us on:
X (formerly known as Twitter) → @SenBrianSchatz
Instagram → @SenBrianSchatz
Facebook → @SenBrianSchatz
Online → www.schatz.senate.gov
Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-desc-yt
Supporters of Leonard Peltier are calling on President Biden to grant clemency to the Indigenous leader and activist, who marked his 80th birthday behind bars on Thursday after nearly a half-century in prison for a crime he says he did not commit. The ailing Peltier, who uses a walker and has serious health conditions, including diabetes, has always maintained his innocence over the 1975 killing of two FBI agents in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation. His conviction was riddled with irregularities and prosecutorial misconduct, and he is considered to be the longest-serving political prisoner in the United States. For much of the last four years, Peltier has been held under near-total lockdown. For more on Peltier and the campaign to free him, we speak with Nick Tilsen, president of the NDN Collective, and two attorneys on Peltier's legal defense team, Jenipher Jones and Moira Meltzer-Cohen.
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.
Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe
This is the definitive feature documentary about American Indian activist, Leonard Peltier. His story is told within the context of the American Indian Movement, the US federal government, and the multi national companies interested in mining the land in South Dakota.
Produced and directed by Suzie Baer. 1992
For more information about Leonard Peltier please contact http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/
For more information about film screenings contact me at [email protected]
For purchase of the film or a poster:
https://my.bigcartel.com/products
Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist, has been imprisoned for nearly 50 years in the USA for a crime he maintains he did not commit. There are serious and ongoing concerns about the fairness of his trial and conviction. Tribal Nations, Nobel Peace Laureates, former FBI agents, numerous others, and even the former U.S. Attorney, James Reynolds, whose office handled the prosecution, have called for Leonard Peltier’s release. Watch to learn more.
--
Producer/Writer: Steven Lawrence/Yerosha Productions
Narrator: Peter Coyote
Editor: Peter Shelton
Graphics: Nuncle
Music courtesy of Gary Meister/Naturalistic Music
Additional music courtesy of BANG Music + Audio Post
Sound Mix: Nick Cipriano, BANG Music + Audio Post
Talent Coordinator: Helen Garrett
This video features excerpts from the Miramax documentary “Incident At Oglala” directed by Michael Apted
Prison Footage & Guard Interview courtesy of Preston Randolph/Cactus Productions
Peltier Prison Poem footage courtesy of Claus Biegert
Peltier Prison Photos courtesy of Dick Bancroft
Fargo Courthouse Footage courtesy of State Historical Society of North Dakota
Legal Clearances: Robert Jacobs-Meadway, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott
Special Thanks: Michael Apted, Mike Förster, Jaime Haire, Peter Jaszi, David Johnson, Beth Kelley, Shane Molander, Dredeir Roberts, Susanne Rostock, John Schauerman/Visual Icon, Brad Stratton
Executive Producer for Amnesty International, USA: Zeke Johnson
Peltier's indictment and conviction have been the subject of much controversy; Amnesty International placed his case under the "Unfair Trials" category of its Annual Report: USA 2010.
Peltier is incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Coleman in Florida. Peltier's next scheduled parole hearing will be in July 2024. Barring appeals, parole or presidential pardon, his projected release date is October 11, 2040.
Early life and education
Peltier was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the eleventh of thirteen children, to Leo Peltier and Alvina Robideau. His father was Turtle MountainChippewa on his paternal side and French on his maternal side, and his mother was Dakota Sioux and French on her mother's side and Chippewa on her father's. Peltier's parents divorced when he was four years old. At this time, Leonard and his sister Betty Ann were taken to live with their paternal grandparents Alex and Mary Dubois-Peltier in the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa near Belcourt, North Dakota.
In September 1953, at the age of nine, Leonard was enrolled at the Wahpeton Indian School in Wahpeton, North Dakota, an Indian boarding school run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). He graduated at Wahpeton in May 1957, and attended the Flandreau Indian School in Flandreau, South Dakota. After dropping out in the ninth grade, he returned to the Turtle Mountain Reservation to live with his father.
A million prayers went up to heaven They went for nothing A million pleas came back down They said "stop asking" So much blood on my hands.. So much blood on my hands.. The angels cried "we can do nothing" Our hearts were sunken Cause the focus of our prayers Was fraudulent yet wary That the lords wrath would come So much blood on my hands So much blood on my hands