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Leonard Peltier remains behind bars as Obama rejects bid for clemency

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Leonard Peltier. Photo:Amnesty International

American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier will remain imprisoned for the foreseeable future after a bid for clemency was denied by President Barack Obama.

Supporters believe Obama represented Peltier's last chance at freedom. He's been repeatedly denied parole and it's highly unlikely Republican president-elect Donald Trump will take up the cause for the next four years.

"We are deeply saddened by the news that President Obama will not let Leonard go home,” Margaret Huang, the executive director of Amnesty International USA, said in a press release. “Despite serious concerns about the fairness of legal proceedings that led to his trial and conviction, Peltier was imprisoned for more than 40 years. He has always maintained his innocence."

Peltier, 72, is serving two life sentences after being convicted for the murders of two FBI agents. The incident took place on the Pine Ridge Reservation in June 1975, during a time of extreme upheaval.

"The families of the FBI agents who were killed during the 1975 confrontation between the FBI and American Indian Movement members have a right to justice, but justice will not be served by Peltier’s continued imprisonment," Huang said.

Peltier's refusal to admit a role in the crime has hurt his chances of being granted parole.

Read More on the Story:
White House denies clemency for Indian activist Peltier (AP 1/19)
Leonard Peltier Denied Clemency by Obama (Democracy Now! 1/18)
Indian activist Peltier’s supporters hope for clemency (AP 1/18)