Today, President Joe Biden granted a commutation of sentence to Leonard Peltier, an Indigenous rights activist who has spent nearly 50 years in federal prison following his controversial conviction for the 1975 killings of two FBI agents.
The White House announced that Peltier, now 80 years old and in declining health, will transition to home confinement effective February 18. While the commutation is not a pardon and does not erase the conviction, the decision marks a significant milestone in one of the most debated cases in modern American legal and Indigenous history.
“This action reflects President Biden’s commitment to justice and compassion, particularly in cases where age, health, and longstanding questions of fairness intersect,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “Mr. Peltier will now be able to return home and live out his remaining years with his family and his community.”
Peltier, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, was convicted in 1977 for his role in a 1975 confrontation on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota that left FBI agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams dead. Peltier has consistently maintained his innocence, and his supporters have long pointed to alleged misconduct in the investigation and trial.
Decades of advocacy have called for his release, with support from figures including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Coretta Scott King, Robert Redford, Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte, and Amnesty International, which has recognized Peltier as a political prisoner.
“This is a historic moment not just for Leonard Peltier, but for all Indigenous people who have endured decades of systemic injustice,” said the National Congress of American Indians in a statement. “This decision acknowledges the urgency of healing and the need to address longstanding disparities in the U.S. justice system.”
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve in a U.S. Cabinet position, also applauded the decision. “I am grateful that Leonard can now go home to his family,” she posted on X. “This signifies a measure of justice that has long evaded so many Native Americans for so many decades.”
Opposition to the commutation remains strong among members of the law enforcement community. Former FBI Director Christopher Wray and the FBI Agents Association condemned the move, calling it an affront to the rule of law. In a letter to President Biden earlier this year, Wray wrote that “granting Peltier any relief from his conviction or sentence is wholly unjustified.”
Still, the White House emphasized that the decision reflects a careful and compassionate review of Peltier’s current circumstances, and is in line with the president’s broader clemency efforts. The commutation comes days after Biden issued clemency for nearly 2,500 individuals convicted of nonviolent drug offenses and offered a broad pardon to his son, Hunter Biden.
Peltier’s son, Chauncey, expressed gratitude and relief at the announcement. “It means my dad finally gets to go home,” he said. “This is one of the biggest human rights cases in U.S. history — and now it has a new chapter.”
A home has already been prepared for Peltier on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota, where he is expected to live out his remaining years surrounded by family and tribal members.