SUPPORT
Letters and Public Statements
Below you’ll find current and historical letters supporting Leonard's release
The following national and regional tribal organizations have submitted letters in support of Leonard Peltier’s release:
National Congress of American Indians Letter | 282 Tribes nationally
Oglala Sioux Tribe & Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association Letter | 16 Tribes
United South & Eastern Tribes Letter | 33 Tribes from Texas to Maine
Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes Resolution | 35 Tribes in MN/WI/MI/IA
Coalition of Large Tribes Letter | 20 Tribes
Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations Letter | 13 Southern CA Tribes
“The Working Group concludes that Mr. Peltier continues to be detained because he is Native American, contrary to articles 2 and 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 2 (1) and 26 of the Covenant.”
“I write today from a position rare for a former prosecutor: to beseech you to commute the sentence of a man who I helped put behind bars,” he wrote. “With time, and the benefit of hindsight, I have realized that the prosecution and continued incarceration of Mr. Peltier was and is unjust. We were not able to prove that Mr. Peltier personally committed any offense on the Pine Ridge Reservation.”
“...the FBI used improper tactics in securing Peltier's extradition from Canada and in otherwise investigating and trying the Peltier case. Although our court decided that these actions were not grounds for reversal, they are, in my view, factors that merit consideration in any petition for leniency filed.”
“What I think becomes most clear, however, is that the long-standing, oppressive, horribly wrongful treatment of Indians in the U.S. played a key role in putting both the agents and Peltier in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Over the past several decades of Mr. Peltier’s federal
incarceration, calls for his release have received widespread and growing support from both faith and human rights leaders – including Pope Francis, Saint Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and Coretta Scott King – as well as those previously involved in his prosecution.”
“Given the serious concerns over the fairness of the legal process surrounding Mr. Peltier’s nearly 50 years of incarceration, his ongoing imprisonment does not constitute justice for Agents Coler and Williams. On the contrary, it undermines the very legal system and principle of equal protection under the law that the two agents worked to protect.”
“Human Rights Watch and the ACLU respectfully encourages the Parole Commission to carefully consider the factors in Mr. Peltier’s case and make a parole decision that complies with international human rights standards and is consistent with human dignity.”
“His prolonged incarceration has inspired three generations of Native American activists and grassroots movements across the globe aiming to correct unfair and discriminatory policies towards Indigenous communities.”
“...there is probably no case that troubled him more than the conviction of Mr. Peltier and his sentence.”
“...we as Native peoples have long been subjected to treatment as second-class citizens in the United States' criminal justice system, and Mr. Peltier's release from incarceration would represent a monumental shift in this broken system.”
“Our tribe is prepared to provide him with necessary healthcare, housing, and food accommodations. He can come home and live in peace and comfort once he is commuted by you as our President and finally released from prison.”
“The Native American Rights Fund strongly supports your administration’s work to pursue a fair and constitutionally sound justice system. In keeping with those principles, I urge to commute Mr. Peltier’s sentence.”
“You have stood with us many times - both in the White House and in the U.S. Senate. We ask that you urgently consider this opportunity to support the compassionate release of our country’s longest-serving Indigenous prisoner. Stand with us again.”
“As you weigh the pleas of justice for Mr. Peltier, I call on your compassionate core and spirited record of fighting against injustice and for democratic institutions. Each and every person in this country deserves a fair trial and rectification if the institutions meant to protect them do not do so. Leonard Peltier deserves that. Leonard Peltier needs and deserves justice.”
Senate Letter to President Biden
Letter in Support of Clemency Signed by Brian Schatz, Patrick Leahy, Elizabeth Warren, Edward J. Markey, Bernard Sanders, Mazie K. Hirono, and Tina Smith
