US Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) is urging President Biden to shorten the sentence of Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist who has been imprisoned for 46 years.
On May 31, Hirono published a press release urging President Biden to shorten the two life sentences of Leonard Peltier, a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), who was convicted of the murder of two Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agents back in 1977. Now 77 and suffering from serious medical conditions, Hirono is pushing for Peltier's sentencing to be reduced.
“Mr. Peltier, a Native American activist, has been imprisoned for 46 years based on a conviction that was the result of constitutional violations and prosecutorial misconduct,” said Hirono in the press release. “He is now 77 years old and suffers from a number of serious medical conditions. Commuting Mr. Peltier’s sentence and releasing him to return to his home and family would finally correct this unjust sentence and end this grave injustice.”
Hirono sent a letter to President Biden, addressing what she perceived as the numerous injustices and constitutional violations in Peltier’s trial, including the fact that Peltier was extradited to the US using an affidavit that was only obtained through FBI coercion, and that the prosecution withheld a ballistics report that proved shell casings from the murder weapon did not come from the rifle tied to Peltier.
Hirono was not alone in her petitions, joined by other lawmakers who have called for Peltier's release, including: Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), the late Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-IL), Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and the Dalai Lama.