A Native American activist convicted in the 1975 murders of two FBI agents will make his case for parole on Monday for the first time in 15 years, in a hearing his lawyer says is "probably his last chance." Leonard Peltier's release has been supported over the years by Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama, as well as Nobel Peace Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu. But the FBI has reiterated its opposition, NBC News reports. "We must never forget or put aside that Peltier intentionally murdered these two young men and has never expressed remorse for his ruthless actions," Director Christopher Wray said in a statement Friday.
Jack Coler and Ron Williams had gone to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota with a warrant to arrest a man in the theft of cowboy boots on June 26, 1975, FBI files indicate. They were shot at close range after a shootout began. Dozens of people took part in the shooting, but Peltier was found to be the only person who had a gun that used the type of bullets that killed the two agents. The federal government had withheld a ballistics report showing the bullets didn't come from his weapon, according to filings by Peltier later. Two co-defendants who claimed self-defense were acquitted.
A retired federal prosecutor involved in the case after the trial has urged President Biden to commute Peltier's sentence. "He has served more than 46 years on the basis of minimal evidence, a result that I strongly doubt would be upheld in any court today," James Reynolds wrote. The FBI points out that the conviction "has withstood numerous appeals to multiple courts, including the US Supreme Court." Peltier's case Monday before the US Parole Commission in Florida also will cite his declining health, including diabetes and partial blindness suffered in a stroke. The federal Bureau of Prisons "does not say he is a danger," said Peltier's attorney, Kevin Sharp. "This is about have they extracted enough retribution."
- Native News Online urges parole in an opinion piece here.
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