Then-President Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence during his last hours in office, noting he had spent most of his life in prison and was now in ill health.
WASHINGTON — Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier was released from a Florida prison Tuesday morning based on former President Joe Biden having commuted his life sentence for the 1975 killings of two FBI agents, a decision that elated Peltier’s supporters while angering law enforcement officials who believe in his guilt.
For nearly half a century, Peltier’s imprisonment has symbolized systemic injustice for Native Americans across the country who believe in his innocence. The decision to release the 80-year-old to home confinement was celebrated by supporters.
“He represents every person who’s been roughed up by a cop, profiled, had their children harassed at school,” said Nick Estes, a professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota and a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe who has advocated for Peltier’s release.
But the last-minute move as Biden was leaving office also prompted criticism from …
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