Native American activist Leonard Peltier released from US prison | Indigenous Rights News [Video]

Native American activist Leonard Peltier has left a Florida prison after nearly five decades behind bars, following a commutation from former United States President Joe Biden.

On Tuesday morning, Peltier walked out of a federal detention centre in Coleman, Florida, and was taken away by an SUV. He did not speak as he exited the prison.

Peltier, 80, had become a global symbol for Indigenous rights after his 1977 conviction for murder, with groups like Amnesty International and supporters like actor Robert Redford calling for his freedom.

A member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Peltier has long maintained his innocence, and advocates argue his trial was botched.

“Today I am finally free! They may have imprisoned me but they never took my spirit!” Peltier said in a statement, released by the NDN Collective, an activist group. “I look forward to seeing my friends, my family, and my community. It’s a good day today.”

He will return home to Turtle …