Leonard Peltier

Professional Trajectory

Leonard Peltier is a Native American activist and a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who, following a controversial trial, was convicted of two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of two FBI agents in a shooting on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment and was imprisoned since 1977. On January 19, 2025, the last full day of his presidency, Joe Biden commuted Peltier's life sentence to indefinite home confinement beginning on February 18, 2025. Peltier was released on that date.