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Leonard Peltier | |
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| Born | September 12, 1944 Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, North Dakota, United States |
| Nationality | Anishinaabe and Dakota |
Leonard Peltier is a Statesian political prisoner and member of the American Indian Movement. The FBI targeted him as part of COINTELPRO, and he was sentenced to life in prison in 1975 for the death of two FBI agents despite a lack of evidence. He has been imprisoned for 46 years.[1]
Arrest and imprisonment[edit | edit source]
The FBI framed Peltier for the death of two FBI agents on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975. After Peltier escaped to Canada, the FBI falsified evidence to extradite him back to the United States. The other AIM members involved were found not guilty on the basis of self-defense. At the trial, the FBI had to threaten witnesses in order to extract false testimonies to convict him.[2]
PSL campaign[edit | edit source]
Leonard Peltier was initially Gloria La Riva's PSL running mate for the 2020 presidential election until he had to withdraw for health reasons and was replaced by Sunil Freeman. Peltier still appeared on the ballots in Minnesota and Illinois.[3]
Walk to Justice[edit | edit source]
In August 2022, the AIM Grand Governing Council began a march from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Washington, D.C. to demand Peltier's release. They are scheduled to complete the march on November 18.[4]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Stansfield Smith (2022-08-09). "The United States has many political prisoners. Here’s a list" Multipolarista. Archived from the original on 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
- ↑ Patrick McWilliams (2020-02-20). "La Riva/Peltier: A moving visit to Oglala Lakota Nation" Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2021-01-16. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- ↑ "La Riva for president campaign makes major strides for socialist movement" (2020-11-20). Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- ↑ Stephanie Hedgecoke (2022-09-22). "Walk for Justice: Free Leonard Peltier" Workers World. Retrieved 2022-09-25.