Peltier, Leonard (1944–)

Leonard Peltier is a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who on April 18, 1977, was found guilty of the murders of two FBI agents at the Jumping Bull compound on the Lakota reservation at Pine Ridge in South Dakota. In 1981 a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit led to the release of documents suggesting that he was innocent. The documents note that the FBI used their COINTELPRO program to “neutralize” members of AIM and suggest that the agency felt that Peltier knew who killed the two FBI agents and therefore should not be retried or released. An anonymous Internet site operating under the rubric No Parole Peltier Association presents numerous claims that he is a criminal. Peltier maintains that he was defending his people and their traditional way of life.

Peltier was one of three people charged with the murders of the agents. Peltier fled to Canada, convinced he would never receive a fair trial in the United States because he was an AIM activist. Two of his friends, Dino Butler and Bob Robideau, who had been present throughout the incident, stood trial separately from him. At the trial of Butler and Robideau, a key prosecution witness admitted that he had been threatened by the FBI and had changed his testimony to favor the prosecution in accordance with the agents' instructions. The jury found both men not guilty. Their actions were deemed to have constituted an act of self-defense.

Since Peltier's conviction, many legal and political actions have been undertaken on his behalf, and the case of Leonard Peltier has become internationally known. The FOIA documents received in 1981 led the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to chastise various U.S. officials for coercing witnesses, fabricating evidence, and withholding evidence favorable to [Page 1105]Peltier, although the court ultimately held that such actions were not prejudicial to the defendant. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, too, has denied appeals for his release from prison, maintaining that evidence of the coercion of witnesses, perjury by agents of the government, and withholding of exculpatory evidence was not brought out in a timely fashion.

Peltier is considered a political prisoner by his supporters. While in prison, he has sponsored annual events that provide clothes and toys for the children of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, helped to create an American Indian scholarship fund, and worked to establish programs on reservations to improve medical care and substance abuse recovery. He also has assisted other prisoners by developing a prison art program and assisted children in Guatemala and El Salvador through nonprofit organizations. In 1986, Spain presented Peltier with its Human Rights Award for his service to humanity. The European Parliament, the Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, and the governments of Belgium and Italy have passed resolutions requesting clemency for him. Amnesty International has renewed its support for Peltier and included him in its recent report on human-rights violations in the United States. His other international supporters include Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rigoberta Menchú, and the current Dalai Lama. More than 20 million people throughout the world have requested or demanded that the U.S. federal government give Peltier a new trial.

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