Leonard Peltier

Leonard Peltier (September 12, 1944 – present) is a Native American activist from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and Lakota Sioux descent who has become an internationally recognized symbol of Native American rights and sovereignty. Peltier joined the American Indian Movement (AIM) in the early 1970s during a period of intense activism against federal treatment of indigenous peoples. In 1975, during a confrontation with FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, two FBI agents were killed. Though the circumstances remain contested and controversial, Peltier was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1977. For nearly five decades, Peltier has maintained his innocence, becoming a prominent political prisoner whose case has attracted international attention and support from human rights organizations, celebrities, and world leaders. His supporters argue that his conviction was based on questionable evidence and that he represents the federal government's historical mistreatment of Native Americans. Despite numerous appeals and clemency petitions, Peltier remains incarcerated. His case has become emblematic of Native American grievances regarding the federal justice system and ongoing struggles for indigenous rights and sovereignty.