#LeonardPeltier: ‘This is what mercy is for’
by Pauly Denetclaw
Thu, December 5, 2024
"Hawai’i Sen. #BrianSchatz chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, made a plea to President Joe Biden on behalf of Leonard Peltier on Dec. 4. In a less than four-minute speech on the Senate floor, he asked that Biden grant clemency to Peltier.
"Biden on Sunday evening pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, for 'offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024, including but not limited to all offenses charged or prosecuted (including any that have resulted in convictions) by Special Counsel David C. Weiss,' according to a statement by Biden.
"Schatz noted the alleged violation of Peltier’s constitutional rights to a fair trial during the 1977 murder trial of two FBI agents.
"'The process that led to his conviction had major issues and inaccuracies from the start,' Schatz said. 'For example, one witness whose statements were used at trial said she was told to lie and say that she was in a relationship with Peltier and that she had witnessed him shoot the agents. She later recanted that statement, saying, ‘I was forced into this, and I feel very awful. I just wish that Leonard Peltier would get out of prison.’”
"He also talked about one of the jurors in the case who allegedly admitted to being racist toward Native Americans, but was still allowed to remain on the jury that would convict Peltier of two first-degree murder charges.
"Peltier would be sentenced to two life sentences. He has maintained his innocence.
"In July, the Assembly of First Nations, representing over 600 Indigenous leaders in Canada, rescinded their nearly 40 year support of Peltier because of his alleged role in the murder of Anna Mae Pictou Aquash, Mik’maq, by American Indian Movement members. Peltier denies he had any involvement. [See my posts about #AnnaMaePictouAquash]
"#AmnestyInternational, United Nations’ Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, three tribal nations, National Congress of American Indians, #NDNCollective and the Native American Rights Fund have all urged Biden to grant Peltier clemency.
“'According to reporting, a juror who on day two of the trial professed her prejudice against Native Americans, was allowed to remain on the panel,' Schatz said. 'If that wasn't enough, take it from the very U.S. attorney who tried the case. The prosecutor who tried the case, James Reynolds, who said (in a letter that) Peltier had served his sentence on ‘the basis of minimal evidence, a result that I strongly doubt would be upheld in any court today.'
"Schatz read excerpts from a 2021 letter that James Reynolds sent to Biden to ask for Peltier’s clemency.
"Peltier’s health has been declining over the last few years. He has repeatedly been denied commuted sentencing, parole, pardon, clemency, and compassionate release.
"'Peltier is now 80 years old and has been in prison for 50 years, he is in declining health, experiencing vision loss and other illnesses. In spite of all that, earlier this year, federal officials denied his request for compassionate release and parole,' Schatz said. 'So even if you believe that he did in fact commit the crime, surely the time is now to let him spend whatever remaining days he has at home to die with his family. He's done his time. He's of old age and in poor health. This is what clemency is for. This is what mercy is for. He poses little threat to society.'
"Biden’s last day in office is January 20, 2025. In his last administration, President-elect Donald Trump took no action on Peltier’s request for clemency. On his last full day in office, former President Barack Obama denied clemency for Peltier."
https://news.yahoo.com/news/leonard-peltier-mercy-165336810.html
