After five decades in prison, Leonard Peltier, 80, returned to his home reservation in North Dakota following President Biden’s clemency order. Released from a Florida prison where he served two life sentences for the killing of two FBI agents in a 1975 shootout, Peltier addressed 300 supporters, expressing gratitude and resilience despite his partial blindness and need for a walker. Supporters view him as a symbol of Native American rights, having faced injustices during his trial. While Peltier plans to work on issues like teenage suicide, he will also need time to adjust after nearly five decades of incarceration.
Leonard Peltier had spent five decades longing for a moment he feared might never arrive: to express his heartfelt gratitude, face-to-face, to the Native Americans and supporters who stood with him throughout his fight for freedom.
Speaking to an energetic crowd of 300 supporters at his home reservation on Wednesday, Mr. Peltier, who is now 80 years old, raised his right fist enthusiastically, showcasing an impressive level of energy for a man who is partially blind and requires a walker. The day prior, he had been released from a federal prison in Central Florida, where he had been serving two life sentences for the murder of two federal agents.
He was now reunited with his community, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, in North Dakota, where he will be permitted to complete the rest of his sentence under house arrest following a clemency order issued by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. as one of his last acts before leaving office.
“I’m proud of the stance I’ve taken in the fight for our rights to survival,” Mr. Peltier stated during an emotional eight-minute speech filled with gratitude yet underscored by defiance. “I’m so proud of the support you’re showing me, I’m struggling to keep myself from crying,” he added. “From the very first moment I was arrested, the Indian people came to my aid, and they’ve stood by me all along. It was worth every sacrifice for you.”
This touching moment seemed improbable just months ago, in July, when Mr. Peltier was once again denied parole related to the deaths of two F.B.I. agents during a shootout on a South Dakota reservation in 1975.
To numerous law enforcement officials, Mr. Peltier is a remorseless murderer whose appeals have faced scrutiny and rejection by over 20 federal judges.
Conversely, to human rights organizations like Amnesty International, and notable supporters such as the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela, Mr. Peltier is a symbol of wrongful conviction amid a broader context of Native American oppression.
“Friends, relatives, and even strangers felt pain for Leonard, prayed for him, danced for him, fasted, and suffered for him, caring for him and yearning for his freedom,” wrote Louise Erdrich, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and Turtle Mountain tribe member, in an email.
Ms. Erdrich, who attended Mr. Peltier’s trial in 1977, has long maintained that he unjustly bore the consequences of violent actions committed by other Native American activists.
“Leonard has become a living testament to our nation’s shortcomings,” commented Ms. Erdrich, who has kept her correspondence with Mr. Peltier and intends to visit him soon. “We often equate greatness with economic or military power, but true greatness lies in justice and tolerance.”
Mr. Peltier was a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), an advocacy group founded in 1968 aimed at promoting civil rights, combating police brutality, and highlighting the federal government’s historical treaty violations against Native tribes.
In the 1970s, members of AIM clashed with federal authorities on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, including a 71-day standoff at the Sioux village of Wounded Knee.
Two years after the Wounded Knee occupation and amid continued tensions between Native American activists and federal agencies, two F.B.I. agents—Jack Coler and Ronald Williams—attempted to arrest a robbery suspect on the Pine Ridge reservation.
A shootout broke out, resulting in the deaths of both agents and one activist. While Mr. Peltier has acknowledged firing his weapon from afar, he insists he acted in self-defense and did not kill the agents. Out of more than 30 individuals present during the incident, he was the only one convicted.
Evidence that could have exonerated two other AIM members implicated in the killings was excluded from Mr. Peltier’s trial, a fact frequently cited by his supporters as an example of the injustice he faced.
In a letter opposing his parole application in June 2024, then-F.B.I. director Christopher A. Wray stated that Mr. Peltier had repeatedly lost in court battles regarding various issues, including his attempts to undermine ballistic evidence linking him to the murders.
The order permitting his return to North Dakota met with strong opposition from numerous law enforcement representatives.
“Peltier has the opportunity to go home—while neither Coler nor Williams were granted the same chance,” commented Michael J. Clark, president of the Society of Former Special Agents of the F.B.I., in an email on Wednesday. “Peltier is a unrepentant murderer who should have completed his life sentence in federal prison.”
Mr. Peltier arrived back at the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation late Tuesday, with the sun setting and temperatures plunging to a frigid minus 15 degrees—a stark contrast to the warm climate of his most recent federal correctional facility in Coleman, Fla.
Dozens of locals welcomed him with signs proclaiming “50 Years of Resistance” as he was escorted to his new residence in Belcourt. The house was acquired by NDN Collective, an Indigenous rights organization from Rapid City, S.D., whose leaders met Mr. Peltier upon his release in Florida and accompanied him home on a private flight, as shared by Nick Tilsen, the founder and CEO of the organization.
At a welcome lunch on Wednesday, while Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” played, decorations and signs filled the space. Some had been utilized in past protests—“Enough Is Enough: Free Leonard Peltier”—alongside fresh banners, including one featuring Mr. Peltier with his Bureau of Prisons number, 89637-132, crossed out.
In his speech, Mr. Peltier emphasized his pride in highlighting Native issues, sharing details about the harsh conditions he endured in prison, such as periods of sensory deprivation.
Even under house arrest, he acknowledged that he would face numerous restrictions. “But it’s significantly better than being confined in a cell,” he remarked.
He then spent over an hour engaging with over 100 supporters who queued to greet him, present gifts, take photos, or get autographs, reminiscent of a Hall of Fame athlete at a signing event.
Some supporters cautioned that he was entering a vastly different world—some aspects improved, others worsened—from the one he last knew 50 years ago.
State Representative Jayme Davis, a Democrat from the area and a member of the Turtle Mountain tribe, highlighted the unemployment and pervasive anxiety surrounding the future that many residents face.
“Our community is confronting significant challenges, especially as our state government implements policies that exacerbate survival issues,” stated Ms. Davis, whose father went to school in Belcourt alongside Mr. Peltier. “Yet, amid this challenging moment, his homecoming feels like a symbol of hope. His return bears substantial significance, almost like there’s a meaningful message in its timing.”
Mr. Tilsen shared that Mr. Peltier wishes to focus on the problem of teenage suicides, recalling some volunteer efforts he undertook in his youth on the Pine Ridge reservation. Nonetheless, he also mentioned that Mr. Peltier, who is currently turning down interview requests, will require space to reintegrate.
“It’s important to remember that while he is indeed an iconic international human rights advocate, he has also been institutionalized for nearly five decades. He needs to form a new normal,” he explained.
Kirsten Noyes contributed research.