In response to news that President Biden has commuted the life sentence of Indigenous elder and activist Leonard Peltier, Paul O’Brien, executive director of Amnesty International USA, made the following statement:  Â
“President Biden was right to commute the life sentence of Indigenous elder and activist Leonard Peltier given the serious human rights concerns about the fairness of his trial.
“Amnesty International has advocated for the U.S. government to grant Leonard Peltier clemency for years, following the leadership of Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples.”
Background  
- Leonard Peltier, Native American activist and member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) was convicted in relation to the murders of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975. He has always maintained his innocence. Amnesty International has joined Tribal Nations, Tribal Leaders, Members of Congress, former FBI agents, Nobel Peace Prize winners and former U.S. Attorney James Reynolds, whose office handled Peltier’s prosecution and appeal, in urging his release.   
- Amnesty International has examined Peltier’s case extensively for many years, sent observers to his trial in 1977, and, along with its millions of members and supporters around the globe, has long campaigned on his behalf.  Â