‘It’s finally over’ – President Biden grants Leonard Peltier clemency

The NDN Collective released the following statement on Jan. 20, 2025:

Sumterville, Florida – Today, President Biden granted Leonard Peltier executive clemency and commuted the remainder of his sentence. The president’s decision is the result of decades of grassroots organizing in Indian Country and the unveiling of increasing amounts of evidence of prosecutorial misconduct and constitutional violations during the prosecution of Peltier’s case.

“It’s finally over — I’m going home,” said Leonard Peltier. “I want to show the world I’m a good person with a good heart. I want to help the people, just like my grandmother taught me.”

“Leonard Peltier’s commutation today is the result of 50 years of intergenerational resistance, organizing and advocacy,” said Nick Tilsen, NDN Collective founder and CEO. “Leonard Peltier’s liberation is our liberation — and while home confinement is not complete freedom, we will honor him by bringing him back to his homelands to live out the rest of his days surrounded by loved ones, healing and reconnecting with his land and culture.

“Let Leonard’s freedom be a reminder that the entire so-called United States is built on the stolen lands of Indigenous people — and that Indigenous people have successfully resisted every attempt to oppress, silence and colonize us,” continued Tilsen. “The commutation granted to Leonard Peltier is a symbol of our collective strength — and our resistance will never stop.”

“Today’s decision shows the combined power of grassroots organizing and advocacy at the highest levels of government. We are grateful to President Biden and the leadership of Secretary Deb Haaland,” said Holly Cook Macarro, Government Affairs for NDN Collective. “All of us here today stand on the shoulders of three generations of activists who have fought for justice for Leonard Peltier. Today is a monumental victory — the day that Leonard Peltier finally goes home.”

NDN Collective is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.