Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier denied parole for 1975 killings of 2 FBI agents serving warrants

Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who has spent most of his life in prison since his conviction in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents in South Dakota, has been denied parole.

The U.S. Parole Commission said in a statement Tuesday announcing the decision that he won’t be eligible for another parole hearing until June 2026.

His attorney, Kevin Sharp, a former federal judge, argued that Peltier was wrongly convicted and that the health of the 79-year-old was failing. Peltier’s attorney didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment, but after the parole hearing in June at a high-security lockup in Florida that is part of the Federal Correctional Complex Coleman, Sharp said that he argued that the commission was obligated legally to “look forward,” focusing on issues such as whether he is likely to commit another crime if he is released.

The fight for Peltier’s freedom is embroiled in the Indigenous rights movements. Nearly half a century later, “Free Peltier” T-shirts and caps are sold online.

“The way they have treated Leonard is the way they have treated Indigenous people historically throughout this country,” said Nick Tilsen, president and CEO of the NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led advocacy group. “That is why Indigenous people and oppressed people everywhere see a little bit of ourselves in Leonard Peltier. Although today is a sad day, we are not going to stop fighting.”

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