Leonard Peltier, Native American activist imprisoned for almost 50 years, denied parole request

The federal Parole Commission has denied Leonard Peltier's bid for parole, his lawyer said Tuesday, another setback in freeing the ailing Indigenous rights activist who has long maintained his innocence in the killing of two FBI agents almost 50 years ago.

Peltier, 79, made a case for parole based on several factors, including his age, nonviolent record in prison and declining health, which has been affected by diabetes, hypertension, partial blindness from a stroke and bouts of Covid.

Ahead of Peltier's June 10 hearing, his lawyer, Kevin Sharp, had acknowledged that the request was "probably his last chance" to make a case for parole since Peltier's last full hearing was 15 years ago. Sharp said Tuesday that an interim hearing about Peltier's parole status has been set for 2026 with a full hearing set for June 2039, when he would be 94.

He added that the commission recommended the federal Bureau of Prisons review Peltier's medical records and assess whether he should be transferred to a medical facility the agency operates.

While Peltier's case has drawn support from prominent human rights groups, faith leaders and congressional lawmakers over the decades, his requests for both parole and presidential clemency have been a long shot in getting released early from prison, given the circumstances of the crime and the staunch opposition from law enforcement officials.

Peltier is serving two consecutive life sentences at a federal prison in Florida for the fatal shootings of FBI agents Jack Coler and Ron Williams. He remains eligible for parole because he was convicted of his crime before November 1987, when new sentencing guidelines went into effect.

FBI Director Christopher Wray praised the Parole Commission's decision,