Parole denied for Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who has spent most of his life in prison

Indigenous activistic Leonard Peltier, who has spent astir of his beingness successful situation since his condemnation successful the 1975 killings of 2 FBI agents successful South Dakota, has been denied parole.

The U.S. Parole Commission said successful a connection Tuesday announcing the determination that helium won't beryllium eligible for different parole proceeding until June 2026.

His attorney, Kevin Sharp, a erstwhile national judge, argued that Peltier was wrongly convicted and said that the wellness of the 79-year-old was failing. Peltier’s lawyer didn’t instantly instrumentality a telephone connection from The Associated Press seeking comment, but aft his lawsuit was past denied parole, successful June, Sharp, said that helium argued that the committee was obligated legally to “look forward," focusing connected issues specified arsenic whether helium is apt to perpetrate different transgression if helium is release.

The FBI and its existent and erstwhile agents quality the claims of innocence. The bureau did not instantly respond to an email seeking remark astir the decision.

Mike Clark, president of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI, which wrote a missive arguing that Peltier should stay incarcerated, described the determination arsenic “great news.”

“That could person been immoderate idiosyncratic that I’ve worked with for 23 years. That could beryllium them retired successful that field," Clark said. “They were down, they were wounded, they were helpless and helium changeable them constituent blank. It is simply a heinous crime.”

An enrolled subordinate of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa tribe, Peltier was progressive successful the American Indian Movement, which began successful the 1960s arsenic a section enactment successful Minneapolis that grappled with issues of constabulary brutality and favoritism against Native Americans. It rapidly became a nationalist force.

AIM grabbed headlines successful 1973 erstwhile it took implicit the colony of Wounded Knee connected the Pine Ridge reservation, starring to a 71-day standoff with national agents. Tensions betwixt AIM and the authorities remained precocious for years.

On June 26, 1975, agents came to Pine Ridge to service apprehension warrants amid battles implicit Native pact rights and self-determination.

After being injured successful a shootout, agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were changeable successful the caput astatine adjacent range, according to a missive from FBI Director Christopher Wray. Also killed successful the shootout was AIM subordinate Joseph Stuntz. The Justice Department concluded that a instrumentality enforcement sniper killed Stuntz.

Two different AIM members, Robert Robideau and Dino Butler, were acquitted of sidesplitting Coler and Williams.

After fleeing to Canada and being extradited to the United States, Peltier was convicted of 2 counts of first-degree execution and sentenced successful 1977 to beingness successful prison, contempt defence claims that grounds against him had been falsified.