Indian activist Peltier’s supporters hope for clemency
MINNEAPOLIS — Supporters of American Indian activist Leonard Peltier, who has spent most of his life in prison in the killing of two FBI agents in South Dakota in 1975, hope President Barack Obama will grant him clemency and shorten his sentence to the four decades he has already served before Obama leaves office Friday.
Among those supporting Peltier’s last-ditch bid for freedom is Pope Francis, who wrote to the White House on Tuesday, Peltier’s attorney, Martin Garbus, said Wednesday.
“We’ll see if that has any effect,” Garbus said. “We have not had a denial of the clemency application.”
The White House declined to comment on deliberations about clemency for Peltier or most people who have sought it in the closing days of his administration. Peltier was not on the list of 273 people granted commutations or pardons Tuesday. The White House has said Obama would grant more commutations Thursday, though officials said those would focus on drug offenders and would not likely include any other famous names.