Native American activist Leonard Peltier (Bureau of Prisons Register Number 89637-132) has been imprisoned in the USA for nearly 50 years, some of which was spent in solitary confinement, for a crime he maintains that he did not commit. Now 79 years old, he suffers from several chronic health ailments, including one that is potentially fatal. He finally has a new parole hearing on June 10, which may be the last opportunity to grant his freedom. We urge the Commission to grant Leonard Peltier parole.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: June 10, 2024
take action:
- Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
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Contact information:
Acting Chairperson, Patricia K. Cushwa
Commissioner Charles T. Massarone
U.S. Parole Commission
90 K Street NE, 3rd Floor
Washington DC 20530, USA
Phone: +1 202-346-7000
Email: [email protected]
sample letter:
Dear Acting Chairperson Cushwa and Commissioner Massarone,
I am writing to urge you to grant parole to Native American elder, Leonard Peltier (Bureau of Prisons Register Number 89637-132).
For nearly five decades, Amnesty International—the non-partisan global human rights organization—has documented serious concerns about the legal process which led to Leonard Peltier’s conviction and sentencing.
Tribal Nations, Indigenous leaders, Members of Congress, former FBI Agents, the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and even the former U.S. Attorney, James Reynolds, whose office handled Leonard Peltier’s prosecution and appeal, have also called for Leonard Peltier’s release.
U.S. Attorney Reynolds wrote in 2021, “in my opinion, to continue to imprison Mr. Peltier any longer, knowing all that we know now, would serve only to continue the broken relationship between Native Americans and the government.”
Given the ongoing, unresolved concerns about the fairness of Leonard Peltier’s incarceration, that he has spent nearly 50 years in prison, his age, and ongoing and chronic health issues, granting parole is timely and in the interests of both justice and mercy.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
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