Biden commutes sentence for Leonard Peltier, Indigenous activist convicted in 1975 killing of FBI agents

With just moments left before he leaves office, President Joe Biden commuted the life sentence of indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents.

Peltier was denied parole as recently as July and wasn't eligible for parole again until 2026. He was serving life in prison for the deaths of the agents during a standoff on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He will transition to home confinement, Biden said in a statement.

The fight for Peltier's freedom is entangled with the Indigenous rights movements. Nearly half a century later, his name remains a rallying cry.