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Re: COVID-19 Request for the Immediate Release of Leonard Peltier and Clemency

From:
Deb Haaland, Member of Congress,
Raúl M. Grijalva, Member of Congress

President Donald J. Trump The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500
Mr. Michael Carvajal Director
Federal Bureau of Prisons 320 First St., NW Washington, D.C. 20534
April 24, 2020
The Honorable William Barr Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20530
Mr. J.A. Keller
Southeast Regional Director
Federal Bureau of Prisons
3800 Camp Crk. Prk. SW, Bldg. 2000 Atlanta, GA 30331
Re: COVID-19 Request for the Immediate Release of Leonard Peltier and Clemency
Dear President Trump, Attorney General Barr, Director Carvajal, and Director Keller:
We write to ask for the expedited release of Mr. Leonard Peltier from the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Florida and that Mr. Peltier be granted clemency. As part of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Justice (DOJ) recently authorized the Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP) to release elderly inmates and those with underlying health conditions from federal prisons. Due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our country, and Mr. Peltier’s underlying health conditions and age, we request immediate action be taken to release him from federal custody.
Leonard Peltier is 75 years old and suffers from serious health conditions, including diabetes and an abdominal aortic aneurysm that can be lethal if ruptured. He has served more than 43 years in the federal prison system, some of which has been in solitary confinement, for a crime that took place on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota in 1975. As you may be aware, many evidentiary and procedural issues arose during the prosecution of this case, leading to numerous post-conviction appeals and the support of over 110,000 people who subsequently signed a petition for his release.
Additionally, Mr. Peltier has received overwhelming support from internationally respected champions of human rights including: the late Nelson Mandela, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, the European Parliament, the Belgian Parliament, the Italian Parliament, the Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rigoberta Menchu, seven Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Shirin Ebadi, Rage Against the Machine, and KISS. His release is also strongly supported by elected tribal leadership around the United States and the National Congress of American Indians, who have passed resolutions requesting his clemency and compassionate release.
Due to this overwhelming support, we believe it is highly appropriate that the administration prioritizes the expedited release of Mr. Peltier since he is an elderly inmate with serious underlying health conditions, leaving him vulnerable amidst this devastating health emergency. For these reasons, we respectfully ask that Leonard Peltier be immediately transitioned to his home on the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation, North Dakota.
Sincerely

Deb Haaland Member of Congress

Raúl M. Grijalva Member of Congress