President Trump, please send Leonard Peltier home

As President Trump’s term in office winds down and he looks toward his legacy, granting clemency and pardons, a Native American prisoner in Florida prays for compassionate release.

Leonard Peltier has been in federal prison for over 45 years. He has accumulated over 20 years of good behavior time. Combined, he has served the equivalent of more than six decades behind bars, and is currently imprisoned at Coleman United States Penitentiary in Sumter County, northwest of Orlando. It’s the same prison that former congresswoman Corrine Brown was released from in April because her age made her a high risk for coronavirus.

Peltier is two years older than Brown. He has the normal problems of someone at age 76, compounded by the unhealthy life of a prisoner. He recently underwent emergency open heart surgery, has lost 90% of the sight in one eye due to a stroke, and has high blood pressure, a very concerning abdominal aortic aneurysm and diabetes.

For these reasons, Pope Francis and Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami have called for his compassionate release. Through the years, religious leaders worldwide have advocated for the same, including Archbishop Tutu of South Africa, the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Buddhist Monk Thích Nh t H nh, and Saint Mother Theresa.

Presidents Clinton, two Bushes and Obama passed on giving Peltier his freedom. But given 45 years in jail, compassionate leaders, musicians and artists have rallied to this cause, all agreeing that, guilty or not, it is time for Peltier to go home to die in peace. The National Congress of American Indians has called for his compassionate release, as has the World Council of Churches and many other religious bodies.

The release of Leonard Peltier — if it were to happen — would send a message of mercy and decency to all the Indian nations up and down the Americas during this time of division.

Forty-five years ago, Amnesty International called the Peltier trial “deeply flawed” and called for a new trial on two counts of first-degree murder of federal agents. Two other Native Americans accused of committing the crime with Peltier were found not guilty in a separate trial, and witnesses in Peltier’s trial later recanted their testimony. Although the time has passed for a new trial, 45 years in prison is enough.

A new year should be a time of renewal. This is the season when we break bread with those we have differences with, in hopes for better understanding going forward. It is a time for correcting rights and wrongs. Peltier’s story is a wrong waiting to be righted. Vengeance cannot and must never be sought once justice is served. The only reason for keeping him now is to carry out a death sentence he did not receive.