"We the People" Petition UPDATE

Leonard Peltier Clemency Petition Exceeds Requirement by 446 Signatures

Native News Network Staff in Native Challenges. Discussion »

Petition for Clemency

WASHINGTON - The "We the People" Petition for Clemency for Leonard Peltier surpassed the required 5,000 signatures by 446 for a total of 5,446 signatures. The thirty-day deadline ended on Saturday, October 22.

Members of the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee submitted the petition in favor of granting clemency to Leonard Peltier on the first day the "We the People" petition option was offered on the White House website.

The "We the People" petition tool "is intended to foster a focused and civil conversation about how the federal government should address a range of issues," according the White House website. Since the threshold has been met, an official response is expected to be developed by Obama administration officials.

Peltier, tribal member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, is serving a life sentence in the US Penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. He was convicted of the 1975 murders of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He was convicted in 1977.

Peltier is considered to be a political prisoner of war by many American Indians throughout the United States and others worldwide. Through the years, Peltier's supporters have included the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa and Bishop Desmond Tutu, among other prominent names.

posted October 24, 2011 8:00 am edt