New York, September 12 (RHC)-- Amnesty International is calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to grant clemency to Indigenous leader and political prisoner Leonard Peltier, who turns 80 years old today, Thursday, September 12th. 

Leonard has spent nearly 50 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.  Peltier has always maintained his innocence over the 1975 killing of two FBI agents in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation.  His conviction was riddled with irregularities and prosecutorial misconduct.  

In a letter to President Biden, Amnesty International USA wrote: “You have the opportunity to rectify a case that has long troubled human rights advocates and Indigenous Peoples worldwide.” 

Vigils and other actions are being held today in Washington, D.C., and around the country.