AMY GOODMAN: That is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.

Indigenous chief Leonard Peltier is coming residence after practically half a century behind bars. Simply minutes earlier than leaving workplace, former President Biden granted Peltier clemency, ordering his launch from jail to serve the rest of his life sentence in residence confinement.

In a press release shared by the NDN Collective, Leonard Peltier responded by saying, quote, “It’s lastly over — I’m going residence. I wish to present the world I’m a very good particular person with a very good coronary heart. I wish to assist the folks, identical to my grandmother taught me,” Leonard stated.

Biden’s historic resolution got here after mounting calls by tribal leaders and supporters, and a community-led marketing campaign that fought for Peltier’s freedom for many years. Biden’s order goes into impact February 18th. Biden, nevertheless, reiterated his motion was not a pardon for Peltier.

Leonard Peltier is 80 years outdated, has spent nearly all of his life in jail. For many years, he has maintained his innocence over the 1975 killing of two FBI brokers in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Many have stated his conviction was riddled with irregularities and prosecutorial misconduct and that the federal authorities didn’t show its case in opposition to Leonard Peltier. Democratic Presidents Invoice Clinton, Barack Obama rejected Peltier’s clemency requests. He was additionally denied parole in ’93, 2009 and 2024.

For extra, we go to Sumterville, Florida, the place we’re joined by Nick Tilsen, founder and CEO of the NDN Collective. He simply visited Leonard Peltier in jail after information of his launch yesterday.

Nick, welcome again to Democracy Now! Are you able to share with us Leonard Peltier’s response? It was minutes earlier than Biden left workplace.

NICK TILSEN: Leonard is elated. Leonard is worked up. He’s deeply, deeply honored. When he — like, I talked to him on the telephone final night time after the precise order was given to him and the papers for govt clemency got to him, and he learn it out loud, and he stated, “I’m lastly coming residence.” And he’s excited to be coming residence on this second. And one of many largest issues of the message that he has is deep gratitude for the 5 many years of organizing and everyone who’s ever helped combat for his freedom. And so, he’s elated. He’s excited to return to his homelands in Belcourt, North Dakota, on the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Nick, might you speak concerning the motion to get Leonard Peltier launched? There was a big group of congressmen, led by Raúl Grijalva, who appealed to the president. However on the identical time, the FBI Director Christopher Wray on January tenth wrote to the president urging him to not do it?

NICK TILSEN: Yeah, this was an unprecedented effort of each neighborhood organizing and advocacy. , we had two secretaries of the administration weigh in. Secretary Deb Haaland was weighing in, and Secretary — or, HHS administrator Becerra was weighing in. Senator Schatz of the Senate — the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, was weighing in. And there was opposition. There was opposition, led by the FBI and the Division of Justice, to attempt to maintain Leonard Peltier in jail.

However the actuality is that we had fought so laborious to have the ability to convey this situation to gentle. And I believe that one of many tipping factors on this complete situation was the truth that Leonard Peltier was a boarding college survivor, and that this was actually about righting a historic incorrect. And I believe the entire work that went in to convey to gentle what the US authorities did to Indian folks through the boarding colleges, and all of that effort and organizing and therapeutic work that occurred, was one of many large contributing components, together with a lot political advocacy of individuals championing this. And we had been in a position to shut the hole, from the frontline Indigenous communities to the decision-makers proper to the president of the US, that led to this. And so, it was a historic organizing effort and a day of victory for Indigenous folks.

AMY GOODMAN: Completely wonderful, Nick. We talked to you proper after you talked to the pardon workplace. You had been in South Dakota then, after you went to Washington, D.C. Lastly, on the problem of Leonard Peltier going residence, how is his well being?

NICK TILSEN: He must see a health care provider immediately. We’re a bit of bit involved that he’s not going residence till the 18th, that the order doesn’t go into impact ’til the 18th. He must see a health care provider instantly, and so they do not have the medical services at Coleman jail, federal jail, to fulfill his medical wants proper now. So, we can be asking this present, the incoming administration for reduction for medical functions to attempt to get him residence a bit of bit sooner. They usually do have the flexibility to try this on the Bureau of Prisons stage. And so, we’re going to be asking for that, so we are able to get him to see a health care provider. However realistically, we additionally perceive that there’s a very good probability that he’s in all probability not coming residence ’til the 18th, despite the fact that we’re attempting to get him residence sooner. However we actually wish to get him residence sooner as a result of his well being is constant to deteriorate. And he’s excited to return residence, however we’ve bought to make his well being and his security primary precedence.

AMY GOODMAN: Nick Tilsen, you’ve additionally labored on local weather points for years. On Monday, Trump signed an govt order to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Local weather Settlement once more.

TRUMP AIDE: The following merchandise right here is the withdrawal from the Paris local weather treaty.

TRUMP SUPPORTERS: Yeah! …

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Save over a trillion.

TRUMP AIDE: We’re going to avoid wasting over a trillion {dollars} by withdrawing from that treaty.

AMY GOODMAN: So, you hear him signing this within the Capital One Enviornment with 20,000 folks cheering. The importance of this, Nick?

NICK TILSEN: It’s horrible. It’s horrible for everyone all over the world, as a result of not solely the Paris Local weather Agreements, however the agreements to — for essentially the most highly effective international locations on this planet to return collectively to combat local weather change and set bars for it, to power firms and power international locations to have the ability to, , have laws in place, and to drag these again is to place the environment in danger and to place human rights in danger and to place — and these choices are going to expedite local weather change, and at a time when local weather change is a worldwide disaster situation affecting all of humanity.

And with Indigenous folks, it means a direct menace to us and our homelands, as a result of we’re sustaining — we’re 5% of the world’s inhabitants however steward 80% of the world’s organic variety on behalf of all of humanity. And so, which means, when — him pulling out of the Paris accords, it implies that he’s going to make Indigenous communities and Indigenous homelands sacrifice zones. And we’re going to be on the frontlines having to combat these firms, as a result of now they’re going to finish up into our territories utterly deregulated.

AMY GOODMAN: Nick, there’s a lot to speak to you about, however I wish to shortly — I imply, it’s a firehose of govt orders. President Trump additionally signed an govt order Monday calling for North America’s tallest peak, Denali in Alaska, to be renamed Mount McKinley after President McKinley, he stated, displaying respect to Ohio and to the president. Are you able to speak concerning the significance of what Obama renamed in 2015?

NICK TILSEN: Properly, renaming these — , we’ve been on this effort to rename our territories after what we referred to as them as Indigenous folks. And this effort to attempt to erase Indigenous folks and erase our identities, that’s what that is. It’s manifest future in its fashionable kind. It’s colonial rule, and it’s attempting to manage the narrative, and it’s attempting to erase Indigenous folks.

And so, we’re going to proceed to combat to carry onto our names. We’re going to proceed to combat to carry onto our id. And we’re going to make use of this power that we’ve in Indian Nation proper now, that we’ve gotten from this victory in preventing for Leonard Peltier, to guard our homelands and to guard the names and to make it possible for they gained’t erase us. And you may assure that Indigenous folks, that we’re going to be on the frontlines preventing this administration and making a approach for our folks and preventing for human rights in all places.

AMY GOODMAN: Properly, Nick, we wish to thanks for being with us. Nick Tilsen, founder and CEO of the NDN Collective. You may go to Democracy Now! to see all our protection of Leonard Peltier, together with interviews with him. Once more, on the age of 80, Leonard Peltier goes residence after virtually half a century in jail.

That does it for our present. Democracy Now! is produced with Mike Burke, Renée Feltz, Deena Guzder, Messiah Rhodes, Nermeen Shaikh, María Taracena, Tami Woronoff, Charina Nadura, Sam Alcoff, Tey-Marie Astudillo, John Hamilton, Robby Karran, Hany Massoud, Hana Elias. Our govt director is Julie Crosby. Particular due to Becca Staley, Jon Randolph, Paul Powell, Mike Di Filippo, Miguel Nogueira. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, for an additional version of Democracy Now!