Amnesty International and Leonard Peltier in "The Spirit of Crazy Horse"

While reading the book In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Mattheiesen (Penguin Books 1992) about the radical American Indian Movement of the 1970s, I was able to confirm what I already knew, that Amnesty International has been following the case of Leonard Peltier since 1976, when they sent observers to his legal proceedings. 

Despite what the people at that long-ago meeting I blogged about last April so hysterically insisted, whether or not Peltier and the rest of the American Indian Movement "advocate violence" is not relevant to why Amnesty has followed his case for fifty years and counting. It wasn't about whether he was guilty or innocent of any violent crime. It was about how he has never been proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt--even the prosecution has admitted it. He was convicted on tainted evidence in a trial tainted by prosecutorial misconduct.

For reference, here's a link to my blog about that crazy Amnesty Intenational meeting where a roomful of people insisted the organization didn't "do" Peltier:   https://lynjensen.blogspot.com/2026/04/weird-guys-weird-meeting.html

Here's a key passage from Mattiessen's book:  "In a comprehensive report issued in October 1981, Amnesty International discussed at length the FBI's role . . . which revealed, "at the very least, some disrespect for the law on the part of the FBI. In Peltier the Court of Appeals held that the more prudent course might have been to allow the defense to present Myrtle Poor Bear's evidence to the jury, in Marshall [another questionable case involving Native American rights] the judge felt some "concern." Considered together, these two cases give rise to sufficient doubt about the integrity of the FBI in these matters to warrant further examination . . . Amnesty International . . . wonders what conclusion should be drawn when a federal government agency (the FBI) . . . appears willing to fabricate evidence against its "targets" and to withhold information which, according to law, should have been disclosed. It is, moreover, clear that the FBI have abused their power by producing false evidence and infiltrating the defense teams of people indicted on serious charges." Proposal for a Commission of Inquiry into the Effect of Domestic Intelligence Activities on Criminal Trials in the United States of America (Amnesty International Publications, 1981)

That 1981 book may not be the only Amnesty publication to address the Peltier case, either. I recall Jackson Browne, appearing at the 1986 Conspiracy of Hope tour, holding up an Amnesty International publication, and saying, "Leonard is in this book, when the truth comes out, Leonard will be a free man." He may have been referring to the 1981 book, or maybe to another, later book.

According to Amnesty International's own website, here is their statement regarding the news that President Biden had commuted the sentence of Peltier, dated 23 January 2025: "Amnesty previously sent observers to Leonard Peltier’s trial in 1977 and has campaigned for his release from prison for many years. Amnesty International will continue to monitor the circumstances of his confinement moving forward." 

Here is a link to more details about the commutation of Peltier's sentence, on the Amnesty site:  https://www.amnestyusa.org/campaigns/free-leonard-peltier/

Then there's the Wikipedia entry for Peltier, which, despite spending much space on persons who insist he's guilty, also acknowledges, "Human rights watchdogs, such as Amnesty International . . . campaigned for clemency for Peltier."

True, Peltier was never one of the cases officially taken up by Amnesty on behalf of a political prisoner, because their bylaws prohibit cases involving violent crime, but it's hard to believe that an entire roomful of Amnesty supporters would be so ignorant of fully understanding Amnesty's interest in Peltier's case. If I were to meet any of those people today, I'd tell them to read their own group's website.