Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) calls for the release of imprisoned American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier in a speech on December 4, 2024.

Peltier is serving two life sentences for the deaths of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Now at age 80, he has been behind bars for more than half of his life.

"He is in declining health, experiencing vision loss and other illnesses," Schatz said on the floor of the U.S. Senate. "And in spite of all that, earlier this year, federal officials denied his request for compassionate release."

Schatz, who serves as chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, urged President Joe Biden to set Peltier free.