WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Barack Obama’s commutation of the sentence of Oscar López Rivera, who was convicted for his role in a Puerto Rican nationalist group linked to bombings in US cities, ends a decades-long fight to free a man who supporters call a “political prisoner.”

Law enforcement officials have labeled him a terrorist since the 1970s.

López Rivera, who was serving more than 50 years in prison for plotting to overthrow the US government, belonged to Armed Forces of National Liberation, known by its Spanish acronym FALN. The group often fought for Puerto Rican independence through violence and was connected to more than 100 bombings in New York and other cities in the 1970s and 80s.

In 1981, López Rivera was sentenced to 55 years in prison for “seditious conspiracy” and other felonies. He was later sentenced to an additional 15 years in 1988 for conspiracy to escape; to transport explosives with intent to kill and injure people; and to destroy government buildings and property.

López Rivera wasn’t charged directly in FALN’s attacks, but more broadly with charges of plotting to overthrow the US government.

His prison sentence was expected to expire in 2051, but he will walk free on May 17, 2017.

Multiple groups, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus and other elected officials lobbied the Obama administration for López Rivera’s release.

Melissa Mark Viverito, the New York City Council Speaker Speaker who was among the politicians who advocated for López Rivera’s release told CNN affiliate NY1 that the day was historic.

Mark Viverito said López Rivera’s imprisonment for an “unjust number of years” was based solely on his political beliefs.

Obama’s commutation reduces the sentence being served, but it does not change a conviction, whereas a pardon forgives a certain criminal offense.

The FALN had claimed responsibility for the bombings in the 1970s.

FALN first announced itself in 1974, when it took credit for five bombings in New York.

The group was responsible for dozens of bombings and incendiary attacks during the decade, according to law enforcement officials. The bombings were called terror attacks and resulted in at least five deaths and more than $3 million in property damage, according to a 1999 House report for the Committee on Government Reform.

In one attack the group claimed responsibility for, a booby-trapped body was used to lure a NYPD officer into an abandoned building. The resultant explosion permanently disabled the officer.

The statement taking credit for the attack warned: “(To) make it clear, for every repressive action taken against our communities or against FALN. independentistas, we will respond with revolutionary violence.”

In late 1976, Chicago police uncovered a bomb factory run FALN, a discovery that led to the arrest of López Rivera, the House report said.

In 1999, then-President Bill Clinton offered clemency to 16 FALN prisoners who had been incarcerated while fighting for an independent Puerto Rico through violent means. Fourteen accepted the offer, but López Rivera was one of two prisoners who declined.

“None of them were convicted of doing bodily harm to anyone. And they had all served sentences that were considerably longer than they would serve under the sentencing guidelines which control federal sentencing now,” Clinton said at the time.

“I did not believe they should be held in incarceration — in effect — by guilt by association,” he said.

Clinton said he received petitions on behalf of the prisoners from hundreds of people, including former President Jimmy Carter, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, other religious leaders and congressmen.

The decision sparked strong criticism from law enforcement officials and some political leaders.

López Rivera’s supporters include “Hamilton” writer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, who said he was “sobbing with gratitude” about the news.

“Sobbing with gratitude here in London. Oscar Lopez Rivera is coming home. Thank you, @POTUS.”

Miranda followed up the tweet with one addressed to Mark-Viverito, the New York City lawmaker.

“(And) @MMViverito, when you talk to Don Oscar, (tell him) I’ve got a show for him in Chicago. It’ll be my honor to play Hamilton the night he goes.”

Miranda hasn’t played the title role in his Pulitzer- and Tony-winning production since July 2016.

Mark-Viverito, the first Puerto Rican and Latina to hold a citywide elected position in New York, replied: “Claro @Lin_Manuel! (Without) a doubt! Told him you would invite him to Hamilton. But no idea you would perform! What a treat! But he deserves it!”

Rep. Nydia Velasquez, told CNN affiliate NY 1: “Being characterized as a terrorist himself, the White House took it’s time to assess every level, every fact, but most importantly this is a President who is very cautious, who is very respectful of the law.”

“Today is a day of celebration. It’s a day of brotherhood and sisterhood in PR and we are very proud and I’m very grateful to the president.”

Puerto Rico’s governor, Alejandro García Padilla, also celebrated the decision on Twitter.

“The people of PR have just received the best news and are starting to celebrate the long awaited decision of @POTUS,” he tweeted.

He called López Rivera’s incarceration “a fight for all Puerto Rico.”

“Congratulations on the release of Oscar López. This was a fight of all Puerto Rico. Thanks @POTUS. – AGP” he added.

On Tuesday, Obama granted commutation of sentence to 209 prisoners and pardons to 64 more, including the commutation of sentence to former Army soldier Chelsea Manning, who was convicted of stealing and disseminating 750,000 pages of documents and videos to WikiLeaks.

The President also pardoned James Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who pleaded guilty in October to a single charge of making false statements to federal investigators in 2012 when he was questioned about leaking top secret information on US efforts to cripple Iran’s nuclear program to two journalists.</s>López Rivera, whose commutation was announced with 208 others, has been incarcerated for 35 years for his role in fighting for Puerto Rico’s independence

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Barack Obama has commuted the sentence of Oscar López Rivera, a victory for the Puerto Rican independence activist who is considered to be one of the world’s longest-serving political prisoners.

In his final days in office, Obama has issued a record number of pardons and commutations, including granting the release of Chelsea Manning on Tuesday, the US army soldier who became one of the most famous whistleblowers in modern times.

'I'm no threat' – will Obama pardon one of the world's longest-serving political prisoners? Read more

López Rivera, whose commutation was announced on Tuesday along with those of 208 others, has been incarcerated for 35 years for his role in fighting for Puerto Rico’s independence.

The 74-year-old, who has spent more than half of his life behind bars, was convicted of “seditious conspiracy” for plotting against the US. The US government had also classified him as a terrorist.



If Obama had not intervened, he would have remained in captivity until 26 June 2023, five months after his 80th birthday.

Jan Susler, López Rivera’s lawyer, said the prisoner’s release is a huge win in the ongoing fight for Puerto Rican independence, adding that she was grateful that Obama understood “there wasn’t any legitimate reason to keep Oscar in prison.



“We have to celebrate every victory,” she said. “We have a lot of work left to do, and now Oscar will be able to join us, and we can work side by side.”

Susler broke the news to López Rivera.

“He said, ‘Can you imagine a better birthday present for my daughter?’” Susler told the Guardian by phone, adding: “He’s a very centered, peaceful human being, and that’s how he received the news.”

In a recent interview with the Guardian, he said he still believes in what he described as the “noble cause” of full sovereignty for his Caribbean birthplace, which is classified as a US “territory”.

López Rivera was born in 1943 in San Sebastián in Puerto Rico, where he lived until his family moved to Chicago when he was 14 years old. He was later drafted to serve in the Vietnam war, and when he returned he became deeply involved in community activism among Puerto Ricans in Chicago.

López Rivera eventually became a member of a clandestine group called Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional, which argued that armed force was a justified tactic in the fight for Puerto Rican independence.

US prosecutors accused the group of carrying out 140 bombings on military bases, government offices and financial buildings, but López Rivera has repeatedly denied involvement with fatal attacks.

The prisoner has repeatedly insisted that he was focused on actions that did not endanger people’s lives.

“For me, human life is sacred. We called it ‘armed propaganda’ – using targets to draw attention to our struggle,” he told the Guardian last year.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Protesters call for the release of Oscar López Rivera in October outside the White House. Photograph: Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press

The group was dismantled in 1983, and López Rivera and his fellow Puerto Rican independence fighters eventually renounced violence and embraced peaceful reform tactics.

Asked about his decision to publicly renounce force, he said: “We realised other tactics to armed force could be more effective, mobilising people through peaceful campaigning. Morally, also, we came to see that we had to lead by example, that if we are advocating for a better world then there are things you cannot do. You cannot get a better world by being unjust yourself.”

In August of 1999, Bill Clinton used his final days in office to grant a pardon to 11 Puerto Rican independence fighters. López Rivera was offered a lesser deal that would have resulted in early release after a decade, but he turned it down because he said he did not believe the US government would stick to its side of the bargain, and he was upset offers were not made to fellow fighters.

“When I was in Vietnam I never left anyone behind. That’s not my practice, I couldn’t do it,” he told the Guardian last year.

Many prominent figures have aggressively lobbied for López Rivera’s pardon, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu; the governor of Puerto Rico, Alejandro García Padilla; the Hispanic caucus of the US Congress; former US president Jimmy Carter; former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders; and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the smash Broadway musical Hamilton

Miranda brought widespread attention to López Rivera’s case after confronting Obama during a White House visit.

“Sobbing with gratitude,” the performer tweeted on Tuesday. “OSCAR LOPEZ RIVERA IS COMING HOME.” Miranda also announced that he would play the role of Alexander Hamilton for a performance for López Rivera in the Chicago production.

Some have compared López Rivera to Nelson Mandela, labeling him the “Mandela of Puerto Rico”.

The commutation could have implications beyond López Rivera. The Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, said last year he would seek the release of the jailed opposition leader Leopoldo López if the US agreed to release López Rivera.

US congressman Luis Gutiérrez celebrated Obama’s decision on Tuesday, saying in a statement, “I am overjoyed and overwhelmed with emotion. Oscar is a friend, a mentor, and family to me … The long fight against colonialism in the Caribbean has had many chapters and we have all put violence behind us. Releasing Oscar López Rivera back to his homeland and his people is a step towards peace and reconciliation and is being celebrated by Puerto Ricans of all political stripes, classes, colors and geographies.”

Obama has commuted the sentences of 1,385 individuals, more than any other US president. On a call with reporters, a White House official said more commutations are expected “most likely on Thursday”.</s>President Barack Obama’s commutation of the sentence of Oscar López Rivera, who was convicted for his role in a Puerto Rican nationalist group linked to bombings in US cities, ends a decades-long fight to free a man who supporters call a “political prisoner.”

Law enforcement officials have labeled him a terrorist since the 1970s.

López Rivera, who was serving more than 50 years in prison for plotting to overthrow the US government, belonged to Armed Forces of National Liberation, known by its Spanish acronym FALN. The group often fought for Puerto Rican independence through violence and was connected to more than 100 bombings in New York and other cities in the 1970s and 80s.

In 1981, López Rivera was sentenced to 55 years in prison for “seditious conspiracy” and other felonies. He was later sentenced to an additional 15 years in 1988 for conspiracy to escape; to transport explosives with intent to kill and injure people; and to destroy government buildings and property.

López Rivera wasn’t charged directly in FALN’s attacks, but more broadly with charges of plotting to overthrow the US government.

His prison sentence was expected to expire in 2051, but he will walk free on May 17, 2017.

Multiple groups, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus and other elected officials lobbied the Obama administration for López Rivera’s release.

Melissa Mark Viverito, the New York City Council Speaker Speaker who was among the politicians who advocated for López Rivera’s release told CNN affiliate NY1 that the day was historic.

Mark Viverito said López Rivera’s imprisonment for an “unjust number of years” was based solely on his political beliefs.

Obama’s commutation reduces the sentence being served, but it does not change a conviction, whereas a pardon forgives a certain criminal offense.

The FALN had claimed responsibility for the bombings in the 1970s.

FALN first announced itself in 1974, when it took credit for five bombings in New York.

The group was responsible for dozens of bombings and incendiary attacks during the decade, according to law enforcement officials. The bombings were called terror attacks and resulted in at least five deaths and more than $3 million in property damage, according to a 1999 House report for the Committee on Government Reform.

In one attack the group claimed responsibility for, a booby-trapped body was used to lure a NYPD officer into an abandoned building. The resultant explosion permanently disabled the officer.

The statement taking credit for the attack warned: “(To) make it clear, for every repressive action taken against our communities or against FALN. independentistas, we will respond with revolutionary violence.”

In late 1976, Chicago police uncovered a bomb factory run FALN, a discovery that led to the arrest of López Rivera, the House report said.

In 1999, then-President Bill Clinton offered clemency to 16 FALN prisoners who had been incarcerated while fighting for an independent Puerto Rico through violent means. Fourteen accepted the offer, but López Rivera was one of two prisoners who declined.

“None of them were convicted of doing bodily harm to anyone. And they had all served sentences that were considerably longer than they would serve under the sentencing guidelines which control federal sentencing now,” Clinton said at the time.

“I did not believe they should be held in incarceration — in effect — by guilt by association,” he said.

Clinton said he received petitions on behalf of the prisoners from hundreds of people, including former President Jimmy Carter, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, other religious leaders and congressmen.

The decision sparked strong criticism from law enforcement officials and some political leaders.

López Rivera’s supporters include “Hamilton” writer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, who said he was “sobbing with gratitude” about the news.

“Sobbing with gratitude here in London. Oscar Lopez Rivera is coming home. Thank you, @POTUS.”

Miranda followed up the tweet with one addressed to Mark-Viverito, the New York City lawmaker.

“(And) @MMViverito, when you talk to Don Oscar, (tell him) I’ve got a show for him in Chicago. It’ll be my honor to play Hamilton the night he goes.”

Miranda hasn’t played the title role in his Pulitzer- and Tony-winning production since July 2016.

Mark-Viverito, the first Puerto Rican and Latina to hold a citywide elected position in New York, replied: “Claro @Lin_Manuel! (Without) a doubt! Told him you would invite him to Hamilton. But no idea you would perform! What a treat! But he deserves it!”

Rep. Nydia Velasquez, told CNN affiliate NY 1: “Being characterized as a terrorist himself, the White House took it’s time to assess every level, every fact, but most importantly this is a President who is very cautious, who is very respectful of the law.”

“Today is a day of celebration. It’s a day of brotherhood and sisterhood in PR and we are very proud and I’m very grateful to the president.”

Puerto Rico’s governor, Alejandro García Padilla, also celebrated the decision on Twitter.

“The people of PR have just received the best news and are starting to celebrate the long awaited decision of @POTUS,” he tweeted.

He called López Rivera’s incarceration “a fight for all Puerto Rico.”

“Congratulations on the release of Oscar López. This was a fight of all Puerto Rico. Thanks @POTUS. – AGP” he added.

On Tuesday, Obama granted commutation of sentence to 209 prisoners and pardons to 64 more, including the commutation of sentence to former Army soldier Chelsea Manning, who was convicted of stealing and disseminating 750,000 pages of documents and videos to WikiLeaks.

The President also pardoned James Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who pleaded guilty in October to a single charge of making false statements to federal investigators in 2012 when he was questioned about leaking top secret information on US efforts to cripple Iran’s nuclear program to two journalists.</s>President Barack Obama’s commutation of the sentence of Oscar López Rivera, who was convicted for his role in a Puerto Rican nationalist group linked to bombings in US cities, ends a decades-long fight to free a man who supporters call a “political prisoner.”

Law enforcement officials have labeled him a terrorist since the 1970s.

López Rivera, who was serving more than 50 years in prison for plotting to overthrow the US government, belonged to Armed Forces of National Liberation, known by its Spanish acronym FALN. The group often fought for Puerto Rican independence through violence and was connected to more than 100 bombings in New York and other cities in the 1970s and 80s.

In 1981, López Rivera was sentenced to 55 years in prison for “seditious conspiracy” and other felonies. He was later sentenced to an additional 15 years in 1988 for conspiracy to escape; to transport explosives with intent to kill and injure people: and to destroy government buildings and property.

López Rivera wasn’t charged directly in FALN’s attacks, but more broadly with charges of plotting to overthrow the US government.

His prison sentence was expected to expire in 2051, but he will walk free on May 17, 2017.

Multiple groups, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus and other elected officials lobbied the Obama administration for López Rivera’s release.

Melissa Mark Viverito, the New York City Council Speaker who was among the politicians who advocated for López Rivera’s release told CNN affiliate NY1 that the day was historic.

Mark Viverito said López Rivera’s imprisonment for an “unjust number of years” was based solely on his political beliefs.

Obama’s commutation reduces the sentence being served, but it does not change a conviction, whereas a pardon forgives a certain criminal offense.

The FALN had claimed responsibility for the bombings in the 1970s.

FALN first announced itself in 1974, when it took credit for five bombings in New York.

The group was responsible for dozens of bombings and incendiary attacks during the decade, according to law enforcement officials. The bombings were called terror attacks and resulted in at least five deaths and more than $3 million in property damage, according to a 1999 House report for the Committee on Government Reform.

In one attack the group claimed responsibility for, a booby-trapped body was used to lure an NYPD officer into an abandoned building. The resultant explosion permanently disabled the officer.

The statement taking credit for the attack warned: “(To) make it clear, for every repressive action taken against our communities or against FALN. independentistas, we will respond with revolutionary violence.”

In late 1976, Chicago police uncovered a bomb factory run FALN, a discovery that led to the arrest of López Rivera, the House report said.

In 1999, then-President Bill Clinton offered clemency to 16 FALN prisoners who had been incarcerated while fighting for an independent Puerto Rico through violent means. Fourteen accepted the offer, but López Rivera was one of two prisoners who declined.

“None of them were convicted of doing bodily harm to anyone. And they had all served sentences that were considerably longer than they would serve under the sentencing guidelines which control federal sentencing now,” Clinton said at the time.

“I did not believe they should be held in incarceration — in effect — by guilt by association,” he said.

Clinton said he received petitions on behalf of the prisoners from hundreds of people, including former President Jimmy Carter, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, other religious leaders and congressmen.

The decision sparked strong criticism from law enforcement officials and some political leaders.

López Rivera’s supporters include “Hamilton” writer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, who said he was “sobbing with gratitude” about the news.

“Sobbing with gratitude here in London. Oscar Lopez Rivera is coming home. Thank you, @POTUS.”

Miranda followed up the tweet with one addressed to Mark-Viverito, the New York City lawmaker.

“(And) @MMViverito, when you talk to Don Oscar, (tell him) I’ve got a show for him in Chicago. It’ll be my honor to play Hamilton the night he goes.”

Miranda hasn’t played the title role in his Pulitzer- and Tony-winning production since July 2016.

Mark-Viverito, the first Puerto Rican and Latina to hold a citywide elected position in New York, replied: “Claro @Lin_Manuel! (Without) a doubt! Told him you would invite him to Hamilton. But no idea you would perform! What a treat! But he deserves it!”

Rep. Nydia Velasquez, told CNN affiliate NY 1: “Being characterized as a terrorist himself, the White House took it’s time to assess every level, every fact, but most importantly this is a President who is very cautious, who is very respectful of the law.”

“Today is a day of celebration. It’s a day of brotherhood and sisterhood in PR and we are very proud and I’m very grateful to the president.”

Puerto Rico’s governor, Alejandro García Padilla, also celebrated the decision on Twitter.

“The people of PR have just received the best news and are starting to celebrate the long awaited decision of @POTUS,” he tweeted.

He called López Rivera’s incarceration “a fight for all Puerto Rico.”

“Congratulations on the release of Oscar López. This was a fight of all Puerto Rico. Thanks @POTUS. – AGP” he added.

On Tuesday, Obama granted commutation of sentence to 209 prisoners and pardons to 64 more, including the commutation of sentence to former Army soldier Chelsea Manning, who was convicted of stealing and disseminating 750,000 pages of documents and videos to WikiLeaks.

The President also pardoned James Cartwright, the former vice-chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who pleaded guilty in October to a single charge of making false statements to federal investigators in 2012 when he was questioned about leaking top secret information on US efforts to cripple Iran’s nuclear program to two journalists.</s>Barack Obama has commuted the sentence of Oscar López Rivera, a victory for the Puerto Rican independence activist, who is considered to be one of the world’s longest-serving political prisoners.

In his final days in office, Obama has issued a record number of pardons and commutations, including granting the release of Chelsea Manning on Tuesday, the US army soldier who became one of the most famous whistleblowers in modern times.

López Rivera, whose commutation was announced on Tuesday along with those of 208 others, has been incarcerated for 35 years for his role in fighting for Puerto Rico’s independence.

The 74-year-old, who has spent more than half of his life behind bars, was convicted of “seditious conspiracy” for plotting against the US through his activism. In a recent interview with the Guardian, he said he still believes in what he described as the “noble cause” of full sovereignty for his Caribbean birthplace, which is classified as a US “territory”.

López Rivera was issued two sentences in the 1980s, one of 15 years and one of 55 years, but under Obama’s order, he will be released on 17 May.

In August of 1999, Bill Clinton used his final days in office to grant a pardon to 11 Puerto Rican independence fighters. López Rivera was offered a lesser deal that would have resulted in early release after a decade, but the activist turned it down because he said he did not believe the US government would stick to its side of the bargain, and he was upset offers were not made to fellow fighters.

“When I was in Vietnam I never left anyone behind. That’s not my practice, I couldn’t do it,” he told the Guardian last year.

US congressman Luis Gutiérrez celebrated Obama’s decision on Tuesday, saying in a statement, “I am overjoyed and overwhelmed with emotion. Oscar is a friend, a mentor, and family to me ... The long fight against colonialism in the Caribbean has had many chapters and we have all put violence behind us. Releasing Oscar Lopez Rivera back to his homeland and his people is a step towards peace and reconciliation and is being celebrated by Puerto Ricans of all political stripes, classes, colors and geographies.”

Obama has commuted the sentences of 1,385 individuals, more than any other US president. On a call with reporters, a White House official said more commutations are expected “most likely on Thursday”.</s>The cry for Oscar López Rivera’s freedom has been heard.

In a series of final moves ahead of Inauguration Day, President Barack Obama has commuted the sentence of Puerto Rico’s last and longest-incarcerated political prisoner, one of 209 grants of commutation announced on Tuesday (Jan. 17) according to the New York Times.

READ: San Juan Mayor, Rapper Residente And More Push For Oscar López Rivera’s Freedom

A former leader of Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (FALN), López Rivera was charged with seditious conspiracy among a string of nonviolent crimes in 1981, the year after the organization claimed responsibility for bombing attacks on more than 120 sites in the fight against U.S. colonization.

The Puerto Rican nationalist was sentenced to 55 years of prison although no evidence linked him to any of the bombings nor any violent crimes, The Guardian reports. He faced an additional 15 years behind bars after an alleged attempt to escape in 1988.

After 35 years of incarceration, López Rivera will walk free on May 17 when his sentence expires. Special shouts to the many activists, especially those from Puerto Rico, who fought tirelessly for justice.

READ: Chelsea Manning: President Obama Commutes 35-Year Sentence Of Former Soldier Who Leaked Army Documents

Catch a glimpse of the celebration on Twitter below:</s>Earlier today, President Obama commuted the sentences of to 273 individuals, including Chelsea Manning and Puerto Rican independence activist Oscar López Rivera, who has been incarcerated for 35 years.

One of the longest serving political prisoners in history (most of which was spent in solitary confinement), López Rivera was struck with a 55-year sentence after being convicted in 1981 of "seditious conspiracy". He was one of the leaders of the Spanish for Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN), a Puerto Rican nationalist group that claimed credit for a series of bombings in the 1970s and 1980s to call attention to the U.S.'s colonial history, as well as the continued non-representation of the island in U.S. politics and policy that affects it.

However, López Rivera was never found to have connections to any bombings or attacks, nor was he ever proven to have injured anyone. Instead, he's widely cited as a political prisoner with an incredibly disproportionate sentence, with several major human rights coalitions, a vast majority of Puerto Ricans and leaders like Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Coretta Scott King and Senator Bernie Sanders advocating for his release.

López Rivera is now set to be released on May 17.

Ed Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that López Rivera was pardoned.</s>President Barack Obama has commuted the sentence of Oscar López Rivera, who has been jailed for 35 years on a conviction on conspiracy charges related a series of bombings carried out by a Puerto Rican nationalist group. He is scheduled to be freed in about 4 months.

López Rivera, 73, was on a a list of pardons Obama issued. Obama's last day in office is Friday, when President-elect Donald Trump is to be sworn in.

Lopez Rivera long has denied involvement in the bombings that took place in the 1970s and 1980s. Lopez Rivera and his supporters have maintained there has never been evidence against him.

Lopez was convicted in 1981 of "seditious conspiracy" - trying to overthrow the government by force - and possession of firearms and transporting a stolen vehicle across state lines. Authorities labeled him a leader of the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN, in Spanish). The group claimed responsibility for the Chicago and New York bombings.

He was previously offered a commutation by former President Bill Clinton but turned it down.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said the release of López Rivera is "being celebrated by Puerto Ricans of all political stripes, classes colors and geographies." He said he was overjoyed with emotion when he got the news because Lopez is a friend and mentor.

"He is a national hero no less significant than Roberto Clemente or any leader we have ever had," Gutierrez said of Puerto Rico. "It will be a blessed day when I can walk and talk with my friend in the fresh air, far from prions walls, and I am looking forward to that day."

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the hit show "Hamilton" tweeted he was "sobbing" in London, where he is currently working.

His release has been championed by a number of supporters from Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland. Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders called for his release during the election campaign.

But there also has been opposition from families of victims of the bombing and law enforcement officials.

Political strategist Federico de Jesús, who worked in the Obama administration, was part of a group of 40 former administration and campaign officials who sent the president a letter urging him to free López Rivera.

"We're very thankful that President Obama did the right thing, and elated that after 35 of an excessive and unjust imprisonment, Oscar will finally be able to be home with his family," said de Jesús. "With this action, President Obama has given more meaning to his Nobel Peace Prize."

López Rivera was not scheduled for release until 2023.</s>After 35 years in a federal prison, Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar López Rivera had his sentence commuted on Tues., Jan. 17th by President Barack Obama.

López Rivera, who was due to serve 70 years, will now be released on May 17.

Obama cut short the sentence of López Rivera, who fought for Puerto Rican independence and was imprisoned in 1981 for conspiracy.

The 74-year-old López Rivera, who spent nearly half his life in prison, was a member of Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (FALN), a paramilitary organization responsible for several bombings on U.S. targets.

Human rights advocates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, had long called for his release. Many considered him a Puerto Rican “Nelson Mandela” and referred to him as a freedom fighter.

López Rivera was offered a conditional commutation in 1999 by President Bill Clinton, which he rejected because he opposed the terms offered at the time.

Local elected officials and activists praised Obama’s decision, one they had clamored as the President’s tenure came to its very last days.

As recently as Wed., Jan. 11th, a rally with City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, together with López Rivera’s daughter Clarissa López, Bronx Assemblymember José Rivera, San Juan municipal mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, and musical artist Residente, was held in Farragut Square in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez praised Tuesday’s action by Obama, in which he issued 209 commutations and 64 pardons altogether.

“I thank President Obama for taking this step, an act of magnanimous grace,” Velázquez said in a statement. “I also want to thank all the activists, elected officials and ordinary Puerto Ricans who labored tirelessly to secure Oscar’s freedom.”

“His struggle is our struggle and in many ways represents the pain and the journey that all Puerto Ricans have and are living,” she said. “At this time, when our beloved island has endured so much economic turmoil and hardship, the release of this gentle man is an important step of justice.”

“I commend President Barack Obama on today’s decision to pardon Oscar López Rivera,” said Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who had also attended the D.C. rally. “Mr. López Rivera has spent the last 36 years of his life in federal prison. He has long served his time and upon his release, will now be allowed to return home to be with his family, loved ones and a community that has remained loyal in support and calling for his release.”

Jan Susler, López Rivera’ s longtime attorney, said “Oscar is grateful for all the love and solidarity — in Puerto Rico, in the United States, and throughout the world — that made this happen.”

Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who had made personal appeals to the White House for clemency, sent word via Twitter that there were many celebrations to come – including a special performance of the award-winning show in Chicago, in which he planned on slipping back into the title role he originated.

“When you talk to Don Oscar,” he wrote Mark-Viverito, “díle [tell him] I’ve got a show for him in Chicago. It’ll be my honor to play Hamilton the night he goes.”</s>(CNN) President Barack Obama's commutation of the sentence of Oscar López Rivera, who was convicted for his role in a Puerto Rican nationalist group linked to bombings in US cities, ends a decades-long fight to free a man who supporters call a "political prisoner."

Law enforcement officials have labeled him a terrorist since the 1970s.

López Rivera, who was serving more than 50 years in prison for plotting to overthrow the US government, belonged to Armed Forces of National Liberation, known by its Spanish acronym FALN. The group often fought for Puerto Rican independence through violence and was connel

In 1981, López Rivera was sentenced to 55 years in prison for "seditious conspiracy" and other felonies. He was later sentenced to an additional 15 years in 1988 for conspiracy to escape; to transport explosives with intent to kill and injure people; and to destroy government buildings and property.

López Rivera wasn't charged directly in FALN's attacks but more broadly with charges of plotting to overthrow the US government.

His prison sentence was expected to expire in 2051, but he will walk free on May 17, 2017.

Multiple groups, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus and other elected officials lobbied the Obama administration for López Rivera's release.

Melissa Mark-Viverito, the New York City Council speaker who was among the politicians who advocated for López Rivera's release, told CNN affiliate NY1 that the day was historic.

Mark-Viverito said López Rivera's imprisonment for an "unjust number of years" was based solely on his political beliefs.

"He is a political prisoner," she added.

Obama's commutation reduces the sentence being served, but it does not change a conviction, whereas a pardon forgives a certain criminal offense.

The FALN had claimed responsibility for bombings in the 1970s.

Joseph Connor, whose father Frank was one of four people killed in the January 1975 bombing of the historic Fraunces Tavern in Manhattan, called the commutation a "travesty" and "disgraceful."

Joseph Connor was 9 at the time of the lunch-hour attack -- for which FALN claimed responsibility. López Rivera was not convicted in connection with the bombing.

"He's never shown any remorse for what he did," Connor said. "We went to his parole hearing in 2011 and had he shown any contrition at all, had expressed any atonement, any sympathy, we would have been willing to forgive him and would have recommended that he be released. But he has shown none at all. He has no atonement and no contrition."

In one attack for which the group claimed responsibility, a booby-trapped body was used to lure a NYPD officer into an abandoned building. The resultant explosion permanently disabled the officer.

The statement taking credit for the attack warned: "(To) make it clear, for every repressive action taken against our communities or against FALN. independentistas, we will respond with revolutionary violence.''

In late 1976, Chicago police uncovered a bomb factory run by FALN, a discovery that led to the arrest of López Rivera, the House report said.

In 1999, then-President Bill Clinton offered clemency to 16 FALN prisoners who had been incarcerated while fighting for an independent Puerto Rico through violent means. Fourteen accepted the offer, but López Rivera was one of two prisoners who declined.

"None of them were convicted of doing bodily harm to anyone. And they had all served sentences that were considerably longer than they would serve under the sentencing guidelines which control federal sentencing now," Clinton said at the time.

"I did not believe they should be held in incarceration -- in effect -- by guilt by association," he said.

Clinton said he received petitions on behalf of the prisoners from hundreds of people, including former President Jimmy Carter, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, other religious leaders and congressmen.

López Rivera's supporters include "Hamilton" writer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, who said he was "sobbing with gratitude" about the news.

"Sobbing with gratitude here in London. Oscar Lopez Rivera is coming home. Thank you, @POTUS."

Miranda followed up the tweet with one addressed to Mark-Viverito, the New York City lawmaker.

"(And) @MMViverito, when you talk to Don Oscar, (tell him) I've got a show for him in Chicago. It'll be my honor to play Hamilton the night he goes."

Miranda hasn't played the title role in his Pulitzer- and Tony-winning production since July 2016.

Mark-Viverito, the first Puerto Rican and Latina to hold a citywide elected position in New York, replied: "Claro @Lin_Manuel! (Without) a doubt! Told him you would invite him to Hamilton. But no idea you would perform! What a treat! But he deserves it!"

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-New York, told CNN affiliate NY 1: "Being characterized as a terrorist himself, the White House took its time to assess every level, every fact, but most importantly this is a President who is very cautious, who is very respectful of the law."

"Today is a day of celebration. It's a day of brotherhood and sisterhood in PR and we are very proud and I'm very grateful to the president."

Puerto Rico's governor, Alejandro García Padilla, also celebrated the decision on Twitter.

"The people of PR have just received the best news and are starting to celebrate the long awaited decision of @POTUS," he tweeted.

He called López Rivera's incarceration "a fight for all Puerto Rico."

"Congratulations on the release of Oscar López. This was a fight of all Puerto Rico. Thanks @POTUS. - AGP" he added.

The President also pardoned James Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who pleaded guilty in October to a single charge of making false statements to federal investigators in 2012 when he was questioned about leaking top secret information on US efforts to cripple Iran's nuclear program to two journalists.
President Obama also commutes the sentence of Puerto Rican independence activist Oscar López Rivera who was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment for seditious conspiracy.