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. 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. 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. López Rivera wasn’t charged directly in FALN’s attacks, but more broadly with charges of plotting to overthrow the US government. Joseph Connor was 9 at the time of the lunch-hour attack -- for which FALN claimed responsibility. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the hit show "Hamilton" tweeted he was "sobbing" in London, where he is currently working. “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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
President Obama also commutes the sentence of Puerto Rican independence activist Oscar López Rivera who was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment for seditious conspiracy.