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Oscar Lopez Rivera Returns To Puerto Rico To Finish Commuted Sentence

By Mina Bloom | February 9, 2017 5:09pm
 (from left) U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Oscar Lopez Rivera.
(from left) U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Oscar Lopez Rivera.
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Rep. Luis Gutierrez

HUMBOLDT PARK — In an unexpected move, Oscar Lopez Rivera, the Puerto Rican nationalist whose sentence was commuted last month, has returned to his home country of Puerto Rico to finish his sentence, according to reports.

Last month, Rivera, who has roots in Humboldt Park, was one of 64 people who was granted a shortened sentence or, in some cases, a pardon, by then-President Obama. The list also includes Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence officer who gave classified documents to Wikileaks.

Rivera was scheduled to be released from prison in Terre Haute, Indiana on May 17. It is unclear why he has returned to Puerto Rico to finish his sentence.

According to the Associated Press, Rivera's return to Puerto Rico was kept secret until hours before his plane landed.