[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Oct. 11 BELARUS: Yet again: EU calls on Belarus to abolish death penalty On October 10, the European and World Day against the Death Penalty, Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Marija Pejcinovic Buric, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, have made a joint statement. According to the top EU officials, 142 countries, representing 74% of the UN member states, have already stopped using the death penalty, either by removing it from their penal code or not carrying out executions for a long time. The abolitionist trend is continuing, with the number of death sentences and executions also falling. In 2018, executions were carried out in 20 countries, representing a historic low of 10% of the countries of the world, they state. The Council of Europe member states which have not yet acceded to Protocols No 6 and 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights are called upon to do so without delay, the EU representatives stress. “The Council of Europe and the EU once again urge Belarus to abolish the death penalty and join the community of nations that have chosen to replace vengeance with human dignity. They also invite those observers to the Council of Europe who have not yet abolished death penalty to engage in dialogue on the obstacles blocking their path towards abolition,” the statement reads. Christina Johannesson, Sweden’s Ambassador in Minsk, has supported the campaign: Belarus remains the only country in Europe that still applies capital punishment. The West has repeatedly called on the Belarusian authorities to join a global moratorium as a 1st step towards the abolition of death penalty. The exact number of executions in Belarus is unknown, but local human rights defenders and journalists have worked tirelessly to uncover some information about death sentences and executions. According to the Ministry of Justice of Belarus, 245 people were sentenced to death from 1994 to 2014. Human rights NGOs believe that around 400 people have been executed since the country gained its independence in 1991; president Alyaksandr Lukashenka granted a pardon to only 1 convict. (source: belsat.eu) FRANCE: United Nations - World Day against the Death Penalty (10 October 2019) On the 17th World Day against the Death Penalty, France reaffirms its opposition to the death penalty everywhere and in all circumstances and encourages all states that still apply the death penalty to establish a moratorium on it with a view to its definitive abolition. France welcomes the adoption in January of the annual UN General Assembly resolution calling for a universal moratorium on the death penalty, supported by a record 121 states. The French presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, in conjunction with the city of Strasbourg, is hosting a conference today to mobilize support for the abolition of the death penalty, the almost complete elimination of which on the European continent remains one of the Council of Europe’s greatest successes. (source: diplomatie.gouv.fr) SPAIN: Government Reiterates Opposition To Death Penalty October 10 is World Day and, since 2007, European Day Against the Death Penalty. The Government of Spain reiterated Thursday its opposition to the death penalty on this 17th World Day. There has been a global trend towards abolition for some decades now. At present, more than two thirds of countries do not enforce the death penalty, according to the Spanish government. In a statement, the Spanish government said the fight against the death penalty will remain a priority of Spanish foreign policy, in conjunction with other European Union countries and the 22 countries that make up the Support Group of the International Commission against the Death Penalty. The Government of Spain said it will continue to urge governments of retentionist States to limit cases in which it is applied and urge a moratorium with a view to its definitive abolition. And it will urge those countries that have presented draft laws to reinstate it to withdraw such draft laws and maintain abolition, thus respecting the absolute human right to life. Spain took part in the 7th World Congress against the Death Penalty, held in Brussels in February this year. In December 2018, 121 member States of the United Nations voted in favor of the resolution of the General Assembly in favour of a moratorium. The government said it will continue to promote abolition at multilateral forums, particularly in its current role as a member of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations. Spain will continue to support the International Commission against the Death Penalty, based in Madrid and founded in 2010 upon an initiative of the Government of Spain, as well as multilateral and civil society initiatives that are aimed towards universal abolition. (source:
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Oct. 11 GHANA: Re-consider constitutional review on abolishing death penalty-High Commissioner Mr Andrew Barnes, the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana has called on government to reconsider the recommendations made by the Constitutional Review Committee in 2010 to abolish the death penalty. He said death penalty was irrevocable and if the convict was later found innocent, it would be a miscarriage of justice that cannot be rectified. Mr Barnes was speaking at a stakeholder engagement on the abolition of death penalty in Ghana to mark the World Day Against Death Penalty. It was jointly organised by the Australian High Commission, French Embassy and the Amnesty International Ghana. This year’s theme was “Children: unseen victims of the death penalty”. Stakeholders including; representatives from security agencies, lawyers, government officials, Attorney General, Dr Isaac Annan, Director of Human Rights-CHRAJ, and Dr Evans Aggrey-Darkoh, Chief Director for Parliamentary Affairs. He said since no legal system is free of error and as it had not been served as a deterrent, Australia abolished it in 1985 with the last execution being 1967, adding that in 2010, the Federal Government passed a legislation prohibiting the re-establishment of capital punishment by the Australian State or territory. Since that time, he said it advocated its abolition across the world and as a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2018-20 term, Australians continued to support the course based on the fact that it removed possibilities of rehabilitation for the convict, brutalised society, degraded the citizenry and against human dignity. The High Commissioner said though violent criminals needed to be punished, his country did not support capital punishment as it was not effective deterrent than long term or life imprisonment. Above all, Australia considered it as unfair as it could be used against the vulnerable, the poor, as a political tool, minority groups and people with mental disabilities. It has therefore called on government, among other countries to remove it from the constitution whether it carried out executions or not, stop its imposition on juveniles, pregnant women, mentally derailed and sign the second optional protocol to ICCPR, aimed at the abolition of death penalty. Mr Samuel Agbotsey, Campaigns Coordinator, Amnesty International, Ghana said death sentence offered illusion of closure and vindication, but no act could bring back a loved one. He said it rather had negative impacts on society, especially children of those executed or on death penalty such as stigma, which may be compounded by multiple forms of discrimination. Such children are traumatised and lose self-esteem, experience stress, anxiety, lose concentration in school or drop-out and left out per the motto of the SDGs Mr Agbotsey said their rights to freedom from violence, special protection and assistance when state action caused a child to be deprived of his or her family environment and rights to adequate standard of living was not fulfilled. He cited that as at December 31, 2018, the Amnesty International Global Report statistics had 172 people sentenced to death penalty. Madam Anne Sophie Ave the French Ambassador to Ghana sharing how France abolished it 38 years ago, said Ghana would also get with daring spirit, perseverance and courage. Mr Martin Kpebu, a lawyer suggested that death penalty should be replaced by life imprisonment. He said for now, Section 46 of Act 26 (Act of Parliament) should be amended not Article 13 because that is part of the fundamental human rights and it is entrenched which would require a referendum. Participants called for extensive awareness, education, advocacy, social mobilisation, among others to drum home the topic before it would be abolished so that it would be owned by the citizenry. They said in as much as children of convicts were considered, those of the murdered should not be left out. (source: ghananewsagency.org) KENYA: Kenyan ex-death row prisoner campaigns against death penalty A former death row prisoner has spoken out against capital punishment on the 17th World Day against the death penalty, saying it deprives convicts of contrition. Pete Ouko was sentenced to death in Kenya for alleged murder in 2001. Now free, he is fighting to end the death penalty everywhere. Pete Ouko remembers the day he was sent behind bars. "21 years ago, my wife was found killed outside a police station," he told RFI on Thursday as the world gathered to mark World Day Against the Death Penalty. "I got a call about it, I went to the police station to be told what had happened. Some people decided to say I should be locked in, some people who were related to me. And that's the genesis of my being in prison," he said. Ouko was charged with murder and sentenced to death, but has always mantained his
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----OKLA., N.NEX., CALIF.
Oct. 11 OKLAHOMA: "It amounts to Torture:-- OK death row inmates to move out of solitary confinement, death penalty debate continues 47 inmates sit on Oklahoma's death row, and now some of them will get to move out of solitary confinement. In a letter from the Department of Corrections to the ACLU, state leaders agreed to move death row inmates out of solitary confinement within 30 days. "That's because it amounts to torture," ACLU attorney Megan Lambert said. Lawyers at the ACLU are also working to reinstate religious services on death row. "It did a lot for the morale and the environment down there. They said they prayed for the facility and noticed a drastic change once those services ended," Lambert said. Meanwhile, a new effort to end the death penalty will spread through the halls of the state capitol this spring. Representative Jason Dunnington announced Thursday that he'll introduce a bipartisan bill to end the practice in Oklahoma. But work continues on a new protocol at the attorney general's office. Attorney General Mike Hunter told News 4 in March that he was close to getting a nitrogen gas mask - the new method announced in March 2018. "Manufacturers are concerned that there's going to be negative reaction," Hunter said. In September 2015, Oklahoma's long history of executions unraveled when the execution of two inmate made headlines worldwide because officials had the wrong drugs. While executions remain on hold to this day, the legal battle will continue when lawmakers return to 23rd and Lincoln. "Our constitutional rights were not written for just the best of us," Lambert said. Not all death row inmates will qualify to be removed from solitary confinement. In their letter to the ACLU, officials at the Department of Corrections said they'd look at other changes to privileges if this plan goes smoothly. News 4 asked the AG's office Thursday about the progress of the new execution protocol. A spokesperson said there's no update. (source: KFOR news) NEW MEXICO: NM man originally sentenced to death will now serve life in prison A death row inmate had his sentenced reduced Thursday. Timothy Allen will serve life in prison. The decision was made following a New Mexico Supreme Court ruling that said the death sentence was too severe. Allen was originally sentenced to death before 2009 when New Mexico repealed the death penalty. Allen was convicted of killing, kidnapping and attempting to rape 17-year-old Sandra Phillips in 1994. Allen wasn't seen in court Thursday. Instead, he was on the phone from behind bars during the hearing. With the life sentence, Allen's lawyer said his client will likely die in prison. However, appeals are still in the works. “It seems like it would be difficult for him to be released during his expected lifetime," Ray Twohig said. The Phillips family said the continuous hearings are weighing on them. "My mom has to keep going through this all the time," said Sandra's brother Dustin O'Brien. "This county has to keep going through this all the time. It’s (explative).” (source: KOB-TV news) CALIFORNIA: California must take the final step by abolishing the death penalty I do not believe in coincidence. Too many of the events along my journey from death row to exoneration were filled with deeper meaning. In 1985, I was a 24-year-old honorably discharged Marine who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to die in Maryland for a crime I did not commit. Then in 1989, I got “The Blooding” by Jospeh Wambaugh from the prison library. It was a book about a new forensic breakthrough called DNA fingerprinting. I later became the 1st person exonerated from a death sentence through the use of DNA evidence. In a bizarre twist of fate, I discovered that the true perpetrator of the crime had lived in a cell right below mine for years. Today is World Day Against the Death Penalty. It is also California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s birthday. I believe it is very auspicious that these two events share a day. It seems fitting for a man who has used his authority as governor to take the bold stand that “the intentional killing of another person is wrong,” and declare that as governor, he “will not oversee the execution of any individual.” I am now the executive director of Witness to Innocence, an organization led by exonerated survivors of death row with similar stories to my own. There are at least 166 of us, men and women who have been exonerated from death row in the U.S. since 1973. We are celebrating the 17th World Day Against the Death Penalty by wishing Gov. Newsom a very happy birthday. We thank him for remembering our stories when he said “we’ve created a system that allows for innocent people to be put to death.” We don’t think that. We know that.” We, the survivors of death row, also know that the problems with
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, FLA., ALA., OHIO, TENN.
Oct. 11 TEXAS: The fight to save Rodney Reed from execution in Texas In 1998, Rodney Reed, who is African-American, was sentenced to death by an all-white jury in Bastrop, Texas, for the rape and murder of Stacey Stites, a 19-year-old white woman. He's scheduled to be executed on Nov. 20. Reed, now 53, maintains his innocence. The only evidence used to convict him was DNA that Reed says was present because he and Stites were having a secret affair — a claim Stites's cousin corroborates. Reed's defense attorneys believe that further DNA tests of the crime scene could prove his innocence, but their requests have been denied, leading them to file a lawsuit in federal court. They also recently petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution, citing "new and comprehensive evidence for innocence." Among the new pieces of evidence Reed's lawyers cite are statements from two witnesses who claim they have information that links Stites's then-fiancé, Jimmy Fennell, to the crime. Fennell, a former police officer in Giddings, Texas, was recently released from prison after serving 10 years for the kidnapping and assault of a woman. There were critical inconsistencies in Fennell's accounts of where he was and what he was doing the night of the murder. One of the new witnesses who's come forward is a life insurance salesperson who said that while Fennell was applying for a policy he threatened to kill Stites if she ever cheated on him. The other witness, a sheriff's deputy in Texas's Lee County, said he overheard Fennell say to Stites' body at her funeral, "You got what you deserved." In addition, forensic experts who implicated Reed at trial have recanted, while forensic pathologists have said the prosecution's theory of Reed's guilt is medically and scientifically impossible. That Reed is still on death row despite all the evidence casting doubt on his guilt is indicative of the larger issues around the death penalty — particularly as it pertains to race. In the U.S., race is the single greatest predictor of who gets the death penalty, not the severity of the crime. Even though whites account for just 55 % of murder victims nationwide, they account for 80 percent of murder victims in cases resulting in an execution. Those convicted of killing white victims are three times more likely to be sentenced to death than those convicted of killing non-white victims. The disparities in who is executed are especially stark in Texas, which has the nation's third-largest death row population and accounted for more than 1/2 of all the executions in the U.S. last year. Of the states with more than 10 people currently facing execution, Texas has the highest number of minorities on death row. While African Americans make up only 12.6 % of Texas's population, 43.9 % of its death row inmates are Black. These statistics are particularly alarming when one considers that 166 people have been exonerated from death row. Of these, nearly 1/2 are Black, and nearly 50 are Black men from the South. Reed's family has organized a grassroots effort called the Reed Justice Initiative that is working to save Reed's life while also supporting families who are dealing with similar situations. Reed's cause also has help from the nationally recognized anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean and the Innocence Project, which has launched a petition seeking to halt his execution. "The evidence supporting Reed's innocence is uncontradicted and undeniable, and without the Supreme Court's intervention, I fear the State of Texas may execute an innocent man," said Bryce Benjet, Reed's lawyer and senior staff attorney at the Innocence Project. (source: Facing South) ** New Podcast: Texas Lawyer James Rytting on Junk Science and the Execution of Larry Swearingen In the latest episode of Discussions with DPIC, Texas capital defense lawyer James Rytting discusses the case of his client, Larry Swearingen, and the junk science that led to the execution of a man legitimate science strongly suggests was innocent. Rytting describes the false forensic analysis presented under the guise of science in Swearingen’s case, the appellate process that makes it “almost impossible” to obtain review of new evidence, and the persistent problem of wrongful convictions. Larry Swearingen was executed on August 21, 2019 after multiple courts declined to review evidence supporting his innocence claim. In the interview, Rytting explains the problems with the prosecution’s “smoking gun,” a piece of pantyhose used to strangle the victim, Melissa Trotter. The prosecution told the jury that a matching piece of pantyhose had been found in Swearingen’s home. In reality, that supposedly matching piece of the pantyhose had not been discovered in 2 initial searches of Swearingen’s house. It was only “found” in a 3rd search of the residence after Trotter’s body was
