Death Penalty

From The Associated Press:

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan Dec 30, 2005 - Kyrgyzstan's president effectively ended the use of the death penalty in this ex-Soviet republic by extending a moratorium on the punishment until its planned abolition, a presidential spokesman said Friday.

See "Kyrgyzstan to End Use of Death Penalty."

Thamer M.A. (full name unknown), who was sentenced to death for murder by Kuwait's Criminal Court, has now had his sentence ratified by the Amir of Kuwait, and may be executed at any time. The Amir still has the power to stop the execution.

Take action now: Stop execution of Kuwaiti man

From Harvey Wasserman of The Free Press:

Five years ago the Graz City Council unanimously voted to deem itself Europe's premier "city of human rights." For many, Williams had become precisely the kind of citizen with whom Graz wanted to associate.

In protest against Schwarzenegger's refusal to pardon Williams, a majority of the city council accepted a petition to rename the local 15,000-seat stadium which was named after Schwarzenegger in 1997. Before the petition could be formally approved, Schwarzenegger had his name removed.

"It was a clever step," said one council member.

See "Rejecting Arnold's medieval murder."

From The Boston Globe:

When it comes to administering capital punishment, ''We have to deal with what seems to be an imperfect system in California," said Assemblyman Paul Koretz, a Democrat from West Hollywood, who is one of the sponsors of the moratorium. ''We're not questioning whether the death penalty is right or wrong. We're saying that we should wait until the commission finishes its work," Koretz said.

See "Execution puts California in death-penalty spotlight."

Some facts on race and federal death penalty prosecution via tcask: on the road (to abolition):

The federal government, which has executed only 3 people since 1967, has decided to try to make up for lost time. Instead of mere states being guilty of homicide, the federal government now wants to be a leading culprit. Execution dates were recently set for three men, James Roane, Corey Johnson, and Richard Tipton. And the national government decided to do it all in one week, setting dates of May 8, 10, and 12 respectively. All three men, like 50% of those awaiting execution by the federal government, are black.

See "Murder moves to a larger stage."

According to an article appearing in today's LA Times, the Death Penalty Information Center stated in a report published this week:

In 1999, 276 death sentences were imposed. The figure has dropped every year since, falling to 125 last year. With 10 days to go in 2005, 96 death sentences are projected to be handed down this year, the lowest total since 1976.

See "Death Sentences Show Decline Nationwide." 

Survivors of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty oppose legislation that would sentence to death anyone convicted of killing a police officer, peace officer or corrections officer in the first degree:

"When I was 14 years old, my father was shot and killed in the line of duty on the New York State Thruway", says Kathy Dillon, daughter of a murdered state trooper . "He had been a New York State Trooper for 16 years. The death penalty did not protect my father that day, and it has not protected other police officers who have been shot and killed during the time that capital punishment was reinstated in New York. Nor will it protect the officers who continue to risk their lives every day across New York State. Furthermore, I believe that humans should not have the right to decide who dies, whether in an act of violence or in response to violence."

See "Law Enforcement Groups Oppose Pataki Death Penalty Proposal."

Cokie and Steve Roberts comment on the recent execution of Stanley Tookie Williams:

As a living, breathing human being, Williams was able to serve as the role model of The Person You Dont Want To Become. His series of kids books about prison life and his admonitions against joining gangs have been used in schools.

[...]As he left office in 2003, Illinois Gov. George Ryan, a Republican, commuted the sentences of all state prisoners on death row, declaring that, Our capital system is haunted by error. New evidence had exonerated 13 men slated for death in Illinois, causing the governor to issue a moratorium on executions. Similar moratoriums exist in New York, New Jersey and Kansas.

Its not coddling criminals to punish them to live out their days behind prison walls without any hope of freedom. But it does provide the possibility of redemption, and the ability, as Tookie Williams showed, to do some good. Thats something hard for a dead person to do.

See "Corpses can't do much good."

Thanks to calls from activists in New Jersey, on December 15, 2005, the New Jersey Senate voted 30 to 6 to create a study commission to examine the use and practicality of maintaining the death penalty in New Jersey, and to impose a moratorium on executions during the study period. We congratulate all of our volunteer leaders, members, and groups in New Jersey who contributed to this legislative victory!

The legislation now moves to the Assembly, where it must pass by January 9.  If this happens, New Jersey would become the first state to legislatively mandate a suspension of executions.

New Jersey Activists: Please call your two Assemblymembers today to urge their support of this bill!

Call: Your two Assemblymembers
Talking Points:
· The Senate did the right thing by overwhelmingly passing the death penalty moratorium bill. 
· I oppose the death penalty. 
· Please vote for A-2347, the bipartisan death penalty moratorium and study bill.

Not sure who your Assemblymembers are?
Send an email to paxcf@aol.com with your town and county and that information will be sent to you right away! Or, you can check online by going to:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/municipalities.asp.

If possible, we also encourage you to call Speaker Sires at 201-854-0900 and Speaker-elect Roberts at 856-742-7600.  Let them know that you support A-2347 and ask them to lend their leadership support to the bill.

Thank you again for your role in securing this human rights victory in the Senate and for your assistance with this next step! 

Background
A-2347 would create a commission to comprehensively examine New Jersey's death penalty system and impose a one-year moratorium on executions in New Jersey.
 
For more information, please contact Celeste Fitzgerald, Amnesty International USA’s co-State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator for New Jersey, at paxcf@aol.com. 

From Common Dreams:

Amid growing national concern over flaws with capital punishment, the New Jersey Senate Thursday approved a one-year ban on executions in the state and said it would study how the death penalty is administered.

See "New Jersey Senate Approves Moratorium on Death Penalty."

After the Dec. 13 execution of Stanley Tookie Williams, passions on the death penalty are still strong. Media has published an outpouring of editorials both favoring and denouncing the death penalty. From the People's Weekly World:

"The state of California’s cold-blooded execution of Stanley “Tookie” Williams throws a harsh light on the barbaric practice of capital punishment in the United States.Williams’ execution was a travesty of justice[he] maintained his innocence until the end. His trial was full of holes — a key witness later recanted, and others were themselves felons with something to gain by testifying against him. But regardless of whether he was guilty or innocent of the crimes for which he was executed, Williams was a model of the redemption that our “justice” system is supposed to bring about. He went from being a gang leader to a peacebroker between rival gangs and an author of children’s books with an anti-gang message. He was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

"The problem goes beyond the issue of redemption. The death penalty is inextricably bound up with our racist and class-biased justice system and for that reason alone can never be just."

And another editorial from Foreward:

"It was hard not to get the feeling that the pleas on Williams's behalf received public notice as much because of who was making them as because of their merits. For most inmates on death row, unfortunately, there are no celebrities lining up to point out redemption, little or no political outcry mounted in the hopes of influencing a governor, and no national press coverage."

See "Abolish the death penalty," and "To ensure justice for all, impose a moritorium on the death penalty." 

John Nixon's execution Wednesday night was the last of 2005.  It was Mississippi's 1st execution in 3 years, and the state's 7th overall since executions resumed there in 1983.  At age 77, Nixon is the oldest person executed in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.  There have been 60 executions this year in the United States, and 1,004 since 1976.

Amnesty International would like to thank the countless people worldwide that sent appeals on Mr. Nixon's behalf.

An opinion piece from New Jersey's Herald News addresses the execution of Stanley Tookie Williams in California yesterday. The execution drew crowds and protest; Williams' case has been at the forefront of the national debate on the death penalty:

"The pertinent question remains: What purpose was served by Williams' execution? And secondly, exactly what business does the state have, in a civilized country in the early 21st century, of sponsoring the death of its own people? Indeed, the United States remains one of only two industrialized nations (Japan the other) that still permits capital punishment."

AIUSA's executive director, Dr. William Schultz, wrote regarding the massive attention garnered by Williams' case:

"While it is our belief that justice and the death penalty can never be reconciled, the intense focus on the Williams execution is further evidence of the arbitrary nature and bias inherent to this irrevocably broken system."

See "Williams' case united death penalty foes." 

John Nixon is scheduled to be executed in Mississippi today, December 14, 2005. This is the last scheduled execution this year in the United States; it would be the 59th.  There are serious concerns about his legal representation during his trial. If executed, 77-year old John Nixon would be the oldest person put to death in the United States since executions resumed in 1977.

Many people throughout the country followed Stanley Tookie Williams' case, and were saddened by the news of his execution.  It is important to remember that executions continue to happen weekly in this country and we need to continue to send messages opposing executions to all governors and elected officials who have the power to stop the death penalty. 

Learn more about Nixon's case, and tell Governor Barbour to Stop the Execution of John Nixon.

Stanley Tookie Williams was executed on 13 December. According to press reports, the execution team took about 12 minutes to find a vein in Williams’ arm in which to insert the catheter for the lethal injection. At one point, Williams reportedly lifted his head and appeared to say: “Still can’t find it?”

Williams’ attorneys had submitted a petition asking for clemency to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, saying that Williams deserved clemency because he had reformed himself while on death row. The clemency petition also referred to the fact that Williams had always maintained his innocence of the crimes which sent him to death row. Governor Schwarzenegger denied clemency in a five-page written statement, saying that the evidence of Williams’ guilt was clear and that Williams was unworthy of clemency because he had neither admitted he committed the murders or shown remorse for the crimes.

Stanley Tookie Williams was one of the founders of the notorious “Crips” street gang in Los Angeles, California, in the early 1970s. He was sentenced to death for killing four people during two separate robberies in 1979. While on death row he completely transformed himself, repudiating his past acts and violent lifestyle and dedicating himself to educating young people about the dangers of gang life. He consistently maintained his innocence of the killings for which he was sentenced to death.

According to press reports, Williams spent his final hours meeting with friends, talking on the phone and reading from letters sent to him by well-wishers from around the world.

Protestors reportedly gathered outside the prison throughout the night, with estimates of as many as 1,000 people. There were also small, scattered protests around the state.

This case was followed internationally, and Amnesty International would like to thank everyone worldwide that sent appeals on Stanley Williams' behalf.

Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA, today released the following statement regarding California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s decision to allow Stanley Tookie Williams to be executed early Tuesday morning:

Now that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has made the regrettable decision to deny clemency to Stanley Tookie Williams, Amnesty International implores the Governor to stay all executions in the state and to let the Senate Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice complete its work and submit its recommendations.
 
By refusing to stay Williams’ execution, Gov. Schwarzenegger has failed to demonstrate genuine leadership on this issue.  In his prepared statement, he said that he was placing his trust in California’s criminal justice system, which the Senate Commission is currently investigating.   Last year, the legislative body recognized the pervasive flaws plaguing the system and tasked the Commission with discovering and exposing the potentially lethal errors and bias that have metastasized throughout the state’s administration of the death penalty.

As California’s highest-ranking public official, Gov. Schwarzenegger has an obligation to guarantee that all of the state’s laws are applied equally to everyone—even people on death row.  But today, he abandoned that responsibility and left the more than 640 death row inmates to fend for themselves in the state’s broken system.  According to the Santa Clara Law Review, California’s death penalty system is incapable of providing equal protection because it lacks “… the basic safeguards to avoid capricious, erroneous, and discriminatory application of the death penalty.” 

Stanley Tookie Williams, California death-row inmate sentenced to die on Tuesday, was refused a stay on execution by the California high court. Unless California governor Arnold Schwartzenegger grants clemency, Williams will die by lethal injection early Tuesday morning. Williams has been on death row for 24 years, and in that time has been nominated for several Nobel peace and literature prizes for his work to promote peace between gangs. His execution looms in the midst of passionate controversy:

"In January 2003, Russell Feingold, a Democratic senator from Wisconsin, told Congress, "We simply cannot say we live in a country that offers equal justice to all Americans when racial disparities plague the system by which our society imposes the ultimate punishment"[...]The case for Williams is another high-profile story in a long and bitter debate. But the moral grounds on which the entire argument has always teetered overshadow our commitment to a judicial system that needs to begin asking tougher questions instead of simply seeking quick answers."

See "New life in death penalty debate."

Take action to stop the execution of Tookie Williams.

More than fifty people faced below freezing temperatures at the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, DC on Thursday night to send a message of solidarity against the execution of Stanley Tookie Williams.  The Day of Action event, organized by The Campaign to End the Death Penalty, featured a speak-out with several local religious leaders, a group against gang violence, and this Amnesty International blogger.  It was exciting to rally at the memorial, which is right at a busy intersection with a metro stop and several bus routes.  Many cars honked in support, several commuters joined in the chanting, and even a passing police officer stopped to pick up some information.

One sign asked people to call Governor Schwarzenegger to encourage clemency (that number is 916-445-2841).

Take action!  Tell Governor Schwarzenegger to stop the execution of Tookie Williams.

News from Amnesty International Mexico:

It is with great pleasure that we send you this good news: today the capital punishment was officially abolished in Mexico. The required reforms to the Constitution were approved by congress; the abolition is valid starting today when the modifications were made public in the State official newspaper.

Although Mexico has been abolitionist in practice since 1937, and there is no provision for the death penalty in the penal code, we are encouraged to see yet another country added to the list of abolitionist nations.  More than half the countries in the world have abolished the death penalty in either law or practice.

Read more about why the death penalty defies international human rights standards.

Stanley 'Tookie' Williams, a high-profile inmate on California's death row, was convicted for the murder of Albert Owens during a convenience store robbery. Owens' widow, Linda Owens, issued a statement today in support of Williams' efforts: 

"I, Linda Owens want to build upon Mr. Williams' peace initiative. I invite Mr. Williams to join me in sending a message to all communities that we should all unite in peace. This position of peace would honor my husband's memory and Mr. Williams work."

See "Wife of Slain Tookie Victim Calls for Support."

California Governor Arnold Schwartzennegger has arranged a clemency hearing today for the high-profile death-row inmate, Stanley Tookie Williams. Stay tuned for an update.

And a more local author speaks out in the Washington Examiner against racist undertones of the death penalty in Maryland:

"One need only look at Maryland's death row to see the problem. Seven out of 8 death row prisoners were sentenced for the murder of a white person, even though every year black people are the victims in about 80 percent of Maryland's homicides. There's something wrong.

"Yet, Maryland conducted another execution Monday evening, that of Wesley Baker. Baker's case typifies what is wrong with the death penalty in our state: He was a black man convicted of killing a white victim in Baltimore County."

See "Repeal the death penalty."

In a press release from the NAACP:

"Stanley Tookie Williams said in a soon-to-be-published essay titled, "What I Will Do With the Rest of My Life," that if he wins clemency he will partner with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on programs aimed at persuading at-risk youths to avoid gangs."

See "What Stanley Tookie Williams will do with the rest of his life."

NAACP President advocates clemency for Tookie Williams:

"'I believe in this individual case. We've got a man who is better off to us alive rather than dead,'  NAACP President Bruce Gordon said of Williams, who he says was convicted on circumstantial evidence and has lived an exemplary life behind bars. Williams was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to steer kids away from the violent gang life he led.

"There is strong evidence that the scales of justice are way out of balance when it comes to the people on death row. As with so much else in this country, race matters in death penalty cases."

Pacific News Service:

"As the Dec. 13, 2005, date for the execution of death row prisoner Stanley "Tookie" Williams creeps closer, mainstream media nationwide have begun to take a look at what has been one of the most widely reported and debated stories in black media for the last two months. Most, but not all, commentary in African American publications has favored granting clemency to Tookie, a five-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize and a co-founder of the notorious Crips street gang."

See "Why Tookie deserves clemency," and "Tookie Williams Case Dominates Black Press."

Take action: Visit AIUSA's Action Center to stop the execution of 'Tookie' Williams.

Williams is scheduled to be executed in California on December 13:

"By his own account, Williams co-founded the Crips street gang in Los Angeles. He was convicted of four murders and sentenced to death in 1981. Whatever Williams may or may not have done in the gang life, he has maintained his innocence in the case that sent him to Death Row--a case based on circumstantial evidence and testimony by witnesses who were facing felony charges including fraud, rape, murder, and mutilation. Even the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals admitted in a September 10, 2002 ruling that the witnesses in Williams' case had incentives to lie in order to obtain leniency from the state in either charging or sentencing.

"There is an cruel, sick irony in the fact that Stanley Williams is facing execution. By the system's own standards he has been a model prisoner. He has spoken out against gang violence, and written Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence--a series of eight books that are in schools, libraries, and juvenile correctional facilities throughout the nation and around the world. The television movie starring Jamie Foxx, Redemption, was based on his life. Williams has received numerous awards including five nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize."

See "Stop the Execution of Stanley 'Tookie' Williams" -- ACT NOW!

State Sen. Tom Reynolds (R-WI) is planning to introduce a bill that would restore the Wisconsin death penalty for the first time in 152 years:

"Go figure. The same people working to legislate respect for life are pushing new legislation that would legitimize state-sanctioned killing.

"Opponents of the bill fear that permitting the death penalty in extreme cases is the first step onto the slippery slope of unchecked state executions.

"The arguments against the death penalty are numerous and logical. With DNA testing recently exonerating several death row inmates, the most frequent objection is that innocent people have been and could continue to be put to death. A more compelling reason is that the death penalty does not serve as a deterrent to violent crime. Last year, the average murder rate in states that have abolished the death penalty was 2.9 per 100,000 people. In states where the death penalty is used, the death rate is 5.1 per 100,000 people. Southern states, which have a disproportionately high number of executions, routinely have the highest murder rates."

See "Death Penalty Bill Doesn't Execute Good Judgment."

Amnesty's International's statements are reprinted in the Irish Examiner:

"Amnesty International today condemned as 'absolutely shocking' the execution of the 1,000th prisoner in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976[...]Kate Allen, Amnesty’s U.K. director, said: 'It is absolutely shocking that the USA has executed its 1,000th prisoner in modern times – a shameful record that puts the USA in the same company as countries like China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.'"

See "Charity condemns 1,000th modern execution in US."

From CNN, on this morning's execution of Kenneth Boyd:

"[This morning] a double murderer who said he didn't want to be known as a number became the 1,000th person executed in the United States since capital punishment resumed 28 years ago."

From the Virginian-Pilot, an update on the case of Robin Lovitt, whose sentence was recently commuted to life in prison:

"Robin Lovitt won’t become the 1,000th person executed in the United States since 1976, after all. Gov. Mark Warner’s decision to commute the former Arlington pool hall worker’s sentence to life in prison spares the commonwealth that grisly distinction.

"The governor’s action affirms also that the state ought to follow its own rules before applying the ultimate punishment. In Lovitt’s case, a court clerk threw away most of the evidence in the 1998 stabbing death of pool hall manager Clayton Dicks. That violation of state law deprived the convicted man of updated DNA testing.

"Destruction of the evidence 'in a manner contrary to the express direction of the law, comes at the expense of a defendant facing society’s most severe and final sanction,' Warner said in announcing his decision. 'The commonwealth must ensure that every time this ultimate sanction is carried out, it is done fairly.'"

Via TalkLeft:

N.C. Gov. Mike Easley to Become Footnote in History

North Carolina Governor Mike Easley earned his footnote in history today. From now on he will be known as "Mike Easley, the North Carolina Governor who okayed the 1,000th execution in the United States since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court."

Kenneth Lee Boyd will be executed in North Carolina at 2:00 am ET.

Maybe there should be a new license plate that reads, "North Carolina: Home of the 1,000th Execution."