Death Penalty

On July 15th, Governor Brad Henry of Oklahoma granted a 30-day stay of execution to Kevin Young, who was originally scheduled to be executed on July 22nd. His new execution date is August 21st. Governor Henry announced the stay in order to have more time to review Kevin Young's case.

This action came following the clemency recommendation made by the state's Pardon and Parole Board on July 8th. In a statement made announcing his decision to issue a stay, Governor Henry stated that

"This is a life and death matter, and a deliberate review process cannot be completed by the scheduled execution date. I take all clemency recommendations very seriously and will do my best to render a fair and just decision".

The Governor can approve or deny the Board's recommendation for clemency. The statement issued by his office yesterday was quick to emphasize that while Governor Henry carefully reviews each application, he has approved only one clemency recommendation from the Pardon and Parole Board since taking office in 2003.

We are very excited about his decision to take the recommendation seriously, and hope that he grants clemency. Please take a moment to send AI's Urgent Action on Kevin Young and appeal to Governor Henry to approve commutation for Kevin Young!

Emily

DPAC