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Stoppt die Todesstrafe

2008

• Troy Davis and the rhetoric of insanity
• Troy Davis erhält eine Anhörung vor dem 11. Bundesberufungsgericht
• Neue Unterschriftenaktion für Troy Davis
• Rob Will writes from death row in support of Troy Davis
• Troy Davis - erneuter Hinrichtungsaufschub
• Troy Davis wird am 27.10.08 hingerichtet - ausser wir alle verhindern es
• Troy Davis: Supreme Court lehnt neue Anhörung ab - Hinrichtung droht!
• Troy Davis: Entscheidung auf 6.10.2008 vertagt
• Grossartig. Troy Davis lebt!!!
• Unterstützt Troy Davis: noch aktuellere Meldungen
• Unterstützt Troy Davis: aktuelle Meldungen
• Helft mit, Troy Davis vor der Hinrichtung zu retten!
• Anniversary journal entry by Kenneth Foster one year after his succes against his planned execution
• Dallas County DA wants to re-examine nearly all of pending death row cases
• Statement from Kevin Cooper for Troy Davis (mit deutscher Übersetzung)
• Todestrafe USA: staatl. Morden beginnt erneut
• Wichtige Entscheidung des Surpreme Court über rassistischer Juryauswahl
• Georgia Surpreme Court hält Todesurteil gegen Troy Anthony Davis trotz Unschuld aufrecht

2007

• Berliner Film- und Veranstaltungsreihe gegen die Todesstrafe
• Todesstrafe und Strafentwicklung in den USA
• Berliner Bündnis für Mumia Abu-Jamal über das "Quasi-Moratorium" Todesstrafe in den USA
• U.S. executions at a 13-year low (L.A. Times, Dec, 19, 2007)
• Schluss mit der Todesstrafe! Pedition an die UNO
• Die Todesstrafe in den USA wackelt
• Massenexekution in Kabul
• Philladelphia Inquirer Calls for Death Penalty Moratorium
• Blog: Philadelphia Inquirer Calls for Moratorium on the death penalty
• Victory!!!! Kenneth Foster will live
• Auszug aus einem Bericht von Amnesty International, Koordinierungsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe vom August 2007
• Link zu einem weiterer Artikel über Troy Davis (auf Deutsch)
• Troy Davis neues Berufungsverfahren zugestanden
• Troy Davis' Todesstrafe wurde ausgesetzt - Artikel von Anmesty International
• On the Issue of Innocence / Stoppt die Todesstrafe
• The Long Ordeal of Harold Wilson

10 Dec 2008

The Troy Davis case indicates just how subjective the legal system really is. The federal 11thCourt of Appeals deals with cases in Florida, Alabama and Georgia. A panel of three judges selected from this court considered the Davis case yesterday. Rosemary Burkett, a Clinton appointee with both Arab and Hispanic ethnic roots, would like to see a full airing of the facts surrounding the Davis case. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Burkett finds it troubling that 7 of the 9 original witnesses have changed their stories and that one of the 2 witnesses sticking to his story has allegedly admitted to killing Savannah officer Mark Allen MacPhail.

Davis became the prime suspect in the case when Sylvester Coles told the Savannah police department that Troy was the killer. According to media accounts, Judge Burkett is wondering why Coles was never considered as a suspect. It's bad enough that we may be on the verge of killing an innocent man, she told the court during yesterday's hearing, but "it's also possible the real guilty person who shot Officer MacPhail is not being prosecuted."

Why, Barkett asked yesterday, were none of the witnesses in the case shown a photo array including a picture of Coles? "It seems police were so anxious to get somebody that they didn't pursue Coles," Barkett observed.

Judge Stanley Marcus, also a Clinton appointee, was less outspoken than Judge Barkett, but the testimony he was hearing bothered him as well. Since the 1991 trial, 3 witnesses had signed statements saying that Sylvester Coles admitted to the crime over a beer or between tokes.

True, a single witness, Stephen Sanders, is sticking by his story. At the 1991 trial, Sanders said, "You dont forget someone who stands over and shoots someone."

However, as defense attorney Tom Dunn reminded the court yesterday, Sanders originally told police he wouldnt be able to identify the shooter. Memory usually gets fuzzier over time.

According to the Atlanta Progressive News, the hearing revolved around two questions: "First, given the evidence available Tuesday, is it likely a jury would not convict Davis? Second, did Davis exercise due diligence in providing new evidence?"

Susan Boleyn, Senior Assistant Attorney General in the State of Georgia, argued the status quo position. Troy Davis has presented no hard evidence of actual innocence, she told the judges. Davis's claims have been denied relief by the state courts, the 11th Circuit, the U.S. Supreme Court and the state Board of Pardons and Paroles, she reminded the court. At some point you no longer get another bite of the same apple.

But when do you toss the apple core into the trash, and who decides?

Asked why 3 witnesses are primed and willing to testify that Coles privately confessed to murdering officer MacPhail, Boleyn rattled off a few theories. Colesmight have been drunk or high on marijuana; or perhaps Coles was trying to impress his listeners with a bold lie.

Boleyn reminded the judges that the reliability of recanting witnesses has traditionally been held in low repute. The fact that a witness admits that they once lied under oath (for whatever the reason) should be enough to undermine their credibility.

Taken together, Boleyn's arguments boil down to this: yall cant prove your man is clean, so we get to kill him.

Boleyn was also critical of defense counsel for not bringing their concerns forward in a more timely manner. This raises an interesting question: what happens when defense attorneys don't file their briefs on time? Should the defendant suffer for the mistakes of the people charged with his defense?

Well, yes, if precedent is anything to go by, he should.

The smooth running of the judicial machinery trumps all other concerns. The law requires finality. You cant have witnesses changing their minds willy nilly, especially in a capital case. Therefore, it is generally agreed that witness testimony should be taken at face value and that once a witness speaks the words are set in stone. Recantations undermine the finality prised by the legal system.

Unless, that is, a case achieves the kind of attention the Troy Davis case is currently receiving. When both sides are free to make their arguments and the media is paying attention (sort of), the immovable object ("we can't execute a man who might be innocent") runs up against the irresistible force of legal precedent ("a jury found him guilty and a string of courts have backed up their verdict, so hes a dead man").

Generally, a tie goes to the state. Not this time.

Does Susan Boleyn and her buddies at the Georgia Attorney General's Office know for sure that Sylvester Coles is innocent, Troy Davis is guilty, and the 7 recanting witnesses are all lying through their teeth? Of course not. How could they possibly know these things? They dont care because they don't have to. Accused murderers are run through a complex game of musical chairs and when the music stops and they haven't found a seat, they die. We don't have to know for sure that youre guilty, nor do we have to care. Justice is defined as whatever the legal system decides to do. If a case proceeds through the proper channels justice has been served.

If Susan Boleyn worried too much about these things she wouldn't be able to sleep at night. Cut the poor woman some slack; she's just doing her job. The Senior Assistant's role in the Troy Davis melodrama is to argue for the state of Georgia no matter how nonsensical her arguments may sound to the uninitiated. Hers is not to reason why, nor can she allow her private judgment to intrude into the matter. The decision was made by her bureaucratic superiors and she is paid to spout their arguments in public even when it makes her look like an escapee from a Monty Python sketch.

Generally it doesn't matter because no one from the outside world is paying attention.

If folks had given up on Troy Davis he would be long dead. But because a shining slivver of humanity is paying attention and a handful of reporters are still pressing pen to paper Troy Davis clings to life.

It's got nothing to do with fairness or even common sense; it's all about finality and bureaucratic efficiency.

(source: Friends of Justice)

Hallo Unterstützerinnen und Unterstützer von Mumia Abu-Jamal,

vor wenigen Stunden erhielten wir die äusserst positive Nachricht, dass Troy Davis eine Anhörung vor dem 11. Bundesberufungsgericht erhält.

Das ist ein grosser Erfolg für ihn und die Anti-Todesstrafenbewegung. Im September wollte der Bundesstaat von Georgia ihn noch umbringen, jetzt befindet ein Bundesgericht, es sei notwendig, sich seinen Fall anzusehen.

Ohne die weltweite praktische Solidarität wäre es dazu nie gekommen und Troy heute bereits tot.

Natürlich ist Troy Davis noch lange nicht gerettet, aber jetzt hat er zum ersten Mal eine formale Chance. Last uns diesen Fall weiter im Auge behalten.

Es folgt ein Brief in englisch von der Kampagne zur Beendigung der Todesstrafe (CEDP) und ein erster Artikel, basierend auf einer AP Meldung.

Hier gibt es noch einen aktuellen deutschsprachigen Artikel dazu.

Viele Grüsse vom berliner Mumia-Bündnis

More on Troy Davis, whose lawyers were granted the right to present oral arguments. Clearly, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals thought this case deserved a second look. Note the tortured logic of Chatham County District of Attorney, who says that the recantation of eyewitness testimony suggests &qout;manipulation&qout;. Many of these witnesses are risking perjury charges by coming forward now. Far more likely is that the &qout;manipulation&qout; was by police and prosecutors who were building a case against Troy in 1989, as these witnesses and Troy allege.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/
metro/stories/2008/11/19/troy_davis_appeal.html

Metro
Federal appeals court to hear Troy Davis case Dec. 9
Associated Press
Wednesday, November 19, 2008

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The federal appeals court in Atlanta will hear arguments Dec. 9 on whether death row inmate Troy Anthony Davis can continue to challenge his conviction in the killing of a Savannah police officer, a state official said Wednesday.

Russ Willard, spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, said a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments on whether Davis can file a second federal challenge to his conviction.

Recent headlines:

Clinton rallies Atlanta support for Jim Martin
Counties debate, decide to take $81M in foreclosure aid Former state legislator, Carrollton mayor dies

Metro and state news

The 11th Circuit issued a stay of execution three days before Davis, 40, was scheduled to die Oct. 27 for the 1989 murder of Officer Mark MacPhail.

It was the third time since July 2007 that Davis has been spared the death penalty by a late court decision.

Defense lawyers have tried to win a new hearing for Davis since several witnesses who identified him as the killer came forward and changed their testimony, saying that another man shot MacPhail.

The officer was working off-duty as a security guard at a bus station when he rushed to help a homeless man who had been pistol-whipped at a nearby parking lot. The 27-year-old was shot twice when he approached Davis and two other men.

Davis' lawyers say new evidence proves their client was a victim of mistaken identity.

Prosecutors have said the case is closed. In court hearings, they said some of the affidavits repeat what a jury trial already has heard, while others are irrelevant because they came from witnesses who never testified.

District Attorney Spencer Lawton also said he doubts the new testimony meets the legal standards for a new trial. And while the recantations may seem persuasive to some, Lawton said, "to others of us it invites a suggestion of manipulation, making it very difficult to believe."

Davis was set to be executed in July 2007, but Georgia's pardons board postponed the execution less than 24 hours before it was to be carried out.

Over the next few months, a divided Georgia Supreme Court twice rejected Davis' request for a new trial, and the pardons board turned down another bid for clemency after considering the case again.

Then, two hours before his scheduled Sept. 23 execution, the Supreme Court issued a stay. A few weeks later, the high court cleared the way for the execution when it decided not to give Davis another hearing.

Amnesty International USA hat eine neue Unterschriftenaktion für den Todestraktinsassen Troy Davis gestartet. Bereits dreimal konnte seine Hinrichtung durch starke Proteste in letzter Minute verhindert werden. Während im Augenblick viele mit Spannung  auf die Entscheidung warten, ob das zuständige Bundesberufungsgericht ein neues Verfahren für Troy anordnen wird, konzentriert sich die Amnesty-Aktion auf den Governeur Georgias, George Perdue.

Entgegen der von ihm und anderen mehrfach gemachten Behauptung räumt die Verfassung des US-Bundesstaates von Georgia durchaus die Möglichkeit des Eingreifens durch den Governeur ein.

Da die Beweislage gegen Troy Davis extrem "dünn" ist (es gibt lediglich neun Augenzeugen, von denen sieben ihre Aussagen zurückzogen und keinerlei Fingerabdrücke, genetische Spuren, Tatwaffe oder Motiv), ruft diese Brief/Faxaktion den Governeur dazu auf, von seinem Recht Gebrauch zu machen und die Hinrichtung gegen Troy vollständig auszusetzen.

Hier ist das Online-Formular

Bitte unterschreibt und verbreitet die Aktion weiter.

The Campaign to End the Death Penalty is seeking letters/articles from death row prisoners in support of Troy Davis. Please email me if you have a letter you would like to share.

Below is an article about Troy Davis from Rob Will. Rob Will is on Texas death row where he has been since 2000. He also was accused of killing a police officer. Rob is an activist on the inside. He is involved in the fight for prisoners rights and is trying to prove his innocence. "Right now, I am on the disciplinary pod for actively organizing and protesting the oppressive conditions we live under. I've been tear gassed, beat down, and put on every type of restriction available."

You can learn more about Rob by visiting

his website

On the Case of Troy Davis

by Rob Will

I recently heard that Troy Davis has been issued another stay of execution, though I'm not sure of all the details. (Sometimes, news takes a while to reach the confines of this dungeon.)

I'd like to encourage everyone to go to his support website (http://troyanthonydavis.org/) and offer any help that you can. Remember, inaction is consent and the only way to make change happen is to be active.

One of the main issues in the Troy Davis case is that 7 of the 9 prosecution witnesses have recanted their testimony since his trial. This fact alone should ensure that he receive a new trial. However, as a general rule courts give more weight to trial testimony. Their reasoning being that witness testimony at trial is closer to the time of the crime so memories are more reliable and the testimony is given in front of a judge in open court with both prosecutors and defense attorneys engaging in cross-examination.

The Orwellian double-think justifications the courts give for deplorable and unjust actions and ideology never cease to amaze me It is true that some memories fade with time but in many ways trial testimony is less reliable than recantation after trial. Also, some witnesses are more likely to come forward after a trials conclusion. Here are some examples from the Troy Davis case:

Years after the Troy Davis trial, Tonya Johnson came forward and signed an affidavit stating that she saw another man come around the corner from the scene of the crime, sweaty and anxious and stash two guns in a vacant house. She also has said that she was terrified of this man.

To Ms. Johnson, it was very obvious that this other man, who she knew as "Red", had committed the murder. Imagine how she felt when another man was arrested for the crime. Perhaps, she thought she was the only one who knew the Truth alone with the Truth that a murderer was still free a murderer who perhaps was looking to kill any and all witnesses. One can surely understand her reluctance to come forward.

It took nearly 10 years for D.D. Collins, a trial witness in the Troy Davis case, to recant his testimony. He has stated that he was "scared as hell" when police took him in for questioning. Speaking about the experience of being forced to say what police demanded of him, D.D. Collins has said: "They told me I would go to jail for a long time and I would be lucky if I got out." It should be noted that Mr. Collins was only 16 when he was interrogated and his parents weren't present.

Imagine how intimidating it would be for a 16 year old kid to be interrogated by police who were probably twice his size and who were telling him he would go to jail if he didn't say what they demanded. Faced with that type of intimidation many people will say whatever regardless of how True it is, just to get out of the police station safe and sound.

Another trial witness, Dorothy Ferrell, later recanted her testimony that implicated Troy Davis. The mother of four children, who had a previous shoplifting charge, has said that she "couldn't go back to jail" and she felt that she "didn't have any choice but to get up there and testify". Losing your four children and going to jail or saying whatever the prosecutors and police demand that you say many would chose the later.

Interestingly, a former district attorney who worked for the prosecutor's office that sent Troy Davis to death row has admitted that "the majority of African Americans don't see police or prosecutors as friends. They aren't as hawkish. They are more concerned with crime solutions and fairness." Keep in mind that these are the words of a former prosecutor, not the rantings of some "far left radical." (This statement is True, but I would say add that it applies to poor communities of every ethnicity, not just black folks.)

All three witnesses I mentioned are from a poor area of Savannah, Georgia where police and the court system are viewed as corrupt. A warranted view, quite obviously. In the midst of a courtroom full of police and prosecutors a person is more likely to side with the State. Cross examination in front of a judge only adds to the pressure.

In turn we must remember that police and prosecutors employ every manipulation tactic available. Being that I, like Troy Davis, am on death row unjustly for capital murder of a police officer, I know all too well what lengths the State will go to in order to achieve their goals and objectives. They will unrepentantly break laws and intimidate by any and all means. They will lie and deceive in every manner imaginable. It's up to us to shed light on these facts, facts that are painfully illustrated by the Troy Davis case.

To detail all the problems with his case would take many pages. I urge everyone to go to his website (http://troyanthonydavis.org/) to learn more and then spread the word about his fight for freedom. Those with a vision of a more just and peaceful future for Humanity have to stand together. It's up to us to make real social change a reality.

Gute Nachrichten aus Georgia, USA
Bereits zum dritten Mal ist aufgrund von Protesten und Anwaltsinterventionen die Hinrichtung von Troy Davis im US-Bundesstaat Georgia ausgesetzt worden. Vor wenigen Stunden entschied das 11. Bundesberufungsgericht der USA, Troys Verteidigung die Chance auf weitere Präsentation von Material einzuräumen.

Anscheinend geht es um die juristische Frage, ob Troy Davis und seine Verteidigung "zwingende Anforderungen" erfüllen kann, die eine mögliche Runde neuer Anträge rechtfertigen könnte. Die Verteidigung hat eine Frist von 15 Tagen, um ihr Material einzureichen.

Mehr Hintergründe hier... und in den untenstehenden Aritkeln.

Einen Tag nach der verhängnisvollen Ablehnung des US Supreme Courts, Troy Davis eine Anhörung über ein neues Verfahren zu geben, haben die Behörden ein Hinrichtungsdatum für Troy Davs verkündet: 27. Oktober 2008

Lest im nächsten untenstehenen Artikel, wie wir uns wehren können,

Wie vor wenigen Stunden bekannt wurde, hat der US Supreme Court eine Anhörung über ein mögliches neues Verfahren für Troy Davis abgelehnt.
weiter geht's hier... (inkl. Links zu Onlineprotesten).
Macht mit!!!

Hier könnt ihr aktiv werden. Bitte verbreitet diese Informationen auch weiter:

1. Amnesty International USA: E-mail Aktion und/oder Briefvorlage an den Begnadigungsausschuss von Georgia, USA, um eine Begnadigung für Troy Davis zu fordern.
   hier...
   
   

2. Adressen des Begnadigungausschuss:

   Chairman Gale Buckner
   State Board of Pardons and Paroles
   2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, SE
   Suite 458, Balcony Level, East Tower
   Atlanta, Georgia 30334-4909
   Telephone: (404) 657-9350
   Fax: 404-651-6670 and (404)651-8502

   Thurbert E. Baker
   Office of the Attorney General
   40 Capitol Square, SW
   Atlanta, Ga 30334
   Phone:(404) 656-3300
   Fax:(404) 657-8733

   Spencer Lawton, Chatham County District Attorney
   Chief Assistant District Attorney David Locke
   133 Montgomery Street
   Savannah, Georgia 31401
   Phone: (912) 652-7308
   Fax: (912) 652-7328 or (912) 447-5396
   

3. Öffentliche Proteste in den USA:

   • Sa, 18.10.08, 14:00 Washington, 14th St. and Park Rd. NW (near Columbia Heights Metro)
     STOP THE EXECUTION OF TROY DAVIS!
     Aufrufer_innen: Campaign to End the Death Penalty, Washington Peace Center, Nat Turner Rebellion, Black August Planning Committee, International Socialist Organization, National Lawyers Guild, and others.
     Kontakt zur Demovorbereiterung
   
   
   
   • Sa. 18.10.08 11:00 - 14:00 New York, 125th Street -- SW Corner, Frederick Douglass Blvd (Harlem)
     Infotisch mit Unterschriftensammlung
     Keep up the fight for Troy Davis -- STOP THE EXECUTION!!
     Aufrufer_innen: Campaign to End the Death Penalty
     Kontakt

weitere öffentliche Proteste in Vorbereitung

Wer kontinuierlich Infos zu Troy Davis erhalten möchte, kann sich hier mit Betreff TROY DAVIS in eine E-Mail Liste eintragen.

Entscheidung vertagt /// Hinrichtungsbefehl läuft aus /// juristsiche Details

Es wird immer erstaunlicher. Am 29. September 08 veröffentlichte der Supreme Court der USA lediglich, dass er seine Entscheidung vertage, ob er ein neues Verfahren für Troy in Erwägung zieht oder aber das Todesurteil bestätigen wird. Als Datum dafür wurde nächste Montag, der 6.10.08 genannt.

Der Supreme Court muss sich juristisch mit der Frage beschäftigen, ob zurückgezogene Zeugenaussagen, die ja im ursprünglichen Verfahren die einzigen "Beweise" zur Verurteilung waren, ein ausreichender Grund sind, dass Verfahren zu wiederholen oder zumindest die Todesstrafe ausser Kraft zu setzen.

Das höchste Gericht des Bundesstaates Georgia hatte das im Frühjar 2008 überraschenderweise mit 4:3 Stimmen verneint.

Ein interessantes Detail ist auch die Tatsache, dass der ursprünglich angesetzte Hinrichtungsbefehl am Mittwoch, den 1.10.08 ausläuft. Jetzt ist Troy Davis zumindest vor einer blitzschnell vorgetragenen Hinrichtung in relativer Sicherheit.

Troy Davis Unterstützer_innen nahmen dies zunächst als weiteren Etappensieg auf. Während auf Berichte von den Demonstrationen und weiteren Protesten am Aktionstag für Troy Davis noch gewartet wird, lässt sich eine deutliche Veränderung zugunsten von Troy Davis in der Öffentlichkeit beobachten.

Als Beispiel hier diese 3-minütige Reportage auf CBS News vom letzten Sonntag. Leider muss mensch sich vorher einen kurzen Werbeclip ansehen, aber die Reportage ist erstaunlich. Sie zeigt einen der früheren Zeugen am Tatort und befragt ihn zur Tatnacht und ob er Troy Davis überhaupt kennen würde. Er sagt, die Polizei habe ihn zu der Aussage genötigt. Er kenne Troy Davis überhaupt nicht. Danach wird ein damals ermittelnder Polizist aus Savannah interviewt sowie der Sohn des erschossenen Polizisten. (siehe hier...)

Während im Mai 2008 nach einer kurzen Pause wieder etliche Hinrichtungen in den USA stattfanden, ist dieser bisher erfolgreiche Kampf im das Leben von Troy Davis ein Beispiel dafür, dass die Todestrafe als Institution in den USA nicht mehr als selbstverständlich hingenommen wird.

In "SAVANNAH Now" erklärt ein Artikel, warum der alte Hinrichtungsbefehl gegen Troy Davis heute ausläuft und wie formal ein neuer ausgestellt werden könnte (siehe hier...)

Hier gibt es einen Brief von Troy Davis.

2 Stunden vor der angesetztenHinrichtung ist der US Supreme Court dazwischen getreten und hat die Hinrichtung verschoben. Troy Davis ist jetzt zum zweiten Mal vor der Ermordung durch die Regierung gerettet worden. Ein grosser Sieg der Anti-Todestrafenbewegung.

Vielen Dank an alle, die sich in den letzten Tagen so zahlreich an den online-Protesten beteiligt haben.

Eines ist jetzt jedoch klar: Es war nur ein Teilerfolg.

Was heisst das?

Wir werden in den nächsten Tagen versuchen, eine genaue Darstellung der Sachlage zu liefern. Dann sollten alle, die Lust und Zeit haben, sich für kommenden Montag (abend) bereit halten, falls wir erneut Online-Proteste organisieren müssen. Eventuell haben wir aber auch mehr Zeit dabei.

Klar erscheint uns jetzt schon, dass diese Online-Proteste eine starke Unterstützung für die Aktivist_innen vor Ort waren. Irgendwie werden sie in den meisten Presseartikeln erwähnt und auch die offiziellen Stellen in Georgia beschwerten sich bereits Montag früh über die Arbeitslast in ihren Büros. Der Server war ihnen auch zusammengebrochen.

Der Aufschub (STAY) der Hinrichtung gilt nur bis nächsten Montag, den 29. September.

Im Prinzip ist es so: Der Stay bleibt zunächst bestehen bis zum 29. September. An diesem Tag beraten die Supreme Court Richter_innen, welche Fälle sie in der neuen Sitzungsperiode zur Anhörung zulassen.

Entscheiden Sie am 29. den Fall anzunehmen, bleibt der Stay bestehen bis zur Entscheidung nach der Anhörung. Schmettern sie dann Certiorari ab, wird der Stay automatisch aufgehoben; gewähren sie Certiorari, dann entwickelt sich sowieso alles anders.

Entscheiden sie am 29. den Fall nicht anzunehmen, dann wird der Stay automatisch aufgehoben. Der Hinrichtungsbefehl tritt sofort wieder in Kraft. Eine Hinrichtung würde dann in Georgia vom zuständigen Gefängnisdirektor sehr schnell wieder angeordnet werden.

Falls ihr in einen Verteiler zum fall Troy Davis aufgenommen werden wollt, schreibt an mit Betreff: TROY DAVIS

Viele Grüsse Mumia-Hörbuchgruppe

hier...

Students protest death penalty

Hallo Unterstützerinnen und Unterstützer von Mumia Abu-Jamal,

Der Fall des Todestrakthäftlings Troy Anthony Davis erregt im Augenblick die US-weite als auch internationale Öffentlichkeit. Trotz starker Zweifel an der Schuld des wegen Polizistenmord verurteilten Afroamerikaners hat der Supreme Court des US-Bundesstaates Georgia seine Hinrichtung für den 23. September 2008 auf morgens 7 Uhr Ortszeit festgesetzt.

Es bildet sich im Augenblick lauter Protest gegen diesen angekündigten Justizmord. Ein aktueller Bericht findet sich hier Hintergründe zum Fall in deutscher Sprache erschienen vor wenigen Tagen hier

Wir möchten euch alle bitten, diesen Kampf um das Leben von Troy Anthony Davis in euren Publikationen und Webseiten aufzunehmen. Ferner kann es bestimmt nicht schaden, auch den in beiden Artikeln angegebenen Musterbrief zu unterschreiben und abzusenden.

Die Kampagne zur Beendigung der Todesstrafe (CEDP) hält auf ihrer Webseite beinahe täglich Neuigkeiten bereit. Es ist auch möglich, sich dort in eine e-mail Liste einzutragen, um schnell informiert zu werden.

Für die weltweite Abschaffung der Todesstrafe!
Freiheit für Mumia Abu-Jamal!

Viele Grüsse von der Mumia-Hörbuchgruppe

Hallo,

wir möchten dich/euch bitten, sich einige Minuten Zeit zu nehmen, um den seit 1989 im US-Bundesstaat Georgia inhaftierten Afroamerikaner Troy Anthony Davis vor der drohenden Hinrichtung zu retten.

Troy war 1991 zum Tode verurteilt worden. Sehr wahrscheinlich ist er unschuldig - gererell einmal davon abgesehen, dass unserer Meinung nach keine Regierung das Recht hat, Gefangene umzubringen.

Ausführliche Hintergründe in deutscher Sprache finden sich in einem Indymedia-Artikel hier

oder in englisch bei Amnesty International

Nun hat das höchste Gericht in Georgia seine Hinrichtung angesetzt, ohne auf die noch ausstehende Entscheidung des Supreme Courts der USA warten zu wollen. Am 23. September um 7 Uhr Ortszeit soll Troy nach dem Willen des gerichts hingerichtet werden.

Die wahrscheinlich einfachste Art, Troy Davis zu helfen, ist, an den Begnadigungsausschuss von Georgia zu schreiben. Dieser trifft sich diesen Freitag, den 12. September, zu Beratungen über den Fall. Amnesty International hat eine Sammel-E-Mail vorbereitet

Es ist aber auch möglich, einen eigenen Text zu verfassen und selbst an den Begnadigungsausschuss über diese E-mail zu senden: Clemency_Information@pap.state.ga.us

Bitte leitet dieses Schreiben an Freunde und Bekannte weiter. Es ist durchaus möglich, diese drohende Hinrichtung zu verhindern.

Viele Grüsse von der Mumia-Hörbuchgruppe

As we fight for Troy Davis and to end the death penalty in the U.S., it's sometimes worth stepping back to remember victories in our struggle. Below is an inspring journal entry from Kenneth Foster Jr. in Texas. A movement brought attention to his case last year, and he was spared the executioner's needle.

Printed below you will find the latest journal entry of Kenneth "Haramia" Foster, Jr. This entry details his recent experiences as he celebrates the one-year anniversary of his commutation off of Texas' Death Row and anticipates his level review. As many of you have already heard, Kenneth was granted G2 status, which greatly enhances his quality of life through job and education opportunities, free movement out of handcuffs and most importantly, contact visits with his loved ones.

I won't spoil anymore, other than to say that the sweetest words I have heard in some time include "You can take the cuffs off of him now." Kenneth's wishes are to circulate this entry widely and to send his love and gratitude to all.

One Struggle,
Laura E. Brady
Austin Campaign to END the Death Penalty

You can write Kenneth at:

Mr. Kenneth E. Foster Jr.
#1451768
McConnell Unit
3001 S. Emily Dr.
Beeville, TX 78102
*******************

8.30.08 Anniversary Journal Entry
Kenneth "Haramia" Foster, Jr.

It dawned upon me that the one-year mark of my 2007 scheduled execution was approaching. The emotions of that day still have not subsided and perhaps they never will, though I find myself getting stronger each day and my vision is getting clearer.

I've never been much for celebrating "events" in prison. I can't relate to most holidays and I never feel enough freedom to experience TRUE joy in my celebrating. But, I have found ways to smile and enjoy the beautiful things that we pull out of this type of situation. When the joy and pain combine it's kind of like something a man named Walter S. Landor said: "A smile is ever the most bright and beautiful with a tear upon it."

So, I decided to enjoy myself. I decided to let the disciplines down for a moment to pull back into myself and rejoice in what has manifested for me. I had to tell myself- "OK, no level 2 or level 3. No hunger strike right now. Enjoy the moment."

What better way to set things off than with some celebration cake? So, the first thing I did, a few days before the anniversary day, was to buy me a cake (OK, it was more so a pie). There's some creative cooks around here. When you have very little to deal with I suppose you become a genius at making something out of nothing. So, I ended up with a banana pudding pie, which I sinfully ate. But, no regrets this day. It was a day to enjoy.

I let a few days pass before I went into mode 2. I decided to cook a special meal for me and my cellmate. That would be accomplished with what I have coined as: the double decker pizza. For those that have tasted this, this has become a favorite request from me (yeah- I've picked up some of those creative cooking skills too). What was strange about this day was I had somehow thought that it was the 30th. I can't explain how I lost a day. I can only think that perhaps it was all the anticipation I had approaching my review. But, maybe it was something else that caused me to wake on the 29th and begin my celebration. I wouldn't catch that understanding until later that day when a comrade inquired about why I was celebrating that day. With a "You don't know why" expression on my face I lifted my left arm and showed him the Texas Tears tattoo on the back of my arm and highlighted the 8.30.07 date inked into my skin. He left off a little smile and told me- "But today is the 29th." Like Homer Simpson- "DOH!" But, it wasn't as bad of a bungle as I thought. When I later told another comrade of mine about the event he gave me this:

"You didn't mess up. You celebrated just right. You see - the 29th is the TRUE day that you went through your trauma. It's the day they kidnapped you and it's the day you were dragged into the death house. It was the day that you first saw the death chamber room. So, you can see the 29th as your demise and you can see the 30th as your resurrection."

And there it was. Everything was as it was supposed to be. I went to bed with a smile on my face and in my heart. By the time the 30th came I felt like I had celebrated plenty with cake, pizza and excitement, so I took this day to simply reflect on my life and give thanks for having this opportunity. Looking at those that have been murdered after me, looking at the complications with the Jeff Wood case I still wonder how/why I am here. I realize it's due to something greater than me and I realize that this doesn't come free for me. There's not a moment that thanks is not emitted from my heart and I realize that I have to do all I can to show that. For those that campaigned for me a year ago I understand how potent this was to them. I understand the power of August 30th (as Bryan McCann would demonstrate to me when he tattooed 8.30.07 on his left arm). 8.30.07 has become a mantra.

I would end my day with prayers and appreciation and also the hope that one day I will celebrate 8.30.07 in the company of my loved ones and also the masses. It's something that I am fighting for and it's something that I can't surrender. And I do realize that this is only the beginning. August 30, 2008 was a great day, but the best is yet to come.

Level Review 8.30.08-9.5.08

For those that have remained posted to my situation you will know about how I had been kept on Close Custody for a year- an environment that was only slightly different from the one I just left. It was a test of all tests. Mentally and spiritually. What these people attempted to place on me as only a year was in fact something way beyond that- it was a 12-year wait. It was a 12-year wait that should have never had to be.

The weekend had passed and the 2nd had approached. Usually when you have an appointment somewhere (Medical, Attorney visit- amongst a few things) you receive a notice the day before. I didn't receive a notice that I would be attending Classification on this day, so I was caught off guard when an officer came to my cell and said I was wanted for Classification review. I had thought that maybe they would purposely make me wait until the last date for the review- the 5th. But the day had come.

I put on my best whites and took the stroll to the Classification office. There I was faced with the same Major (Ambriz) that I had when I was denied at my 6-month mark. This time he was flanked by 2 new women. I was told to take a seat and my file was gone through. At our last meeting 6 months ago my review ended with a denial and a verbal protest from me. I didn't know how this one would end. While I knew I had a chance to get my full level I didn't expect it. I expected a partial upgrade and in the back of my mind I expected some excuse for another denial.

The Major went through my file and stated- "The computer suggests G2." I didn't give the slightest response. I knew that there had to be 2 out of the 3 agreeing, but I also know that they make these decisions ahead of time. The woman to Abriz's left asked if there was any disciplinary. Ambriz responded only one, but it was minor and had no bearing. So, with that no more inquiry was given and Ambriz marked on the paper- "G, line 1." When he did that the lady looked up at me and I couldn't help but to at that point let off a slight smile. "You can take the cuffs off of him now." And that's what it was. My files were wrapped up and the Major excused me on my way. Without as much as a peep I slid on out the door with some pep in my step and I hit the pavement for the first time without the steel rings around my wrist. In the short time that I've been on the Unit I've come to know a few people- many guys having read about my case in Texas papers and when they saw me on the sidewalk they couldn't help but to extend a fisted salute and a smile. Without a doubt I reciprocated it.

I returned to my cell, packed all my property and left Close Custody. I gave my greetings to those I associated with and walked out the door with a lot of support from those that knew what I had been through. As one brother would tell me in a heartfelt way- "You have to remember, you're an inspiration to a lot of us."

I was immediately sent to 4 building- A.side of the prison. A. side being what's considered the "good" side of town - whereas 8 building (close custody and majority medium custody) is known as the not-so-good side. The ghetto of the city! It's a whole different way of life on this side - clean walls, jobs, but sadly all coated with a mentality that you better not mess up otherwise all of this can be taken from you at the blink of an eye. I was already prepped by brothers who had been over here about the officers that abuse their authority and also like to be playful. Neither of these things are things that I'm used to, but I realize that if I am to put myself in a position where I can enjoy the fruits of my and my people's struggles then I must be smarter than my adversaries. As Ralph W. Trine said: "When apparent adversity comes, be not cast down by it, but make the best of it, and always look forward for better things, for conditions more prosperous." I realize everyday will be a struggle, so like a babe once again I take baby steps.

I spent my first few days walking around to chow, just soaking up the days. By this time I had hugged and been hugged at least 100 times by brothers I knew or had heard about me. Men I didn't even know came up to me and shook my hand because they had read about my struggle. One guy had read about my daughter in the Bay Review! It was all a beautiful thing. But at the same time I was as lost as a kid in an amusement park. I had to ask some of the brothers where to go, what such and such means and how to do this or that. It's often followed by a little laugh from them, but always by a pat on the back, because they realize for the last 8 years I have been boxed within a box. In all actuality out of my 12 years of incarceration I had only spent maybe a little over 3 years around other inmates (before the isolation at Polunsky in 2000 - and those 3 years include the 11 months I spent in the county jail). So, this is an accomplishment beyond words- no more cuffs everywhere I go. No more isolation. Of course, anything could happen from day to day to drop my levels again. I know that. All I can do is walk my walk and deal with what comes my way. I definitely am not entertaining any thoughts that my struggles are over forever.

I was immediately given a job working in the kitchen (not that I need to be around any food judging by some of the teases I've gotten from the few pounds I've put on. I guess some people forgot that my greyhound look back then was compliments of Polunsky oppression that we had to protest and go and entertain hunger strikes and no commissary for months at a time. That's caustic humor for those that didn't know. I don't regret any of it.) The kitchen would prove to open a few other doors to me (not just the refrigerator ones). I came across 2 guys that I knew on death row- Johnny Bernal and Raymond Cobb. Both were freed from death row in 2005 when the juveniles were freed. These weren't close friends of mine, but were guys I had met. Nevertheless we hugged each other like we were long lost brothers. We spoke a bit about our personal situations back then and currently and then parted to finish work (though we'll definitely be seeing more of each other from day to day). But again, the best was yet to come.

Victory Day

It had been awaited for longer than I could remember. Now as a G2, line 1 I could qualify for contact visits and my day had come. September 6th I was called from work for my first visit as a G2. I went back to my cell, showered and pulled on my freshly starched whites. I adorned my boots- checked the mirror one last time and walked with a mean swagger to my visit. Once there I would be told to go to table 15; and there was the greatest thing in the world waiting for me- my amazing grandfather who had raised me and been my rock for the majority of my life. I walked up behind him and gave him a hug. He rose with a great smile and hugged me back. We embraced even tighter and I gave him a kiss on his cheek. The smiles between us could have lit a black hole in the universe. We clasped hands and rejoiced at the day. We sat down, ate together, had a bunch of laughs and had a great visit. I remember there were days that I never thought I'd be able to touch my grandfather again. All of this has come with many losses too - my grandmother being riddled with Alzheimer's disease so bad to where she can't leave home for such visits. It's a pain (almost like my mother's death) that I will have to carry with me for the rest of my life. My victory hasn't come without scars as well.

It was hard to let go, but we said our goodbyes for the day. I hugged my grandfather- the man I love the most - tightly and gave him a kiss on the cheek as we parted. It was a beautiful day and all the brothers asked me how I felt. Again - it's something beyond words. I am thankful beyond words.

Now I only await the final pieces to this puzzle and that's to be able to hold my daughter and wife. But of course there are so many others that I too would like to be able to spend time with. God willing it will all happen. But for now I just take things one day at a time. Little by little I will adjust to my surroundings and I hope to be able to take full advantage of what is available to me.

As I close out Resurrection Week I bow my head and say a silent prayer for those that couldn't be here and amongst all the ups and downs, struggles and glories I do realize- as I've said thus far- the best is till yet to come.

Stay Tuned...the struggle continues

source...

"Brothers"

By Kevin Cooper

I have never personally met my cultural brother Troy Davis. Yet I know him as I know myself. This kindred spirit is in a different part of this country, yet we are experiencing damn near the same things.

I have seen Mr. Davis photograph, and he looks nothing like me, or me like him, yet he is my brother. His black skin is the only thing that makes us resemble each other, and as far as I know our skin is different shades of black. But in america, black skin is enough of a reason to find ones self in a fight for your very life, because in america, or certain parts of it, black skin is unforgivable!

Like Troy Davis I was once 'saved or spared' from being first tortured, and then murdered by a state government...if only temporarily. This happened to me on February 9th, 2004, when I came within 3 hours and 42 minutes of being tortured and murdered by the state of california before I was granted a stay of execution. I await the final outcome of the 9th circuit court of appeals decision on my case, which can happen any day. I do so knowing and understanding from experience the emotional stress, mental anguish, and psychological torture that my brother and his family are currently going through.

This unjust criminal justice system does not care about truth, or justice, it and the people who work within it for the most part care only about upholding the will of the status quo. These people have no right to take from us what they did not give us...our lives. Not only do they have no moral right, despite what they claim they have no god given right, or any other type of right to kill people. Not even a legal one, because their law is not only arbitrary, it's sick, it's inhumane and it doesn't work, just to state a few reasons why this madness must be stopped!

My connection to and with Troy Davis and his family is not only personal because of our circumstances, it's also historical because there has never been a time within this country that we black men and our families have not been more connected to each other because of our deaths at the hands of the white supremist power structure than we have been as everyday human beings. While this is a damn shame, it's the real truth!

I am being realistic, and trying not to be pessimistic in this reality that is fatalistic in the fact that I am maybe about the lose another brother, who like many of my brothers and sisters are innocent. Yet our innocence doesn't seem to matter to the sons and daughters of american hypocrisy!

(deutsche Übersetzung)

more about Kevin Cooper

Am 16. April 2008 entschied der US-Surpreme Court mit 7:2 Stimmen, die Klage von BAZE et. al abzeweisen. Das hat verheerende Auswirkungen auf das Leben der derzeit über 3300 Todestraktinsass_innen in den USA.

Die Vorgeschichte: Baze and Bowling v. Rees

In Kentucky hatten im vorigen Jahr die Todestraktinsassen R. Baze und Bowling geklagt. Durch die Anwendung des 3-Gifte-Cocktails und der speziellen Hinrichtungsdurchführung (execution protocol) sahen sie ihr vom 8. Verfassungsgrundsatz garantiertes Recht beeinträchtigt, als Gefangene nicht unnötigen und grausamen Strafen ausgesetzt zu sein.

Es war bekanntermassen bei Hinrichtungen in den USA zu 30-80 minütigen Erstickungskämpfen bei Gefangenen gekommen. Es wurde der Begriff der "botched executions" (siehe auch hier) geprägt. Venen wurden nicht getroffen, die Betäubung/Lähmung der Gefangenen funktionierte nicht, Gefange wie z.B. Christpher Emmett erstickten grausam bei vollem Bewusstsein.

Am 25. September 2007 liess der US-Surpreme Court dies Klage von BAZE und BOWLING zur Verhandlung zu. Gleichzeitig stoppten sie alle angesetzten Hinrichtungen seit Beginn vom Oktober 2007.

Für alle, die mit der Todesstrafe und der juristischen Auseinandersetzung des letzten halben Jahres nicht vertraut sind, empfehlen wir diesen Artikel.

Die Entscheidung

Das Gericht stellte im April fest, dass sie in dem 3-Gifte Cocktail keine "grausame und aussergewöhnliche Strafe" sähen, welche vom 8. Verfassungsgrundsatz der USA verboten wird. Trotzdem gaben 7 der 9 Richter_innen in ihren Einzelstatements Empfehlungen an den Bundesstaat Kentucky, sein "execution protocol" zu überarbeiten.

Aber eine ernsthafte Auseinandersetzung mit den Argumenten der Kläger und ihres Anwaltes fand nicht statt. Zwar war in den Einzelbegründungen der Richter_innen durchaus Erstaunliches zu lesen. U.a. sprach sich Richter John Paul Stevens grundsätzlich gegen die Todesstrafe aus. Das ist derselbe Richter, der 1976 bereits für die Wiedereinführung derselben gestimmt hatte. Jetzt sei ihm klargeworden, dass die Todesstrafe "nichts bringe". Ob er sich kurz vor seiner Pensionierung sein eigenes Gewissen beruhigen muss, kann nur vermutet werden.

Ähnlich wie in der demokratischen Feigenblattversion (eine begründete Gegenstimme) in der Gerichtsentscheidung gegen Mumia Abu-jamal vom 27. März (mehr Infos hier) zeigt sich auch beim US-Surpreme Court, wie politisch die Rechtssprechung in den USA momentan ist. Gerade Entscheidungen in Menschenrechtsfragen und den Rechten des Einzelnen gegenüber dem Staat sind davon abhängig, wer regiert bzw. vorher welchen Richter mit welchem Parteibuch eingesetzt hat. Der Surpreme Court hatte bereits bei der mündlichen Anhörung am 7. Januar durchblicken lassen, dass es ihn letztendlich nicht interessiert, wie Gefangene umgebracht werden. Hauptsache, die Todesstrafe habe Bestand. Sie verwiesen auf ihren Eindruck, Anti-Todesstrafenaktivist_innen versuchten, über juristische Auseinandersetzungen wie dieser faktisch die Durchführung von Exekutionen zu blockieren.

Hinrichtungen gehen wieder los

Natürlich stand in dem Baze and Bowling v. Rees Verfahren nicht die Todesstrafe an sich auf dem juristischen Prüfstand. Die Annhame und Eröffnung des Verfahrens hatte aber ein faktischen Hinrichtungsstopp in den USA bewirkt. Jetzt haben diverse US-Bundesstaaten bereits wieder Hinrichtungen angesetzt. Die erste findet kommenden Mittwioch, den 6.Mai im US-Bundesstaat Georgia statt. William Lynd soll dort hingerichtet werden.

Gerade vor wenigen Wochen hatte das Oberste Gericht von Georgia dem Todeszelleninsassen Roy Anthony Davis skandalöserweise ein neues Verfahren verweigert.

Mehr Infos über den Fall: http://de. indymedia. org/2008/03/210751. shtml mit den Ergänzungen und auch http://www. troyanthonydavis. org/ Zwar erkennen sie deutliche Beweise für seine Unschuld, meinten jedoch, dass Troy Anthony Davis die gemäss dem "Anti-Terrorismus und effektiven Todesstrafengesetzes" (AEDPA, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Antiterrorism_and_Effective_Death_Penalty_Act_of_1996 ) bereits ein Jahr nach seiner Verurteilung hätte vorbringen müssen. Das die neuen Beweise für seine Unschuld allerdings erst über einen Zeitraum von 10 Jahren auftauchten, interessierte das Gericht nicht. Troy ist ähnlich wie Mumia Abu-Jamal in Pennsylvenia für einen angeblichen Polizistenmord verurteilt. In den letzten zehn Jahren sagten 7 der 9 Belastungszeugen aus, von der Polizei zu ihren Aussagen gezwungen worden zu sein und in Wahrheit Troy niemals den Mord begehen gesehen zu haben. Troy Davis hat immer seine Unschuld beteuert. Ungleich Mumia ist Troy kein linker Aktivist, aber er ist schwarz und arm.

Amnesty International führt seit zwei Monaten eine Unterschriftenaktion durch, um Troys Leben zu retten: Hier...
Die nächste Hinrichtung im Mai ist für den 27. angesetzt, danach soll es (bis jetzt) drei im Juni geben, fünf im July sowie bisher eine im Oktober. Es ist jedoch davon auszugehen, dass schon in wenigen Tagen viele weitere Hinrichtungstermine dazukommen werden.

Somit nimmt die USA wieder ihren führenden Platz als Staat neben China, Japan und Iran ein, der seine Gefangenen offiziell ermordet.

Abschaffung der Todestrafe weltweit

Eine kleine Randnotiz: Cuba hat unter der neuen Regierung von Raúl Castro vor wenigen Tagen die Todesstrafe ausser Kraft gesetzt. Cuba hatte ausser 2003 bereits seit Beginn der 90er niemanden mehr hingerichtet. Castro sagte, Cuba "verstehe und aktzeptiere die Argumente der internationalen Bewegung, die sich für ihre Abschaffung ( der Todesstrafe ) oder ein Moratorium einsetzt." (Junge Welt, 30.04.08, Seite 7)

Hier geht's zum Artikel

Überraschenderweise ist in Georgia das Todesurteil gegen Troy Davis aufrechterhalten worden.

Hier geht's zum umfangreicheren Artikel

Das "Berliner Bündnis Freiheit für Mumia Abu-Jamal" setzt sich auch gegen die Todesstrafe weltweit ein. In Kooperation mit ConVoi-Film und den jeweiligen Veranstaltungsorten werden diesen Herbst und Winter diverse Film- und Infoabende über die Todesstrafe in den USA veranstaltet, wo Mumia Abu-Jamal (neben 3200 Anderen) seit 1982 bereits in der Todeszelle sitzt.

Über den Film "Frances Newtons letzte Worte":

Während Dreharbeiten über das US-amerikanische Todesstrafensystem stiessen die Filmemacher Thomas und Rena Giefer sowie Konrad Ege 2005 im texanischen Hinrichtungsknast Huntsville auf Frances Newton. Sie begleiteten sie mit täglichen Interviews die letzte Woche ihres Lebens bis zu ihrer Hinrichtung. Gleichzeitig interviewten sie Unterstützer_innen von Frances und fanden heraus, was viele der 2.3 Millionen US-Gefängnisinsass_innen generell und speziell die im Todestrakt gemeinsam haben: fehlende finanzielle Mittel bedeuten so gut wie keine juristische Verteidigung. Selbst bei zweifelhafter bis falscher Beweislage ist es nicht möglich, aus dieser Maschine wieder herauszukommen. Unschuldsvermutung und Gleichheit vor dem Gesetz sind im US-Straf-und Justitzsystem kaum bekannte Begriffe. Das Ganze wird auch auf dem Hintergrund der ethnischen Herkunft beleuchtet - die Bilanz ist verheerend.

Der Film dauert 56 Minuten.
Thomas Giefer, einer der Macher_innen ist an einigen Abenden für eine anschliessende Diskussion anwesend. Ausserdem gibt es die Möglichkeit, aktuelle Infos über Mumia Abu-Jamal zu bekommen.

Termine

Hier einen Artikel zum Stand der Todesstrafe in den USA.

Hier geht's zum Artikel

(L.A. Times, Dec, 19, 2007)

Ende des Jahres stimmt die Generalversammlung der Vereinten Nationen über einen weltweiten Hinrichtungsstopp ab. Eine positive Entscheidung wäre ein weiterer Meilenstein auf dem Weg zur weltweiten Abschaffung der Todesstrafe.

Inzwischen haben weltweit rund zwei Drittel aller Länder die Todesstrafe per Gesetz oder in der Praxis abgeschafft. Es ist also ein klarer Trend zur weltweiten Abschaffung der Todesstrafe zu erkennen. Der Grossteil der Weltbevölkerung jedoch lebt in Ländern, die Todesurteile aussprechen und vollstrecken.

• 90 Staaten haben die Todesstrafe ganz abgeschafft
• 11 Staaten haben die Todesstrafe in Friedenszeiten abgeschafft
• 32 Staaten vollstrecken die Todesstrafe in der Praxis nicht mehr
• Rund 133 Staaten haben die Todesstrafe im Gesetz oder in der Praxis abgeschafft
• 64 Staaten vollstrecken die Todesstrafe weiterhin

Die Erkenntnis, dass die Todesstrafe keinem modernen Menschenrechtsverständnis entspricht, findet zwar immer mehr Akzeptanz. Dennoch sitzen heute weltweit mehr als 20.000 Menschen im Todestrakt und warten auf ihre Hinrichtung.

Eine von ihnen ist Rizana Nafeek aus Sri Lanka. Mit 17 Jahren zog sie nach Saudi-Arabien, um als Haushaltshilfe für eine saudische Familie zu arbeiten. Rizana Nafeek war erst wenige Wochen in Saudi-Arabien beschäftigt und noch minderjährig, als sich ein tragischer Unfall ereignete, in dessen Folge das Baby der Familie in ihrer Obhut starb. Ein Gericht in Saudi-Arabien befand die inzwischen 19-Jährige des Mordes für schuldig und verurteilte sie zum Tode. Die junge Frau soll nun öffentlich mit einem Schwert geköpft werden.

Rizana Nafeek bestreitet den Mord. Kate Allen, Direktorin von amnesty international in Grossbritannien, sagte in einem Zeitungsinterview: "Es ist ein Skandal, dass sich die saudischen Behörden auf die Köpfung einer Teenagerin vorbereiten, die nicht einmal einen Anwalt im Gerichtsverfahren gestellt bekam." Als Vertragsstaat des UN-Übereinkommens über die Rechte des Kindes ist Saudi-Arabien verpflichtet, keine Straftäter hinzurichten, die zum Tatzeitpunkt jünger als 18 Jahre alt waren.

amnesty international erfährt immer wieder von Fällen, die auf schreckliche Weise zeigen, wie Staaten bei der Anwendung der Todesstrafe versagen. Häufig entsprechen Gerichtsverfahren, die mit einem Todesurteil enden, nicht den internationalen Standards für einen fairen Prozess: Die Verhandlungen finden hinter verschlossenen Türen statt. Angeklagten wird das Recht auf rechtlichen Beistand verwehrt. Todesurteile werden auf Grundlage von "Geständnissen" verhängt, die durch Nötigung, Folter oder Täuschung erpresst wurden. Manchmal wissen Angeklagte noch nicht einmal, dass sie zum Tod verurteilt worden sind und hingerichtet werden sollen.

In einer Reihe von Ländern wird die Todesstrafe bei einer Vielzahl von Vergehen verhängt, darunter auch für Wirtschaftsdelikte. Staaten, die Todesurteile verhängen, nehmen das Risiko, Unschuldige hinzurichten, billigend in Kauf, denn Justizirrtümer sind in keinem Rechtssystem der Welt auszuschliessen. Staaten, die auf die Todesstrafe setzen, verschliessen auch die Augen vor wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen: Längst ist belegt, dass von der Todesstrafe keine besondere abschreckende Wirkung ausgeht, vielmehr tragen Hinrichtungen zu einer Verrohung der Gesellschaft bei.

Die Todesstrafe verletzt das fundamentalste aller Menschenrechte: Das Recht auf Leben (Artikel 3 der Allgemeinen Erklärung der Menschenrechte). Für amnesty international gibt es daher nur ein Ziel: Die Todesstrafe weltweit ganz abzuschaffen.

Die Initiative der EU und weiterer Staaten, der UN eine Resolution für einen sofortigen und weltweiten Hinrichtungsstopp zur Abstimmung vorzulegen, bietet eine historische Chance, um dem Ziel von amnesty international einen entscheidenden Schritt näher zu kommen.

ai nimmt den Internationalen Tag gegen die Todesstrafe auch in diesem Jahr zum Anlass, um laut gegen diese Strafe zu protestieren. Setzen auch Sie ein deutliches Zeichen für einen weltweiten Hinrichtungsstopp - unterschreiben Sie die ai-Petition an die Generalversammlung der Vereinten Nationen.

Original
Direkt zur Petition

Derzeit ist in den USA die Todesstrafe umstritten wie seit ihrer letzten Einführung 1976 nicht mehr. So berichtet die American Bar Association in ihrem aktuellen Bericht über die Todesstrafe in Pennsylvenia, dass die selbige durch starke "Unregelmässigkeiten" gekennzeichnet sei. Die Gefahr, dass "Unschuldige" hingerichtet würden, sei extrem hoch
(mehr hier).

Wir finden es völlig unwichtig, ob Menschen nach geltenden Gesetzten schuldig oder unschuldig in den Hinrichtungszellen landen, wir fordern die weltweite Abschaffung der Todesstrafe. Aber es freut uns ungemein, dass selbst im bürgerlichen Lager offen ausgesprochen wird, was Todesstrafengegner_innen seit Jahrzehnten sagen: Die Todesstrafe in den USA trifft hauptsächlich Menschen mit einer anderen als weissen Hautfarbe und Menschen ohne eigene finanzielle Möglichkeiten, sich angemessen in einem Verfahren mit Mordanklage zu verteidigen.

Das Pflichtverteidiger_innenprogramm ist völlig unzureichend. Seit der Verschärfung der Revisionsmöglichkeiten in Todesstrafenverfahren durch die Demokratische Partei in der Amtszeit Clintons haben Verurteilte nur sehr eingeschränkte Chancen, nachträglich auf gekommende Beweise ihrer Unschuld vor ein Gericht zu bringen. Das die ermittelnden Behörden von selbst kein Interesse an der Wahrheitsfindung haben, ist durch etliche von Verfahren bewiesen. Bisher mussten jedenfalls die meisten erfolgreichen Antragsteller_innen selbst dafür sorgen, dass ihre Fälle wieder vor einen Richter kamen.

So fordern seit Sommer 2007 viele Kommentatoren in öffentlichen Medien ein Moratorium der Todesstrafe. Erste Reaktionen sind spürbar. Der Oberste Gerichtshof der USA stoppt immer öfter Hinrichtungen mit der Giftspritze. Aufgrund einer als besonders qualvoll gewerteten Hinrichtung mit der Giftspritze (der Hingerichtete Christopher Emmett war über 80 Minuten im Todeskampf) hob das Gericht faktisch alle Exekutionstermine solange auf, bis die Anwendung der Giftspritze weiter juristisch und medizinisch untersucht sei
(mehr hier).

Natürlich ist das noch nicht der Durchbruch für die Bewegung zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe. Aber die Befürworter_innen der Todesstrafe sind in der Defensive, hier kann öffentlich spürbarer Druck jetzt sehr viel erreichen.

In der Unterstützungsarbeit für Mumia Abu-Jamal fordern wir seit Langen die weltweite Abschaffung der Todesstrafe. So findet derzeit in Berlin eine Veranstaltungsreihe vom Berliner Mumia-Bündnis statt. Mehr Infos.

Im Laufe unserer Kampagne fiel uns auf, dass es zwar eine Menge Menschenrechtsorganisationen gibt, die die gegen die Todesstrafe arbeiten, deren Kräfte aber sehr schwach und deren Willen zur Zusammenarbeit mit Gefangegnsolidaritätsgruppen wie z.b. uns sehr gering ist. Grundsätzliche politische Unterschiede und das Fehlen einer klaren Position zum Thema auf Seiten der Linken generell scheinen die Gründe hierfür zu sein.

Natürlich besteht in Teilbereichskampagnen und Bündnissen immer die Gefahr, sich in reformistischer Reparatur der "schlimmsten Auswüchse" zu verlieren. Andererseits verändert sich die Gefängnissituation auch in Deutschland rapide.

Private Knäste werden mit Zuschüssen der Bundesregierung bereits gebaut. So z.B. mit 500 Millionen Euro nahe Magdeburg. Dort wird ein Knast für 700 Gefangene gebaut, der den Betreibern die "Nutzungsrechte" auf 20 jahre festschreibt. Langzeitverurteilungen und privatisierte Gefängnisindustrie wie in den USA oder England gehen Hand in Hand ("Eine Gesellschaft ohne Gefängnisse", Angela Y. Davis,Schwarzer Freitag 2004 oder "Wettlauf gegen den Tod", Michael Schiffmann, Promedia 2006).

In Bezug auf die Todesstrafe sind im Augenblick die Neonazis der NPD dabei, dass Thema durch die Hintertür einzuführen. Ob es ähnlich dem Interessensgemisch von Regierung und Nazis zur Abschaffung des Asylrechts Anfang der 90er Jahre auch hier zu einem öffentlichen Durchbruch kommt, ist natürlich im Augenblick nicht vorstellbar. Aber Vorsicht scheint geboten.

Weitere Links über die Todesstrafe in den USA:
http://www.nodeathpenalty.eu/
http://todesstrafe-usa.de/
http://deathpenaltyusa.blogspot.com

Link über privatisierte Knästen:
http://media.de.indymedia.org/
http://www.anleger-nachrichten.de

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Thursday, August 30, 2007

Movement to Save Kenneth Foster Wins Historic Victory Family members and supporters of Kenneth Foster, Jr. are jubilant in the reaction to Texas Governor Rick Perry's today's announcement today that he would commute the death sentence of Kenneth Foster, who was convicted under the controversial "Law of Parties" for a 1996 murder in which he had no actual involvement. The Board of Pardons and Paroles had recommened clemency by a vote of 6-1. Foster's execution had been scheduled for tonight.

In a statement announcing the commutation, Perry said, "I am concerned about Texas law that allowed capital murder defendants to be tried simultaneously and it is an issue I think the Legislature should examine."

Reaction among Foster's family and friends included both joy and disbelief. "We felt a bit of disbelief because Perry's decision was so unprecedented." said Dana Cloud of the Save Kenneth Foster campaign. "But everyone is so happy that Kenneth will be able to touch his wife and daughter and that we have a chance of seeing him free. Anything is possible when you are alive."

Claire Dube, a close high-school friend of Kenneth's and an active member of the Save Kenneth Foster Campaign, broke into tears when she heard the news. "We don't even know what to say. It's incredible."

Keith Hampton, Foster's attorney, also expressed relief and happiness at winning his client's life. Hampton thanked the activists of the grassroots movement that started in Austin and spread around the world for putting the necessary pressure on the Board and the Governor to win. "Extra-legal means work," he said. "Governor Perry once said that there was no hue and cry against the death penalty in Texas," commented Lily Hughes of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty. "Well, here was your hue and cry."

Foster's family and other supporters will continue to work to free him from prison. "It seems like ten years on death row under 23-hour lockdown could amount to time served for any crime that Kenneth ever committed," Cloud said.

Perry's decision is historic. Not only has the Board of Pardons and Paroles rarely recommended clemency (by one count, 3 times since 1982), but Rick Perry has overseen more executions than any Governor of the State of Texas, including George Bush. "This case demonstrated to the world just how arbitrary and capricious capital punishment is," Cloud said. "It gives people pause when someone who killed no one could come this close to being executed."

"Public sentiment has been turning against capital punishment," Hughes said. "We've seen a lot of states stop executing people. Winning Kenneth's life might be a real turning point in the history of the death penalty in Texas."

Original Text

Die Todesstrafe in den USA

In den USA sind im Jahr 2006 53 Häftlinge (2005: 60) in 14 Bundesstaaten hingerichtet worden. Die mit Abstand meisten Exekutionen fanden im Bundesstaat Texas statt (24). Damit hat sich die Gesamtzahl der Hinrichtungen in den USA seit Wiederzulassung der Todesstrafe im Jahr 1976 bis Ende 2006 auf 1.057 (darunter elf Frauen) erhöht. In diesem Jahr sind bis zum 10. August bereits wieder 32 Todesurteile vollstreckt worden.

Am 1. Januar 2007 gab es landesweit 3.350 zum Tode Verurteilte (darunter 124 Ausländer und 51 Frauen). Die meisten Häftlinge warten in den Todeszellen der Bundesstaaten Kalifornien, Florida, Texas und Pennsylvania auf ihre Hinrichtung.

38 der 50 Bundesstaaten sehen die Todesstrafe derzeit in ihren Gesetzen vor. Darüber hinaus kann die Todesstrafe im ganzen Land nach Bundes- und Militärrecht verhängt werden. In 34 Bundesstaaten sind seit 1977 Gefangene exekutiert worden. Bis auf New Hampshire haben alle Bundesstaaten, die die Todesstrafe erlauben, gegenwärtig Gefangene in ihren Todeszellen. Am 1. März 2005 entschied der Oberste Gerichtshof der USA im Verfahren Simmons gegen Missouri, dass die Verhängung der Todesstrafe gegen Jugendliche unter 18 Jahren gegen das in der Verfassung verankerte Verbot grausamer Bestrafung verstosse. 19 Einzelstaaten erlaubten bis dahin die Hinrichtung minderjähriger Straftäter. Seit der Wiederaufnahme von Hinrichtungen im Jahr 1977 sind 22 Todesurteile an zur Tatzeit unter 18-jährigen Straftätern vollstreckt worden, 13 davon im Bundesstaat Texas.

Im Bundesstaat Illinois sind 13 Justizirrtümer bekannt geworden. Der republikanische Gouverneur setzte daraufhin am 31. Januar 2000 die Todesstrafe auf unbestimmte Zeit aus. Mitte Januar 2003 begnadigte er vier Todestraktinsassen und wandelte nach einer ausführlichen Prüfung alle 167 ausgesprochenen Todesurteile um. Am 24. Juni 2004 erklärt der Supreme Court des Bundesstaats New York die Todesstrafe für verfassungswidrig. Der Gesetzgeber dieses Staats lehnte es im April 2005 ab, die Todesstrafe wiedereinzusetzen. Das Parlament des Bundesstaats New Jersey beschloss am 10. Januar 2006 mit 55 zu 21 Stimmen einen Hinrichtungsstopp. Eine vom Parlament eingesetzte Kommission empfahl Anfang Januar 2007 die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe in diesem US-Staat.

Die Bundesstaaten Delaware, Florida, Kalifornien, New Jersey und North Carolina haben aktuell den Vollzug der Todesstrafe wegen Zweifeln an der Verfassungskonformität von Gift-Exekutionen bis auf weiteres suspendiert. Ebenfalls wegen der Giftspritzenproblematik erhielten jüngst vier Todeskandidaten, die nach Bundesrecht zum Tode verurteilt sind, Hinrichtungsaufschübe. In Nebraska ruht seit dem 8. Mai 2007 der Vollzug mit dem elektrischen Stuhl, um auch diese Hinrichtungsmethode einer Überprüfung zu unterziehen.

Der Bundesstaat North Carolina ergriff im Mai 2007 eine Gesetzesinitiative, die Todesstrafe künftig in Fällen zu verbieten, in denen Angeklagte auf Grund ihrer ernsten geistigen Erkrankung zur Zeit ihrer Verbrechen ausserstande waren, die Bedeutung ihrer Taten zu begreifen. Mit Indiana and Washington erwägen gegenwärtig zwei weitere Bundesstaaten, ähnliche Gesetze zu erlassen. Der einzige US-Staat, der bereits ein solches Gesetz erlassen hat, ist Connecticut.

Troy Davis erhielt am 3. August vom Georgia Supreme Court ein neues Berufungsverfahren zugestanden. Das ist ein juristischer Teilerfolg aber noch nicht der Sieg.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA
PRESS RELEASE
July 17, 2007

Amnesty International Applauds Stay of Execution for Troy Davis

(Atlanta) -- Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) applauded today's decision by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles to grant a 90-day stay of execution to Troy Anthony Davis, who has spent 15 years on death row for a murder that he denies committing. Davis, 38, was convicted despite the lack of a murder weapon or physical evidence linking him to the crime.

"Let today begin a new day for truth and justice in Georgia," said Larry Cox, executive director of AIUSA. "We call upon the Georgia Parole Board to recognize that in the United States, one is innocent until proven guilty -- and in the absence of such proof, there is no acceptable choice but to grant clemency. The Board must recognize the flawed logic of executing a man who may be innocent."

Troy Anthony Davis, who is African American, was convicted in 1991 of murdering Mark MacPhail, a white police officer. The prosecution based its case on the testimony of purported "witnesses," many of whom allege police coercion. Seven of the nine non-police witnesses for the prosecution have recanted or contradicted their testimony in sworn affidavits, and nine people assert that one of the two who hasn't recanted is actually responsible for the murder.

Despite this, Davis' habeas corpus petition was denied by the state court on a technicality -- evidence of police coercion was "procedurally defaulted," that is, not raised earlier, so the court did not take it. The Georgia Supreme Court and 11th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals deferred to the state court and rejected Davis' claims, and earlier this month the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear his case.

"We are deeply saddened that the MacPhail family has suffered such pain and hope that today's decision will lead to a fair and earnest search for justice," said Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, director of AIUSA's Program to Abolish the Death Penalty. "Now that the Board has issued a stay of execution, it is time for authorities to reopen their investigation and seek the truth. Only in that way can society honor the memory of Mark MacPhail."

Amnesty International has long-standing concerns about Troy Davis's case. In February of this year, the organization released a 35-page report.
This way to the report.

"Where is the Justice for Me? The case of Troy Davis, facing execution in Georgia." In recent weeks the organization has mobilized its worldwide membership and collected thousands of letters calling for clemency for Mr. Davis.

Contact: Wende Gozan at 212/633-4247 or Jared Feuer at 404/668-8388
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38561

Texas Medical Examiner No Longer Stands by Testimony that sent Woman to Death Row Just weeks before Texas is scheduled to execute Cathy Henderson (pictured) for the murder of a child that she was babysitting, the medical examiner whose testimony helped send her to death row has said he no longer stands by his original opinion that the child's death resulted from an intentional act on Henderson's part. In light of new scientific evidence showing that Brandon Baugh's death could have resulted from an accidental fall, retired Travis County chief medical examiner Roberto Bayardo has submitted an affidavit to the court stating, "Had the new scientific information been available to me in 1995, I would not have been able to testify the way I did about the degree of force needed to cause Brandon Baugh's head injury. I cannot determine with a reasonable degree of medical certainty whether Brandon Baugh's injuries resulted from an intentional act of an accidental fall."

Since her arrest nearly 13 years ago, Henderson has maintained that Brandon Baugh's death was the result of a tragic accident. She claims that the infant accidentally fell from her arms after she stepped on a toy while spinning him around. During her trial, Bayardo testified that Baugh's injuries could not have resulted from a short distance fall, as Henderson claimed. Now, based on recent studies and biochemical analysis, four experts in the field of forensic pathology have concluded that Bayardo erred in concluding that the injuries sustained by the infant could not have come from a "short distance fall" of four feet or less. One of the experts, Dr. John Plunkett, stated in an affidavit, "It is impossible for any qualified scientist or physician to conclude, whether to a reasonable degree of medical certainty or beyond a reasonable doubt, that any intentional and deliberate act caused Brandon Baugh's death."

Henderson's execution is scheduled for June 13. She has petitioned the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to stay her execution and review her case based on the new scientific evidence.

(Court TV.com, May 30, 2007). See Court TV's Web page about this case. See also Women.

By LINN WASHINGTON, Jr.
St. Denis, France.

Harold Wilson drank wine for the first time in nearly twenty years during his recent trip to this working class city located in the suburbs of Paris known for its left-of-center politics. Lack of access, not avoidance, had driven Wilson's abstinence from all alcoholic beverages.

Wilson spent nearly 18-years in Pennsylvania prisons - sixteen on death row where he twice faced imminent execution for a triple-murder that DNA evidence eventually proved he didn't commit.

Wilson's drink of good French wine came during salutes to him at a large, communal dinner inside a church on one of the city's most famous squares. These salutes erupted after Wilson briefly described the injustices he endured, including death row experiences like smelling the burning flesh of an inmate who ignited himself in an insane reaction to repeated callousness by guards.

"I didn't have to go to war to experience brutality and death," Wilson said, fighting to control parallel emotions from recalling death row incidents and reacting to the compassion towards him from those attending that dinner.

Wilson, who is 6'4" tall weighing nearly 250 lbs., is the sixth person freed from Pa's death row and the 122nd person released from death rows nationwide. Wilson said flawed evidence authorities used to convict him included a bloody jacket that fit a person eight inches shorter and 60 lbs lighter than him. Wilson is now an advocate of providing assistance to persons released from death row.

When Pa authorities released Wilson in November 2005, after a jury acquittal at a retrial, he received sixty-five cents, a public transportation token and a warning: Don't come back.

Wilson traveled to St. Denis as a member of a small delegation from his hometown of Philadelphia to participate in the one year anniversary of the naming of a small street in St. Denis for Pa death row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Wilson eagerly says Abu-Jamal, also from Philadelphia, helped him adjust to the deprivations of death row and helped him with the legal research producing his successful appeals. "Mumia taught me how to read law books. He taught me to fight with a pen," Wilson told a St. Denis supporter of Abu-Jamal hours before the dinner.

"Working to free Mumia and others gives me identity and purpose. I struggle everyday to rebuild my life." Days before traveling to St. Denis, Wilson spoke at an Abu-Jamal event in Philadelphia featuring Danny Glover, the famed actor/activist who called Abu-Jamal's conviction a "legal lynching."(1)

The legal improprieties leading to a new trial for Wilson - discriminatory jury selection practices by the prosecutor and incompetence by his court appointed trial lawyer - are core issues in Abu-Jamal's controversial conviction.

Like Abu-Jamal's trial attorney, Wilson's court appointed attorney was trying his first death penalty case. The trial lawyers for Abu-Jamal and Wilson both failed to present critical evidence at trial. Discriminatory jury selection is the central issue in the scheduled May 17th hearing for Abu-Jamal before the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

The prosecutor in Abu-Jamal's 1982 trial for killing a Philadelphia policeman used nearly all of his fifteen challenges to remove blacks from the jury.

The jury that convicted Abu-Jamal contained only two blacks in a city where forty percent of the population was black at the time of trial. That jury contained a white man who said from the outset that he would not be fair to Abu-Jamal and other whites who "had close friends or relatives who were police officers," noted author/investigative reorter Dave Lindorff in his excellent book Killing Time: An Investigation Into The Death Row Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Rulings by Pa's Supreme Court have consistently rejected allegations of discriminatory jury selection at Abu-Jamal's trial but a federal District Court judge found evidence of this misconduct meriting appellate court review.

In contrast to Abu-Jamal's case, the Pa Supreme Court granted an appeal from Wilson after finding evidence of discriminatory jury selection by his trial prosecutor.

The prosecutor in Wilson's case was the instructor in a now infamous Philadelphia DA Office training video showing new prosecutors how to evade US Supreme Court prohibitions against excluding blacks from death penalty juries.(2)

Lindorff and other experts say the instructions on that 1987 training video reflect long-standing discriminatory jury selection practices utilized by Philadelphia prosecutors. Lindorff writes in his book, "the Philadelphia district attorney's office, over the period 1977-1986, including the trial of Abu-Jamal in 1982, struck black jurors 58 percent of the time, compared to only 22 percent of the time for white jurors."

The specific prosecutor in Abu-Jamal's trial,(3) according to scholarly research, struck blacks 74 percent of the time during that 1977-1986 period compared to 25 percent for whites. The fact that the Pa Supreme Court curtly rejected Abu-Jamal's jury discrimination claims while granting relief to Wilson and other defendants using similar evidence is often cited as an example of double-standards authorities employ in the Abu-Jamal case.

Amnesty International's 2000 report on the Abu-Jamal case criticizes Pa's entire state judicial system for rulings against Abu-Jamal based on political considerations instead of legal precedent. (4)

The St. Denis street naming is another case study in doublestandards. The April 2006 naming of a block-long street in a secluded section of St. Denis prompted the December 2006 passage of a resolution by the US Congress demanding the removal of Abu-Jamal's name from this small lane sandwiched between two one-way streets.

Months before passage of this congressional resolution, Philadelphia's City Council and Pa's State Senate passed similar resolutions assailing the naming of a street in honor of a convicted murderer.

In contrast to the criticism of St. Denis, in 1990, New York City officials changed the name of a street in front of a federal prison to honor a prisoner being held there, an escaped IRA fugitive convicted in Northern Ireland of murdering a British special forces officer.

Officials across America, including over 100 members of Congress, applauded Joe Doherty's long fight against extradition contending the IRA fighter did not receive a fair trial from British authorities. (5) St. Denis' Mayor and immediate past Mayor both criticized the unfairness of Abu-Jamal's 1982 trial during their remarks at the recent anniversary of the street naming.

That Amnesty report concluded that Abu-Jamal's trial failed to meet internationally acceptable standards for a fair trial. A core aspect of a fair trial is an impartial judge and the alleged pro-prosecution bias of Abu-Jamal's trial judge during a 1995 appeals hearing is an item under review by the Third Circuit appeals court.

The outrageous bias exhibited by Judge Albert Sabo during that '95 appeal hearing triggered harsh editorial criticism from Philadelphia's normally anti-Abu-Jamal mainstream media.

However, Pa's Supreme Court brushed aside that editorial criticism. Years later, the same Court curtly dismissed a disturbing charge that Sabo was overheard on the eve of the '82 trial saying he was going to help prosecutors "fry the nigger!" The Court claimed Sabo's racist remark was irrelevant.

Harold Wilson, while in St. Denis, participated in a short protest march demanding a fair trial for Abu-Jamal. He later participated in the May Day March in Paris, walking with a large "Free Mumia" delegation. After those dinner salutes to Wilson, he later laughed with diners sitting near him saying French wine is "much better than Thunderbird" and other faux wines he drank prior to incarceration.

Linn Washington Jr. is a Philadelphia based journalist who has covered the Abu-Jamal case for 25 years.

-----

(1)For the Philadelphia events on Abu-Jamal's 53rd birthday, see Betsey Piette, "'Free Mumia' rally overcomes police intimidation, " Workers World, May 3, 2007, News section of www.againstthecrimeofsilence.de.

(2) The name of the prosecutor in question is Jack McMahon.. To get a copy of the video, you can write to my e-mail address mikschiff@t-online.de. For a partial transcript from the June 1997 issue of Harper's, see "Jury Rigging Laid Bare,"

(3) Assistant District Attorney Joseph McGill.

(4) Amnesty International, The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. A Life in the Balance, Seven Stories Press, New York 2000. The appeals process discrimination against Mumia Abu-Jamal is dealt with on p. 43-50.

(5) For the amazing case of IRA member Joe Doherty, see Martin Dillon, Killer in Clowntown: Joe Doherty, the IRA and the Special Relationship, Hutchinson, London 1992. In the March 1993 issue of Contemporary Review, reviewer Esmond Wright wrote on that book: that even during his nine years in the New York Correctional Center, "near the spot where New York honored him by giving his name to a street - he had sympathizers, including over 130 Congressmen and a son of President Bush."