Death Penalty
The death penalty is the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights. By working towards the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, Amnesty International USA's Death Penalty Abolition Campaign looks to end the cycle of violence created by a system riddled with economic and racial bias and tainted by human error.
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(UA 253/09) Halt Executions of Kenneth Biros and Five Ohio Prisoners | Russia moves one step closer to death penalty abolition | Saudi Arabia: Countering terrorism with repression | Fact Sheets | |
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 The Case of Troy Davis © Amnesty International solidarity for Troy Davis Sign the Petition that Justice Matters!Troy Davis was convicted of killing police officer Mark MacPhail nearly two decades ago. No one has bothered to answer the critical questions behind the case that could leave a brutal murder of a police officer unpunished and take the life of a man who may well be innocent.  Two Reprieves in Ohio!On Monday, October 5, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland granted temporary reprieves to Lawrence Reynolds and Darryl Durr. These reprieves came after the 6th Circuit US Court of Appeals stayed the Reynolds execution pending a November 30 hearing on the botched lethal injection of Romell Broom, whom the state of Ohio tried but failed to execute on September 15. The state has since introduced a new execution protocol, in the hopes of restarting executions, so it is important to continue to take action and call on Governor Strickland to establish a moratorium on all executions in his state! |  Cameron Todd Willingham - Innocent and ExecutedThe Troy Davis case has alerted people to the risk of executing the innocent. In September, The New Yorker published a piece about Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in Texas in 2004. New scientific analysis has discredited the evidence against him and it appears that Texas executed an innocent man. On Wednesday, Sept. 30, Texas Governor Rick Perry suddenly replaced 3 members of the commission investigating this case. You can take action by writing a letter-to-the-editor of your local paper today! 
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Seek understanding - Mental IllnessThe execution of those with mental illness or "the insane" is clearly prohibited by international law and virtually every country in the world. Despite these standards, and constitutional law, the USA continues to execute people with diagnosed schizophrenia, those that suffer from severe delusions, and others with clinically-labeled mental illnesses.  International Death PenaltyAround 139 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. On average, in the past decade more than three countries a year have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Despite international human rights standards, some nations still execute people. Around the world, the death penalty is used as a tool of political repression and a means to forever silence political opponents or eliminate politically 'troublesome' individuals. | Capital Punishment in the USASince 1977, over 1,100 people have been executed in the U.S.; there are currently around 3,300 men and women on death row across the country. Grassroots activists throughout the USA play an essential role in advocating against this human rights violation through monitoring cases, mobilizing around upcoming events, and lobbying for anti-death penalty legislation. |
