• Press Release

Amnesty International USA Welcomes Supreme Court Decision to Halt Oklahoma Executions

January 28, 2015

Media Contact: Amanda Simon, [email protected], (212) 633-4162

(NEW YORK, NY) – Today, the United States Supreme Court stayed the executions of three Oklahoma death-row inmates: Richard Glossip, Benjamin Cole and John Grant. Glossip’s execution was scheduled for Thursday night.

In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, Amnesty International USA Executive Director Steven W. Hawkins issued the following statement:

“Amnesty International USA welcomes the Court's decision to put executions on hold while the state answers important questions about the lethal injection procedure.

“The recent botched executions in Oklahoma and other states show the US’s capital punishment system is broken beyond repair. The death penalty must be replaced with a system that comports with our sense of decency and the US’s obligations under international law.

“Rather than continuing a practice that has been abandoned in all but a few counties—and risking more botched executions—Oklahoma should join the national trend and end the death penalty.”

Get the latest news, statistics and action items on Amnesty USA’s Abolish the Death Penalty landing page.

Follow Steven W. Hawkins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StevenWHawkins

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning global movement of more than 7 million people campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.