• Press Release

Florida Governor Must Veto ‘Speed Up Executions’ Legislation

June 4, 2013

Contact: Sharon Singh, [email protected], 202-675-8579, @AIUSAmedia

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Frank Jannuzi, deputy executive director for Amnesty International USA, issued the following statement urging Florida Governor Rick Scott to veto the "Timely Justice Act of 2013" (TJA). This bill is designed to speed up the pace of death penalty executions in Florida.

"Amnesty International calls on Governor Scott to do the right thing and veto this inhumane legislation that seeks to expedite the rate of executions of those on Florida’s death row.

"There is a high error rate in Florida’s capital cases. In fact, this state accounts for more wrongful convictions in death penalty cases than any other state in the United States.

"The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is immoral and incompatible with human dignity. Governor Scott should not only veto this bill, but also place a moratorium on executions in his state and push to abolish the death penalty in Florida."

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries 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.