Says Governor Standing on Right Side Of History
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Amnesty International USA Executive Director, Steven W. Hawkins issued the following response after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced today that he is issuing a moratorium on the death penalty in his state:
"The moment Governor Inslee decided to suspend the death penalty is the moment he decided to stand on the right side of history. The world is moving away from this cruel and barbaric practice, and today, the state of Washington just got a bit closer to doing the same. Now is the time for everyone in each of the 32 states that have yet to rid themselves of the death penalty to join the abolition movement. Every day, we are moving closer to becoming a nation where government doesn't sanction an individual's killing and call it justice."
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million members 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.