The state of Ohio has executed Ronald R. Phillips today, marking the first execution that the state has carried out since 2014. Phillips’ execution was opposed by groups including human rights organizations, faith leaders, correctional officers, and exonerated former death-row prisoners.
“While many states have halted executions or abolished the death penalty entirely, Ohio has taken a giant backwards by resuming the practice of killing its prisoners,” said James Clark, senior campaigner with Amnesty International USA. “This opens the door to a horrifying conveyor belt of death, as the executions of 26 prisoners on death row are clear to move forward. This is not a just system. The death penalty must be ended once and for all.”