[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., VA., GA., FLA.
Feb. 25 TEXAS: Gov. Abbott Calls For 'Effective Death Penalty' Today Governor Greg Abbott is speaking out for the 1st time about the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals' stay of execution in the case of Rodney Reed. A Bastrop County jury convicted Reed of the 1996 rape and strangling death of Stacey Stites. Investigators say they found his DNA on the body. Prosecutors successfully argued the evidence tied him to the crime. But Reed's supporters claim he had a relationship with the victim. Today we asked Governor Abbott about the hold on Reed's execution that we first reported Monday on KEYE TV News at 5:00 and the possibility of a new trial. He reiterated his support for what he calls an effective death penalty in Texas. But he says that whenever it's applied we need to be certain the person commited the crime. Abbott adds, I think that this is a healthy process that the court announced what it did so we can put beyond the shadow of any doubt whatsoever that he really is guilty of the crime for which he was convicted. In the request for the stay of execution, one of the forensic experts who testified at Reed's trial says he now believes Reed's DNA could have been placed on Stites hours before she died ... perhaps even longer. New Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is reviewing the appeals court's order. (source: KEYE TV news) Rodney Reed wins a reprieve Supporters see the Texas high court's decision to stay the execution of Rodney Reed as a first step in the fight to ultimately win his freedom, reports Elizabeth Schulte. A week before his scheduled execution on March 5, Texas death row prisoner Rodney Reed won a stay of execution from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Reed, his family and his supporters have maintained Rodney's innocence ever since his 1998 conviction for the murder of Stacy Stites in Bastrop, Texas. Reed's lawyers have long argued that if evidence uncovered in the years since then was properly heard in court, he would be exonerated and freed. Law enforcement and prosecutors ignored the original suspect in the murder--Stites' fiancee, a local police officer with a violent history--and instead built a case against Reed. The all-white Texas jury easily voted to convict a Black man accused of killing a white woman. The stay could provide an opportunity for a court to hear new evidence, including the conclusions of forensic experts that Reed didn't sexually assault the 19-year-old Stites, as prosecutors claimed, as well as evidence that Reed was nowhere near the victim at the time of her murder. Reed's lawyers also hope the courts will finally allow DNA testing on all the material in the case, which they have fought for, but have been denied before. As Lily Hughes of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty said: The stay of execution from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is excellent news and is just what we were hoping for at this stage. Now we are waiting for some indication from the court about how much of a hearing they will give the new claims that were raised in this appeal. We are looking for a full review of the explosive new medical findings, and we'd also like to see all the evidence tested for DNA that we have been asking for. Whether it's through evidentiary hearings--or, even better, a new trial--we want a chance for all the evidence to be heard. Then we think the courts can have but 1 conclusion--Rodney Reed is innocent of this crime and must be freed from death row! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There is nothing the Texas justice system would have liked more than for Rodney's case to be swept under the rug. But his family and supporters in the anti-death penalty movement have done their best to keep this injustice in the spotlight, where it belongs. As Rodney's brother Rodrick told reporters at a press conference after the announcement of the stay, Without people supporting us, backing us, getting out there and raising their voices, screaming at the top of their lungs, we may never have got this attention. They may have never even looked into it like they're doing. On February 21, hundreds of people rallied in Austin at the state Capitol building to let Texas know that they're watching. Family members, exonerated death row prisoners and death penalty opponents gathered to show their support. We've been fighting tirelessly, Rodney's mother Sandra Reed told the crowd that day. I will not give up this fight. I will not, regardless of what the outcome will be...There are too many innocent men that have gone, that are waiting, and that will go if we don't stop this murder--this murdering machine, the death penalty. Supporters see the Texas high court's decision as a step in the direction of a bigger demand--freedom for an innocent man. Look into this case, Rodrick Reed told reporters after the announcement of the stay. This man is innocent. Do the right thing. The
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----UTAH, MONT., ARIZ., ORE, USA, US MIL.
Feb. 25 UTAH: Capital punishment debates highlight flaws in criminal justice system In response to another My View about capital punishment debates, Wayne Overson explains how the death penalty hurts the justice system more than it helps it. As a retired professor of criminal justice from Weber State University, the article by Marc Hyden (Capital punishment legislation fails to consider real problems, Feb. 10) was of special interest to me. I would like to add to it. I believe that keeping the death penalty on the books is based on our emotion. Not only is it possible to have executed the wrong person, but the death penalty can also be used to coerce an innocent person into pleading guilty in order to avoid being killed. An accused person may accept a plea bargain to a lesser sentence with the hope of later being proved innocent. In some cases, co-actors in a robbery, murder and/or other crime may lie as part of their plea bargain. Are eyewitnesses completely reliable? Quite often I see a person who strongly reminds me of someone else, even a good friend. The death penalty does prevent future crime by the person who is executed. However, as Mr. Hyden pointed out, it cannot be proved that the death penalty prevents or deters crime that may be committed by others. In a Deseret News article from a couple of years ago, during the half-year prior to the execution of Ronnie Lee Gardner, there were 26 homicides and there were 26 more in the 6 months afterward. In fact, 2 murders took place later in the day of his execution. Mr. Hyden emphasized the waste of money for the years of court proceedings. My contention is that not only is it a huge waste of money, but there is a corresponding lack of money to prevent crime. How? There are at least three ways to prevent future violent and nonviolent felonies. Haven't we all heard of serial murder, rape, robbery, arson and so on? How many rape kits have not been processed? And why not? I would also propose the creation of 2 state law enforcement units. One unit would be assigned to investigate cold violent crime cases. Additionally, more funds should be spent to enlarge the unit of officers whose job is to search for, serve warrants on and arrest wanted felons. Why not drop capital punishment completely and spend the money saved to prevent future crimes? Maybe we should substitute the death penalty with a virtual death penalty, where the convicted is never allowed visitors other than defense attorneys and prison guards. And, who knows, the convicted may later be proven innocent. A news article from 2014 reported that in 2013, in the United States, there were 87 prison inmates proven innocent and released. In reality, our criminal justice system, due to human imperfections, is not free of errors. (source: Wayne Overson is a retired professor of criminal justice from Weber State UniversityDeseret News) MONTANA: Death penalty repeal stymied Representatives have voted down a bill that would end capital punishment in Montana. Members of the House of Representatives voted 50-50 on Monday to fail House Bill 370 on 2nd reading. 3 Democrats and 47 Republicans voted against the measure and 12 Republicans joined 38 Democrats in voting for it. Republican Rep. David Moore of Missoula introduced the proposal in the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 13. Committee members passed the bill 11-10. Representatives debated the repeal for more than 20 minutes. Supporters called for life imprisonment over death. Opponents said repealing the death penalty would be unfair to victims. Similar bills have survived the Senate, but in the last 2 sessions have failed in the House. 2 men currently imprisoned in Montana have been sentenced to die. (source: Associated Press) ARIZONA: My Jodi Arias trial prediction: 100 % guaranteed I know exactly how the sentencing trial of the convicted murder Jodi Arias will turn out. And so do you. Here's the verdict: WE LOSE. Taxpayers have spent millions of dollars on a death penalty case that shouldn't have been a death penalty case in the first place. And we've spent a big bunch more on a sentencing trial that should not have been a sentencing trial. After the 1st jury convicted Arias but failed to make a decision on the death penalty Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery should have left the sentencing decision up to Judge Sherry Stephens. Once the death penalty is off the table the judge would have sentenced Arias to life in prison, period, or to life with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Instead, we are after all this time and all this expense, getting final arguments from the Arias defense team and prosecutors in the sentencing trial. If this 2nd jury also can't come up with a decision it will go to the judge, where it should have gone in the first place. Not that it matters anymore. Even if prosecutor Juan Martinez gets
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----KY., ARK., MO., COLO.
Feb. 25 KENTUCKY: Webb seeks reforms to state death penalty policies Some members of the Kentucky Senate are pushing for changes with the state's death penalty policies, hoping that by addressing issues from different angles, at least 1 proposal will stick in this year's legislative session. Sens. Robin Webb, D-Grayson, and Gerald Neal, D-Louisville, are working to tackle Kentucky's rather controversial death penalty policies with 3 pieces of legislation. Webb held a press conference Tuesday at the Capitol to discuss her bill (SB190) seeking to enact several reforms to current policies. She made clear her bill is not angled toward abolishing the death penalty, but rather to ensure it's fair and that an innocent person is not executed. Webb cited a 2011 study by the American Bar Association, which listed 95 specific areas of Kentucky's current policy that it felt needed adjustment. The ABA Kentucky Assessment Team then spent more than 2 years studying the administration of the death penalty in Kentucky. Our review led us to the inescapable conclusion that our current system is deeply flawed and in serious need of reform. The Kentucky Assessment Report was released over 3 years ago and, to date, not a single recommendation was been implemented, said Linda Sorenson Ewald, co-chair of the Kentucky Penalty Assessment Team. Ewald brought with her to the press conference a large spiral bound book full of these recommendations. Webb said since she has not heard any opposition, nor additional suggestions, in response to the assessment's release, it is time for her bill on reforms to be heard. Some of these reforms include prohibiting the execution of the severely mentally ill; requiring interviews of suspects to be recorded for better accuracy in courts; requires ongoing training and competency on death penalty issues for law enforcement, public defenders, prosecutors, corrections officers and judges; and creates a statewide database of information for ongoing capital cases. (source: Daily Independent) Calls Intensify for Execution Moratorium in Kentucky On back-to-back days late last week, separate courts overturned convictions in two cases of men on Kentucky's death row. Those reversals have amplified calls from critics of the state's death penalty system to at least place a moratorium on executions. Retired law professor Linda Ewald was co-chair of an 8-person team of lawyers and retired judges that found a multitude of problems with Kentucky's death penalty system. The group's American Bar Association report was issued in December 2011. I'm disappointed that the governor didn't suspend executions, although we haven't had an execution in many years, Ewald says. In reversing the death penalty conviction of Michael St. Clair on Thursday, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled evidence was improperly admitted during his trial. On Friday, a federal appellate court ruled in Roger Wheeler's case that a potential juror was erroneously struck from the jury. Ewald says the ABA report she coauthored uncovered 95 specific concerns about Kentucky's death penalty system. Well, I think it's a bit disconcerting that Kentucky has the death penalty and that we've assessed this in such a way to demonstrate that there are very serious problems in its administration, she states. Ewald says she's encouraged by legislation (SB190) filed earlier this month by state Sen. Robin Webb, D-Grayson, which attempts to address lineups, interrogations, eyewitness testimony and biological evidence. I think it's a little misleading to say nothing has been done, she says. I think people are working on this. These are changes that are going to require legislation. They're going to require changes in court rules. They may require public hearings. Ewald adds while Kentucky was at the forefront in passing a post-conviction DNA testing law, problems remain with how biological evidence is handled after a trial. Unfortunately, Kentucky doesn't have any uniform protocols for preserving and retaining evidence after a conviction, she says. And so, there's the risk that it's not being maintained properly. There's the risk that it's lost and won't be available. The ABA report called the system broken and fatally flawed, but Ewald says it was not, in her words, an abolition document. She says the report did not address whether Kentucky should have a death penalty. (source: publicnewsservice.org) ARKANSAS: Arkansas panel OKs eliminating death sentence as penalty A proposal to abolish Arkansas' death penalty is heading to the state Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved legislation that would eliminate the death penalty as a sentencing option in capital murder cases. Arkansas has 32 inmates on death row but hasn't executed anyone in nearly a decade due to legal challenges over the state's lethal injection
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 25 PAKISTAN: Pakistan court gives 21 times death penalty to 4 al-Qaeda militants 4 al-Qaeda militants were on Wednesday handed down '21 times' death sentence by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan for the 2012 killing of 10 under training jail wardens here. The anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore today announced the verdict after the prosecution counsel produced evidence against the al-Qaeda terrorists -- Afzaal, Abdul Hafeez, Zulfiqar and Karamat, a Punjab Province government statement said. The finger prints of the militants and those found on guns matched and they were identified by the witnesses. There were several charges on them and the court also handed down life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10.8 million apart from the death sentence. The convicts were accused of attacking jail wardens hostel in Lahore's thickly-populated locality Rasool Park near Ichhra on July 12, 2012. Over 2-dozen under training jail wardens had come from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to take part in the course here. 10 of them were killed and as many suffered injuries in pre-dawn deadly attack by the militants carrying Kalashnikov rifles and hand grenades. The terrorists were arrested in 2013 from Lahore when they were planning another attack. They were booked under different sections of the penal code and the Anti-Terrorism Act. (source: Daily News Analysis) Pakistan refuses to name drugs charge Britons on death row - Foreign Office Pakistan has refused to give the names of 2 British citizens sentenced to death for drug offences. British diplomatic efforts to identify them have so far been in vain. The issue has put the UK's foreign aid to Pakistan under scrutiny. The violation of diplomatic protocol means Pakistan could be in danger of breaching the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which stipulates that officials are obliged to tell British authorities if a British citizen has been arrested. The revelations were made by Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, who told anti-death penalty group Reprieve that authorities were unable to identify the detainees. There are currently 21 British nationals facing the death penalty in Pakistan who are appealing their sentences. They are all receiving consular assistance. But sources from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) confirmed there were 2 further Britons sentenced to death whose identities remain unknown. Pakistan reversed its decision to ban executions following the attack on a school in which 130 people, mostly children, were killed. Executions resumed in large numbers, with roughly 8,300 people now on death row. Ellwood said gaining information about the unidentified British citizens was a challenge, claiming Pakistan were refusing to comply with international regulations. As you may be aware, as a co-signatory of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the Pakistani authorities are under a duty to inform, without delay, the British Consulate of the arrest or detention of a British national if he/she request. However, in practice this rarely happens in Pakistan, and this is an issue that we have raised and will continue to highlight in contacts with the Pakistan authorities. The British government would expect to be informed when a citizen faces the death penalty, Ellwood said. An FCO spokesman said: We are currently assisting 21 British nationals who potentially face the death penalty in Pakistan, none of whom have exhausted their appeals process. In addition, we are aware of 2 British nationals in detention who have been given a death sentence. The British government currently gives Pakistan hundreds of millions of pounds in aid. The incident raises questions over whether aid money has given the UK any influence. Last year, Pakistan was the biggest recipient of Britain's international aid, receiving 338 million pounds to help police counter the drugs trade. The country is awarded aid based on the success of its counter-narcotics program. But with a conviction rate of 92 % and a self-confirmed thirst for arrests, critics believe British aid is not being used effectively and claim the system is corrupt. Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at Reprieve, said British aid for counter-narcotics programs is hypocritical and untenable while the death penalty is in force. The British government should change its position immediately and ensure that its counter-narcotics aid is strictly conditional on an end to the death penalty for drug offences, she said. (source: rt.com) *** Pakistan lifting ban on death penalty a 'draconian and repressive' tactic: Amnesty report Governments are failing to protect millions of civilians from violence by states and armed groups, Amnesty International said on Wednesday, describing the global response to widespread conflict from Nigeria to Syria as shameful and
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 25 QATAR: Iran Confirms Repatriation of 6 Citizens Sentenced in Qatar Iran today confirmed the repatriation of 6 of its citizens sentenced to death penalties or long imprisonment in Qatar, a decision obtained thanks to the work of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said its spokesman, Marzieh Afkham. Akfham said that the prisoners are already in Iran in virtue of the efforts of Tehran's Foreign Ministry, the Iranian embassy in Doha, and the result of the recent visit of Qatar's Minister of Justice, Masood Bin Muhammad Al-Ameri, and the interaction with Iranian judicial authorities. The repatriated had been sentenced to life imprisonment, long sentences or death penalty for crimes related to possession of drugs. (source: Prensa Latina) AUSTRALIA: We stand for mercy: Australia's top legal minds sign petition calling for clemency for Chan and Sukumaran More than 140 of Australia's leading law professors, deans and academics have signed a petition pleading with Indonesian President Joko Widodo to use his constitutional powers to spare the lives of the Bali 9 pair, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. In ultimately deciding on clemency we believe the Indonesian Government should give the strongest consideration to the remarkable rehabilitation history of the 2 condemned. Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Sydney, Mark Findlay, said the response from the legal fraternity over the past 24 hours has been astonishing in its commitment and its concern. We are not lecturing the Indonesians, but rather we want to commend their prison system which seems to have assisted in the remarkable rehabilitation of our 2 fellow citizens, he said. The petition says the academics seek the Indonesian president's mercy, not as critics of Indonesia, or its legal system, nor of Indonesia's right to take the strong but ultimately humane action against drug traffickers who bring misery and addiction to many. While opposing capital punishment as cruel and inhuman we also condemn the exploitation which the drug trade represents, the petition says. The academics say the Republic of Indonesia has earned growing respect and approval among the international community for its demonstrated commitment to protecting human rights, and has made an important contribution to human rights protection globally as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council. President Widodo himself has been a strong advocate for human rights, with the advancement of human rights a central plank in his 2014 presidential election campaign, the academics say. The deaths of Chan and Sukumaran would be a tragedy for them, and their families, while not addressing the underlying causes of the drug trade in Indonesia. In contrast, sparing the lives of these 2 young men, who have demonstrated remorse for their crimes and have been rehabilitated during their lengthy imprisonment, would be a signal of strength and mercy, an affirmation of President Widodo's deep commitment to human rights. Presidential clemency would serve as a turning point and opportunity for Indonesia to achieve its overriding national interest - combating the drug trade. It would do so by being a rallying call for Australia and other countries in the region to develop and implement an effective regime to stamp out the damaging drug trafficking trade once for all. The petition includes the following statement signed by more than 140 academics: As lawyers, concerned academics and professionals, we join to speak out against the impending and tragic execution of our fellow citizens in Indonesia. We do not see this punishment as either an issue of national sovereignty or of just desserts. The Australian police gave up these 2 men to a capital punishment jurisdiction as part of an operation which could have led to prosecutions and trials in Australia where the death penalty is not an option. Capital punishment is said to be qualified by mercy. In ultimately deciding on clemency we believe the Indonesian Government should give the strongest consideration to the remarkable rehabilitation history of the 2 condemned. In opposing these executions we are not seeking to criticise the judicial process of another country. However, we want to see justice tempered with humanity. Right-minded Australians share the abhorrence of misery and addiction associated with drug abuse and the shameful trafficking trade. That said, nothing in our view can justify the killing of 2 men in circumstances such as these. At this final hour we add our voices to the calls for the death sentences to be commuted and for Australia and Indonesia to join in other ways to fight the harmful health consequences of drug abuse in all its forms. (source: Sydney Morning Herald) NIGERIA: Lawyers Fault Lagos Decision To Retain Death Penalty Lawyers under the aegis of Avocats Sans Frontieres France (Lawyers Without
