[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
May 7 GAMBIA: Gambia’s president hinted on serious human rights violations Amnesty International delegates in a meeting with President Adama Barrow in the capital Banjul noted the major progress made in the two years since his inauguration but drew attention to serious human rights violations in Gambia which still need to be addressed urgently. While acknowledging that there is still much to do to improve respect for human rights in Gambia, President Barrow also recognized the challenges the country is facing in what he considers as “a transition period”. Referring to the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) which began hearings on 7 January 2019, President Barrow told Amnesty International that at the end of its investigations, the government will look at the recommendations and prosecute those who are suspected to have committed grave human rights violations and abuses during former President Yahya Jammeh’s rule and ensure that they face justice. President Adama Barrow also told Amnesty International he is committed to outlaw the death penalty, “as part of his legacies to the country.” “While Gambia has come a long way regarding respect for human rights under President Barrow’s leadership, there are still areas that need improvement to achieve a better human rights record,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus Barry, Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Director. “We still see security forces using excessive force to disperse peaceful gatherings. Prison conditions are desperately poor, and we have credible evidence that teenagers as young as 15 years old are being held with adults without trial. Arbitrary arrests and detention still occur. If Gambia wants to go way from the poor human rights record it has had for many years, the country must accelerate its reforms and ensure that laws restricting freedom of speech and assembly are changed.” The Anti-Crime Unit in the Police Force which was created in April last year has been accused of arbitrarily arresting and detaining individuals. In January this year, Omar Touray a member of the former ruling party was arrested and detained for five days without being presented before a judge. Other cases of arrests and detentions include the case of Dr Ismaila Ceesay who was arrested in January 2018 after he gave an interview to a newspaper where he reportedly criticized the president. He was later released and charges against him dropped. In June 2017, youth activist and journalist Baboucarr Sey was subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention for leading a community initiative to protest the acquisition of a football field by a private company. Amnesty International also took the occasion of its meeting with President Barrow to underline the need to improve the conditions in prison facilities such as Mile 2 and Janjanbureh, and reform relevant legislation in line with international standards. The situation was especially bad at Mile 2 prison, where Amnesty International documented that young boys of 15 and 16 years old were detained alongside adults for months without being brought to a court. “We asked President Barrow to publicly instruct the Anti-Crime Unit, the army and the State Intelligence Services not to detain people beyond the 72-hour period which is permitted by law,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus Barry. “The President should also provide the leadership needed to ensure that relevant authorities move swiftly to improve the dire conditions in prison facilities across the country and reform relevant legislation in line with international standards.” Peaceful protesters killed by police In an extremely disturbing episode in June 2018, t3 people were killed, and many others injured when armed policemen opened fire on peaceful protesters in the village of Faraba, 40 km outside of Banjul. A commission of inquiry that was set up to investigate the deadly incident recommended that suspected perpetrators should be brought to justice, but they were pardoned by the President. Cases of violations of the right to freedom of expression have been recorded since President Barrow was elected in January 2017. For example, the Occupy Westfield group which was set up to campaign against the numerous power cuts and water shortages in the country, was denied the right to protest. Amnesty International has recommended during its meeting with the President that Gambia repeals laws that restrict the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and association. These include the offence of holding a procession without a permit under Gambia’s Public Order Act, and the offence of unlawful assembly under the Criminal Code. Death penalty The authorities publicly spoke about getting rid of the death penalty in the country’s future constitution and has gone further to ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TENN., WYO., ARIZ., NEV., CALIF., USA
May 7 TENNESSEEimpending execution Catholic officials pleased with new conscience protection rule Don Johnson, set to be executed May 16 by the state of Tennessee for the brutal 1984 murder of his wife Connie Johnson, has several people in his corner advocating clemency for him. His supporters include the 3 Catholic bishops of Tennessee. But now, Johnson’s stepdaughter Cynthia Vaughn, who once supported his execution, has forgiven him and publicly spoken out against his execution. During a talk at Vanderbilt Divinity School earlier this year, Vaughn described the long and painful journey between the time Johnson killed her mother to coming face-to-face with him inside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution nearly 30 years later. “I had waited almost 30 years, confined to my own internal house of hell, and he had caused it,” she said, describing her attitude going to visit Johnson for the first time: “I had one mission, to tell him what I thought of him. … I blamed him for all my troubles and pain over the last 3 decades.” But then, “I realized it wasn’t the man on the other side of the thick prison glass that caused me so much heartache, it was me. I realized it was time for everything to end, that’s enough, let it go,” she said. “I looked at him and told him, ‘I have to tell you something, I can’t keep hating you. It’s not doing anything to you, but it’s killing me, so I forgive you.'” Vaughn then describes racing away from Riverbend to meet a friend: “I couldn’t wait to tell him, I was free and I could feel it,” she said. “Ever since then, I can’t hate him (Johnson). I don’t have it any more. Life changed.” Vaughn said she can now find peace and happiness at home in Mississippi with her children and among her friends in her church community. “I love my life now,” she said. The state’s bishops, in a hand-delivered April 23 letter to Gov. Bill Lee, asked him to spare Johnson’s life. “As we approach the Easter season and its celebration of redemption through Jesus Christ’s victory over sin and death, it is within your power to establish your legacy as a governor of Tennessee who does not preside over an execution on your watch,” it said. “I’ve seen he’s a man of faith,” Johnson himself said of Lee in a video message to the governor. “I would ask that he does what God leads him to do. I would ask him to do what he feels in his heart is the right thing to do.” At this point, Lee, who took office in January, has the sole authority to commute Johnson’s sentence from death to life in prison. He has said that he is actively reviewing Johnson’s request for clemency but has not made a decision yet. Deacon James Booth, director of prison ministry for the Diocese of Nashville, said he is in awe of Vaughn’s act of forgiveness. “It really is a Christ-like response,” he told the Tennessee Register, newspaper of the Diocese of Nashville. “Her strength of character is stunning.” “For Don, that restoration of a relationship with his daughter, and her willingness to be a public advocate for his life, is a tremendous source of consolation,” Deacon Booth said. Deacon Booth leads a Catholic Scripture-based discussion group at the prison on Saturday mornings, and has gotten to know Johnson, who is a regular participant. Johnson is an ordained elder in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, but “he is an active and respectful member of our group,” Deacon Booth said. Johnson acknowledges his horrible crime of 35 years ago and accepts responsibility for that action, but does not deserve to die because of it, Deacon Booth said. Catholic teaching opposes capital punishment in all instances and Johnson’s case is an example of the transformation and redemption that’s possible in prison. “Considering where he came from, how he was raised, and his own crime, the distance from where he was then to where he is now is astronomical,” Deacon Booth said. Last August, Pope Francis ordered a revision of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which now says that “the church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,’ and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.” The Tennessee bishops’ letter to Lee said: “Rather than serving as a path to justice, the death penalty contributes to the growing disrespect for human life and continues a cycle of violence in society. Even when guilt is certain, the execution is not necessary to protect society.” Deacon Booth said he feels Johnson “has a very strong case for clemency,” especially with Vaughn supporting the effort. “She’s the one who has lost the most because of her father’s crime,” he said, “and she has forgiven him.” (source: Catholic News Service) ** Tenn. bishops urge governor to stop executions The bishops of Tennessee have requested that the new governor halt
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, N.H., S.C., FLA., ALA., LA.
May 7 TEXAS: FBI releases details in investigation, shooting that led to Fort Worth officer’s deathSince 2016 police have traveled cross country to highlight lives and families of officers who died in the line of duty. This year, Cannonball Memorial Run stopped in Fort Worth to honor Garrett Hull’s family. More details of what led to the shooting death of police officer Garrett Hull in September were released on Monday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Hull, 41, was a criminal intelligence officer with the Fort Worth Police Department and was fatally shot on Sept. 14 by a man suspected in a string of armed robberies that had been occurring at Hispanic bars and cantinas over the summer and into September. Days before the robbery, detectives identified 2 possible suspect vehicles — a truck and an SUV — from surveillance video related to 2 of the robberies, according to the FBI. Officers had identified the driver of the SUV and on Sept. 9, a robbery detective requested a Special Response Team to keep watch of the SUV. Officers then saw the driver of the SUV meet up with a truck that matched the description of the 2nd vehicle. Detectives didn’t have enough information to issue an arrest warrant yet, so they began surveillance on the 2 vehicles, the FBI said. On Sept. 13, officers from several different units — including the criminal intelligence unit — followed the driver of the SUV to a bar at 403 W. Biddison St., in the Worth Heights neighborhood. The occupants of the SUV watched the bar until just after 10 p.m. They then left and picked up a 3rd person at a nearby gas station. The 3 suspects were later identified as Timothy Huff, 33, Dacion Steptoe, 23, and Samuel Mayfield, 33. At 11:28 p.m., the SUV parked at a vacant home near the bar. About 30 minutes later, the surveillance footage at the bar showed that the men went into the back patio of the bar. 2 of the men immediately pointed handguns at customers. The customers were forced to the ground and their belongings stolen. One of the men went inside and continued to rob patrons, the FBI said. Detectives who were watching outside became aware of the ongoing robbery when a customer ran out of the bar followed by a masked man who pointed a gun at the runner. The suspect ran back inside the bar, the FBI said. Meanwhile, uniformed officers in an unmarked van and truck parked close to the front and rear bumpers of the suspects’ SUV. They took positions around the vehicle, the FBI said. Huff, Steptoe and Mayfield ran out of the bar and toward the SUV, but when they saw officers, they turned and ran in different directions. Officers spread out to chase the men. One officer followed a banging sound that came from a nearby home and found that the door had been kicked in. Mayfield was standing inside the home. He complied with the officer’s order to lie down on the ground and was arrested. A the same time, Steptoe was spotted by an officer after he jumped a fence behind another home. He ignored commands to stop and continued to run. The FBI said that one of the officers yelled, “Gun, gun, gun!” Hull, a 17-year police veteran, had just left the area where Mayfield was arrested and joined the chase of Steptoe. Just before midnight, Steptoe ran through a small opening between the front of a parked truck and the corner of a house. An overhead floodlight lit the opening, but everything beyond the hood of the truck was in darkness, the FBI said. When Hull reached the opening, Steptoe fired 2 shots with a 9mm handgun. Hull took cover and shot back at Steptoe, but Steptoe continued to shoot and hit Hull in the head. Another officer returned gunfire and Steptoe fell to the ground. Steptoe began to stand up with the firearm in his hand, the FBI said, and a third officer commanded him to stop moving, but Steptoe didn’t comply. 2 officers fired again, and Steptoe fell with his firearm still in his hand. He was later pronounced dead. At the same time, other officers ran to Hull and put him into a marked patrol vehicle. He was pronounced dead later that day. Huff was found by officers in a nearby garage. Police found a weapon, mask and “proceeds” from the bar robbery near where he was caught, according to an arrest affidavit. Both Huff and Mayfield are jailed and charged with capital murder in Hull’s death. Bail in the capital murder case is set at $1 million for each. In December, Huff’s attorney filed a motion seeking a reduction in bond. It was denied. On April 23, state prosecutors filed a notice that they will seek the death penalty for both men. Trial dates have not yet been set. Details of the deadly night were released in the FBI’s report on officers killed and assaulted in 2018. Hull was one of three officers killed in Texas last year. A 37-year-old officer with the Richardson Police Department was shot and killed in an ambush on Feb. 7. In Dallas, a
