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DEATH PENALTY SUMMARY – JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2020Date format: day/month/yearInternational Summary (from: 10.1.20 – 13.2.20)USAFilm – ‘Just Mercy’ – 10.1.20 - a legal drama based on the true story of a lawyer’s fight to save the life of a man on death row was released in the UK on 17th January. Its stars include Jamie Foxx, Rafe Spall and Brie Larson. (Source: NCADP.) Follow the link for an article on the film by Ed Pilkington – New York – in The Guardian.)Note: It has been agreed that this film will be shown at the Arts Centre in partnership with the Salisbury Amnesty Group on 4th November. Georgia – 11.1.20 – Michael Nance, convicted of murder and other crimes and sentenced to death, has asked to be executed by firing squad rather than lethal injection, which he argues would cause him ‘excruciating pain’ because of the condition of his veins. (Source: CNN.)16.1.20 – Jimmy Meders, sentenced to death for murder, and who had been scheduled to be executed by lethal injection, was granted clemency by the Georgia Parole Board hours before he was due to die. According to his clemency appeal, he was one of the last people to be tried and sentenced before the legislation was passed authorising life without parole as an alternative to the death penalty. All six remaining jurors confirmed they would have recommended this sentence had it been available at the time. (Source: Reason.)Florida – Kris Maharaj14.1.20 – An email was received from Reprieve with the upsetting news that Kris Maharaj’s evidentiary hearing has again been delayed – and this time indefinitely. Supporters were asked to add their name to a Reprieve petition. (Circulated to the Group and posted on the website – 14.1.20.) For further background, see the item on our Website.26.1.20 – An email was received from Reprieve with a reminder that today was Kris Maharaj’s 81st birthday and calling on supporters to share the petition. (Posted on the Group website and shared on Facebook.) 20.1.20 – The US Bishops Conference and the Bishops of Florida are calling for James Dailey, a prisoner on death row in Florida, to be granted a new trial in the light of evidence which suggests his innocence. Mr Dailey was convicted of murder on the basis of the testimony of fellow prisoners, said to have incentives to lie. Mr Dailey, who has consistently maintained his innocence, was due to be executed on 7th November 2019. He was granted a stay of execution but this has expired and he could be executed at any time. (Source: Catholic News Agency.)23.1.20 – The Florida Supreme Court overturned a landmark precedent which will result in Judges once again being able to impose the death penalty without the unanimous recommendation of a Jury. At the same time, the Court has effectively overruled precedents that limited its ability to reverse past decisions. (Source: ) 24.1.20 – Experts have said this decision has thrown 100 to 150 cases into limbo. (Source: Mynews 13.)Oklahoma – 14.1.20 - State Representative Jason Dunnington filed a bill that, if passed into law, would remove the death penalty as an option for the State. Mr Dunnington listed his objections to capital punishment as the number of exonerations (1 in 10), the cost, the lack of evidence that it acts as a deterrent, victim family testimony that it does not provide them with consolation. Note: the last State execution took place in 2015. (Source: ABC7 News.)Texas – 15.1.20 – John Gardner, convicted of murder, was executed. This was the first execution to take place in the US in 2020. (Source: The Texas Tribune)Colorado – 27.1.20 – Following testimony from victims’ families, lawyers and religious leaders, a bill to repeal the death penalty passed the first legislative stage at the State Capitol. It was approved along party lines, with Democrat senators voting in its favour, and Republicans voting against. Advocates of the bill believe it has sufficient support in both the House and the Senate to pass. The last execution in the State of Colorado took place in 1997. Should the bill be successful, Colorado would be the 22nd State to repeal the death penalty. (Source: Westword.)31.1.20 – The State Senate voted 19-13 to advance the bill to the House of Representatives, where it is believed it will pass easily. Colorado is one of four States where the death penalty is currently under an official moratorium, together with California, Oregon and Pennsylvania. (Source: Intelligencer.)Washington – 31.1.20 – Senators voted to repeal the State’s death penalty law, and the bill will now pass to the House for consideration. This will be the third time in three years that such a bill has reached the House, but Governor Inslee has said he will sign it should it reach his desk. (Source: Komo News.)Ohio – 5.1.20 – The Republican speaker of the Ohio House said his caucus is discussing a possible repeal of the State’s death penalty, but his counterpart in the Senate stated such a measure would be unlikely to pass this year. Note: Ohio has not carried out an execution since 2018 – firstly because a Federal Judge likened the procedure to torture, and secondly because some manufactures said they would refuse to supply medicines for whatever purpose. (Sources: The Columbus Despatch/The Crime Report.)Pakistan – 13.1.20 – The Lahore High Court overturned the death sentence imposed on former President Pervez Musharraf, declaring the legal process unconstitutional. General Musharraf, who was allowed to leave Pakistan in 2016 on medical grounds and is currently receiving treatment in Dubai, has always denied any wrongdoing. (Source: The BBC.)Saudi Arabia – 13.1.20 – Amnesty International UK issued a Press Release stating that it would not be participating in the ‘G20’ Civil Society meeting taking place in Saudi Arabia this week, as it was a ‘sham’ – ‘We cannot participate in a process which is being abused by a state which censors all free speech, criminalises activism for women’s and minority rights, as well as homosexuality, and tortures and executes critics.’ (Source: AIUK.)5.2.20 – A report published by AI shows how the Saudi Arabian authorities are using a counter-terrorism Court – the Specialised Criminal Court – as a weapon to systematically silence peaceful opposition in the country. Vague charges are made, which often equate peaceful political activities with terrorism. Some of those involved have been given death sentences. (Clink on the link for access to the full report – Muzzling Critical Voices: Politicised trials before Saudi Arabia’s Specialised Criminal Court.)8.2.20 – An email was received from Reprieve noting that today was Dawood al-Marhoon’s birthday, his sixth on death row. He was arrested at 17, allegedly for participating in an anti-government protest/ He was tortured and forced to sign a blank document, into which a ‘confession’ was later inserted. (Source: Reprieve.)Japan – 17.1.20 – An opinion poll carried out by the Cabinet Office indicates that support within Japan for capital punishment stands are 80.8%, up by 0.5% from the previous poll conducted in 2014. Only 9% indicated support for the abolition of the death penalty. Amongst those who did support its abolition, the top reason for their decision was given as ‘There’s no going back if there is an error in the trial.’ This was the 11th Survey to be conducted – the first having taken place in 1956. (Source: The Mainichi) Note: It has now been learned that Hakamada Iwao did attend the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis on 25th November 2019. He has become a symbol of a movement to oppose the death penalty in Japan.Singapore – 22.1.20 – The city’s Government has used its new ‘Online Falsehoods’ Law against the Malaysia-based NGO Lawyers for Liberty, who have alleged that prison officers engaged in brutality on death row. Their report states that officers in Changi Prison were instructed to kick and break prisoners’ necks should the rope snap during executions by hanging. (Source: Financial Times.)India – 23.1.20 – The Supreme Court stated that the ‘finality’ of the death penalty was extremely important, and that condemned prisoners should not be under the impression that it remained ‘open ended’ and can be challenged ‘all the time’ by them. Against the backdrop of the four prisoners sentenced following a gang-rape murder case, the Court said it had to act according to the Law, and Judges had a duty to deliver justice to society and the victims. (The Economic Times – The India Times.)Urgent Actions:Nigeria – UA164/19 - Nigerian authorities have continued to detain human rights defenders Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare at the Department of State Services in Abuja, and Agba Jalingo in Calabar prison, southern Nigeria, since their arrests in August. They are facing trumped-up charges of treason, because they demanded government accountability. The maximum penalty for the offence of treason is the death penalty. They must be released immediately and unconditionally. (Circulated to the Group: 15.1.20)Bahrain – An email action was received from AIUK in respect of the two democracy activists – Hussain Ali Moosa and Mohamed Ramadhan – at risk of execution. (Circulated to the Group – 16.1.20.)South Sudan - An on-line action was received from the Amnesty Anti-Death Penalty Project on behalf of Magai Matiop Ngong, who was sentenced to death at 15, without being allowed access to a lawyer. He has spent two years on death row and is now l7. In 2018 he was finally given a lawyer, who has helped him to file an appeal. (Circulated to the Group 3.2.20.) The Guardian featured an Amnesty advertisement on Saturday 8th February calling for texts on behalf of Magai to be sent to 70 505. (Circulated to the Group 9.2.20.)An email request was received from Amnesty IAR on 12.2.20asking for Magai’s case to be shared on Twitter and Facebook. Posted on 13.2.20.Iran – An email action was received from AIUK in respect of Houshmand Alipour, from Iran’s Kurdish minority, who is at risk of execution following an unfair trial’ and a ‘false conviction’ said to be obtained under torture. He had been found guilty of ‘armed rebellion against the state’ and ‘spreading propaganda against the system. (Circulated to the Group 6.2.20.)India – UA 05/20 – Four men are at immediate risk of execution following their conviction of gang-rape and murder. Amnesty recognises the shocking nature of this crime, and expresses the utmost sympathy for the family of the victim, but it does oppose the death penalty in all cases as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Supporters are asked to call on the Government to show mercy to the four men, but also to allocate adequate resources for the effective implementation of laws, improve conviction rates and ensure certainty of justice without recourse to the death penalty. (Circulated to the Group 9.2.20.) Campaigning:A report for 2019 has been received from the Anti-Death Penalty Project. Follow the link for the full report which details:The Singapore postcard campaignThe DP workshop at last year’s AIUK AGMSpeaker eventsA demonstration at the Embassy against the use of the death penalty in the USAThe monthly newsletter (?)The showing of the film ‘Guilty’ to mark the World Day Against the Death PenaltyThe expansion of the anti-death penalty network from 2,500 to over 5,000The report recognises that the Project has not achieved everything it wished to, but the hope is that this year’s programme will be more effective.The Project is planning to focus throughout the year on the case of Magai Matiop Ngong (see Urgent Actions above), and will be asking for Groups’ involvement in raising the profile of his case and putting pressure on the Government of South Sudan to change his sentence.The Group is hoping to have a presence at the Studio Theatre, where they will be performing ‘The Thrill of Love’ (the story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the UK) on 23rd-28th March.Please see earlier for information about the Amnesty/Arts Centre Film Just Mercy on 4th November. ................
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