Death Penalty
The death penalty is the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights. By working towards the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, Amnesty International USA's Death Penalty Abolition Campaign looks to end the cycle of violence created by a system riddled with economic and racial bias and tainted by human error.
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Demand Clemency for Juvenile Offenders on Death Row in Iran | Saudi Arabia: Executions disproportionately target foreign nationals | Saudi Arabia: Affront to Justice: Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia | Fact Sheets | |
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Troy Davis: Finality over FairnessUPDATE: The Supreme Court has declined to hear Troy Davis' case; More action needed ...
Troy Davis, a man who may well be innocent, faces execution following a trial with no physical evidence. Further, 7 out of 9 state witnesses have since recanted or altered their testimony. Photo: Troy at graduation. © Private
The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denied clemency for Troy Anthony Davis shortly before 5 p.m. on Friday, September 12. On September 23, The U.S. Supreme Court stayed Troy Davis' execution "pending the disposition of [his] petition for a writ of certiorari." On October 14, the Court decided not to accept his petition. But regardless of their decision, the Georgia Board still has the power to step in at any point, so your continued action is needed today! 
Charles Dean Hood's execution stayedThe execution of Charles Dean Hood, scheduled for September 10, has been stayed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The stay was not based on the highly publicized allegations that Hood's trial judge and prosecutor were involved romantically during the time of his trial, but was in response to a challenge that his jury was given flawed instructions. News accounts have also reported that, in their reprieve request to Texas Governor Rick Perry, Hood's attorneys stated that the former judge and prosecutor in question admitted to the affair under oath earlier this week in a separate civil proceeding. Thanks to all who took action on his behalf! |
World Day Against the Death PenaltyFriday October 10 is World Day Against the Death Penalty. 
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Seek understanding - Mental IllnessThe execution of those with mental illness or "the insane" is clearly prohibited by international law and virtually every country in the world. Despite these standards, and constitutional law, the USA continues to execute people with diagnosed schizophrenia, those that suffer from severe delusions, and others with clinically-labeled mental illnesses. 
International Death PenaltyAround 137 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. On average, in the past decade more than three countries a year have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Despite international human rights standards, some nations still execute people. Around the world, the death penalty is used as a tool of political repression and a means to forever silence political opponents or eliminate politically 'troublesome' individuals. |
Capital Punishment in the USASince 1977, over 1,100 people have been executed in the U.S.; there are currently around 3,300 men and women on death row across the country. Grassroots activists throughout the USA play an essential role in advocating against this human rights violation through monitoring cases, mobilizing around upcoming events, and lobbying for anti-death penalty legislation. |
