On Wednesday, April 16, 2008, the United States
Supreme Court ruled that lethal injection, which is the method of execution used inmany states, including Georgia, is constitutional. The State of Georgia is set to resume executions immediately. Troy Davis, who is almost certainly innocent of the murder of which he was convicted, could be executed at any time. Please help. Go to Amnesty International's action alert and send their letter to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles.

IMPORTANT: If you have friends or family in Georgia, even if they believe in  the death penalty as punishment for murder, ask them to help prevent the execution of an innocent man. Please contact anna(at)charlestonpeace.net for sample letters to send to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. 

Background:  

Troy Davis was convicted of the 1989 murder of police officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia and sentenced to death. No gun was ever found; in fact there was no evidence. The case against him consisted entirely of witness testimony.

Since the trial, seven of the nine witnesses on whose word Davis was convicted have retracted their testimony, and several have stated that they were pressured by police to implicate Davis. One of the remaining two witnesses is a suspect in the case. 

 In July of 2007, a day before Davis' scheduled execution, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles granted him a 90 day stay of execution. The Georgia Supreme Court agreed to hear his case in order to decide if he should be given a new trial. During the hearing, which three of the seven Justices neglected to attend, the prosecution suggested that Davis' attorney should have informed the court much earlier of the retracted testimony.  On March 17, 2008, in a 4-3 decision, the Georgia Supreme Court denied Troy Davis' appeal for a new trial on procedural grounds. 

On April 16, the United States Supreme Court decided that lethal injection, which is the method of execution used in Georgia, is constitutional. Georgia's Attorney General wants to resume executions in the state as soon as possible. Despite compelling evidence that Davis is likely to be innocent and despite expressions of concern from Bishop Tutu, Pope Benedict and others, Davis could be executed very soon. Please write to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles and ask to have Davis' sentence commuted. You can use Amnesty International's letter or make changes here. Also, please ask everyone you know in Georgia to write letters to the Board at this address: 

Georgia State Board of Pardons & Paroles
2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, SE
Suite 458, Balcony Level, East Tower
Atlanta, GA 30334

For sample letters, please contact anna(at)charlestonpeace.net,  312-9741

Some of the recent articles and editorials denouncing the death penalty and discussing the U.S. Supreme Court decision can be found here:  L.A. Times; Boston Globe; Yale Daily News; Democracy Now