Stefan Geschrieben 9. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 9. Februar 2003 http://www.acat-deutschland.de/ Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
Joachim65 Geschrieben 9. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 9. Februar 2003 Hallo Stefan, vielen Dank für den Hinweis. Nun habe ich noch eine ganz andere Frage: Auf der HP des Vatikans habe ich nirgends eine email-adresse gefunden, an die man schreiben kann. Ich möchte an den Vatikan in folgender Angelegenheit schreiben: NCADP National Execution Alert February 2003 - Addition Amos King (FL) Feb. 26, 2003 The state of Florida is scheduled to execute Amos King Feb. 26 for the 1976 murder of Natalie Brady. In the 26 years since the murder, King's death sentence has been argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, vacated, retried, and reinstated. In 2003 alone, he received three stays – one from the U.S. Supreme Court in February, another from the Florida Supreme Court in July, and yet another from Gov. Jeb Bush in December. King's pending execution represents the worst nightmare of the death penalty process: this is a possible innocence case, involving a defendant with ineffective trial counsel. Gov. Bush granted King a 30-day stay just hours before his Dec. 2 execution date so that DNA testing could proceed and shed light on the merits of his innocence claim. The results came back inconclusive, prompting two drastically different reactions. Gov. Bush, ignoring his previous concerns regarding King's possible innocence, immediately perceived the test results as a green light for an execution. Advocates for King, on the contrary, recognized that since the DNA testing proved nothing, the innocence claim remains strong enough to consider lingering doubt as grounds for clemency. King's lawyers also note that the state destroyed one of the most critical pieces of evidence – the semen-infused vaginal washings – years ago, and that testing on that would have very likely produced more conclusive results. Florida has freed more people from death row due to actual innocence than any other state, and accounts for approximately a quarter of the nation's exonerations. Just last month, the state of Florida released Rudolph Holton after a combination of DNA evidence and witnesses' admissions to lying at his trial proved his innocence. Holton walked free Jan. 24, after spending 16 years awaiting execution. King's innocence argument likely received little attention during his trial because of his struggles with inadequate legal assistance. Forced to gamble his life on state-appointed defense lawyers, he has been challenging the effectiveness of his trial counsel for more than two decades. In 1983, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated his death sentence, claiming he received ineffective assistance during the penalty phase of his trial. The court found that his lead attorney, Thomas Cole, entered the trial fatigued and unprepared. Cole, although an experienced criminal defense lawyer, had been concentrating primarily on another case at the time, and met with his client only twice before the trial. His support attorney, Anthony Rondolino, joined the defense less than a week before the trial began. In vacating the initial death sentence, Judge Paul H. Roney of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals wrote: "King was convicted on circumstantial evidence which however strong leaves room for doubt that a skilled attorney might raise to a sufficient level that, though not enough to defeat conviction, might convince a jury that the ultimate penalty should not be exacted." During the trial, Cole stated on the record: "Judge, I am beat, I have got to go home and get some sleep." On another occasion he said: "I can't think anymore." Of course, Cole represented King during the guilt phase of the trial as well, and little evidence indicates that he provided effective counsel at any point in the trial. According to the state, King murdered Natalie Brady in the early hours of March 18, 1977. An inmate at Tarpon Springs Community Correctional Center, a minimum-security work release facility, King allegedly escaped in the middle of the night, ran over to Brady's house, and proceeded to rob, sexually assault, and stab her before lighting the house on fire. Cole made numerous obvious errors while defending King, which several appellate judges noted in their opinions. He offered minimal challenges to critical pieces of evidence, including a kitchen knife a witness identified despite not having seen it in more than a decade. He also failed to present a piece of potentially exculpatory evidence concerning hair samples found on the victim's nightgown and sheets. Several judges have argued in favor of reversing King's death sentence again, citing "lingering doubt" about his guilt and the effectiveness of his defense attorneys. Considering the circumstances – from the possibility of innocence to the painfully obvious issues concerning ineffective counsel – this case is a no- brainer: commute the sentence to life in prison. Please write the state of Florida and encourage clemency for Amos King. Please Contact Governor Jeb Bush Executive Office of the Governor Tallahassee, FL 32399 Phone: 850-488-4441 Fax: 850-487-0801 e-mail: fl_governor@myflorida.com Pardon & Parole Board Executive Board of Clemency 2601 Blarr Stone Road Building C Room 229 Tallahassee, FL 32399 Write Op-Ed The Miami Herald One Herald Plaza Miami, FL 33132 Phone: 305-376-2100 Fax: 305-376-5287 e-mail: nationalnews@herald.com St. Petersburg Times PO Box 1121 Saint Petersburg, FL 33731-1121 Phone: 727-893-8215 Fax: 727-893-8675 e-mail: local@sptimes.com For More Information Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty PMB 297 177 US Highway #1 Tequesta, FL 33469 Phone: 800-973-4483 Fax: 561-743-2500 e-mail: fadp@fadp.org http://www.fadp.org Herzliche Grüße Joachim Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
Lichtlein Geschrieben 9. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 9. Februar 2003 Päpstliche Akademie für das Leben: pav@acdlife.va web site: http://www.academiavita.org Päpstliche Nachrichtenagentur fides: Palazzo "de Propaganda Fide" - 00120 - Città del Vaticano Tel. +39-06-69880115 - Fax. +39-06-69880107 - e-mail: fides@fides.va © AGENZIA FIDES web site: http://www.fides.org/deu/index.html Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
IRA Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 Erlaubt mir mal kurz eine kleine Abschweifung vom Thema... - Wie sieht eigentlich die Todesstrafe in China aus? (Wie sie in den USA aussieht wird ja weit und breit gezeigt...) Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
Explorer Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 Auch nicht schöner... Und wenn man so liest, was mit den Kandidaten bzw. ihren innereien nach der Exekution gemacht wird, dreht sich mir der Magen um... Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
Torsten Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 >- Wie sieht eigentlich die Todesstrafe in China aus?< Die Verurteilten, meist Drogendealer oder Zuhälter, also Menschen die eine Gefahr für die öffentliche Moral darstellen, werden in ein Stadion geführt und vor vollen Zuschauerrängen per Genickschuß hingerichtet. In den Katakomben des Stadions warten Ärzteteams, die den Toten die Organe entnehmen. Die Kugel für die Hinrichtung wird den Hinterbliebenen in Rechnung gestellt. In der DDR wurden zum Tode Verurteilte bis in die 60er mit dem Fallbeil geköpft. Dann ebenfalls mit Genickschuss. Der Letzte wurde, so glaube ich zu wissen, 1981 hingerichtet. Ein Sexualmörder. Dann kam die Annäherung an den Westen und die Verhängung der Todesstrafe wurde ausgesetzt, als Zeichen guten Willens gegenüber dem Westen in Sachen Menschenrechte. Kurz vor dem Untergang der DDR wurde sie ganz abgeschafft. Natürlich nur für diejenigen, die nicht die Flucht antraten und dabei erschossen wurden. ----- Die Familie von Vater, Mutter und Kind ist die Keimzelle eines jeden Staates. Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
Torsten Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 http://www.fifoost.org/polen/pl_beitritt_de/node14.php Im Anschluss an die formelle Abschaffung der Todesstrafe im Mai 2000 hat Polen im Oktober 2000 das diesbezügliche Zusatzprotokoll Nr. 6 vom 28. April 1983 zur Europäischen Konvention zum Schutze der Menschenrechte und Grundfreiheiten ratifiziert. Polen ist so katholisch, dass selbst in der Zeit des Sozialismus die zum Tode Verurteilten nicht erschossen sondern gehängt wurden. Ganz in christlicher Tradition? In Wahrheit habe ich keine Ahnung von den Hinrichtungspraktiken in Polen. Ich habe nur einen Ausschnitt aus einen Film von einem polnischen Regisseur in Erinnerung, der kurze Geschichten über die Liebe, den Tod usw. gedreht hat. Letzteres ziemlich eindringlich. Man sieht einen Keller mit einem Flaschenzug an der Decke. Und einen Gefesselten der von zwei Uniformierten gehalten wird und sich wie wild dagegen sträubt, dass man ihm die Schlinge um den Hals legt. Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
IRA Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 Kann ich gar nicht glauben, was du da schreibst, ich weiß nur, dass es ion Polen, wie in den USA/CSA ein Recht auf Selbstschutz gibt und das damit verbundene Recht auf Waffenbesitz. Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
WeisserRabe Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 Zitat von Joachim65 am 14:57 - 9.Februar.2003 Guten Tag allerseits, gibt es im deutschsprachigen Raum christliche Organisation ( Konfession ist zweitrangig ), die aktiv gegen die Todesstrafe eintreten? Bin für jeden Tip dankbar. Herzliche Grüße Joachim Bischof Dyba,Gott hab ihn selig,war gegen Abtreibung. Auch der Pabst hat in deutschland endlich den Saustall aufgeräumt! Es ist wirklich ungeheuerlich aus welchen Gründen in Deutschland,Menschen hingerichtet werden! Möge GOTT Uns allen Gnädig sein ! Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
Joachim65 Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 15. Februar 2003 Hallo Weisser Rabe, nun, meine Frage bezog sich auf international arbeitende Organisationen. Nicht auf Deutschland - wobei die hessische Verfassung noch immer die TS vorsieht, welche aber vom Bund abgeschafft wurde. Und Bundesrecht bricht Landesrecht, zum Glück. Allen die mir Tips gegeben haben, danke ich an dieser Stelle ausdrücklich. Joachim Presseaussendung der National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Kontakt: David Elliot, NCADP Communications Director 001-202-543-9577, ext. 16 Mobiltelefon: 202-607-7036 delliot@ncadp.org http://www.ncadp.org 920 Pennsylvania Ave. SE Washington, D.C. 20003 "EIN ÜBERMASS AN VORSICHT" WARUM - IN JEB BUSHS WORTEN - AMOS KIND NICHT HINGERICHTET WERDEN SOLL 14. Februar 2003 - Florida beabsichtigt Amos King - trotz ernstzunehmender Fragen über Kings Schuld, fabrizierter Aussagen durch einen medizinischen Sachverständigen des Staates, durch den Staat zerstörter Beweise und eines inkompetenten Anwaltes - hinzurichten. Kings Hinrichtung - original für den 2. Dezember 2002 angesetzt - wurde zuvor angehalten, damit DNA-Beweise, die King angeblich mit dem Mord an Natalie Brady in Verbindung bringen, getestet werden können. Die Resultate dieser Tests waren ohne Ergebnis - weder bewiesen sie Kings Schuld, noch seine Unschuld. Nachdem die Tests durchgeführt worden waren, sagte Gouverneur Jeb Bush: "Aufgrund eines Übermaßes an Vorsicht ordnete ich zusätzliche Tests an den Beweisen in Amos Kings Fall an. Diese Tests wurden ausgeführt und es wurde durch sie nicht erreicht, neue Ergebnisse zu erreichen." Steven W. Hawkins, verantwortlicher Direktor der National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, sagte, dass Bush exakt dieselben Standards beibehalten sollte, wenn er darüber entscheidet, ob King sterben soll. "In einem Übermaß an Vorsicht sollten wir keinen Mann hinrichten, der möglicherweise tatsächlich unschuldig an dem Verbrechen ist, wegen dem er verurteilt wurde," sagte Hawkins. "Jemanden hinzurichten der nicht ohne den geringsten Zweifel schuldig ist verletzt unsere Verfassung, unsere demokratischen Werte und unseren Anstand." Kings Schuldspruch und Todesurteil repräsentiert den schlimmsten Alptraum des Todesstrafenprozesses: **** Die Beweise gegen Kind waren im besten Fall Indizienbeweise und kein Augenzeuge konnte seine Anwesenheit am Tatort nachweisen. **** Kings Anwalt war offensichtlich ungeeignet. Das 11. Berufungskreisgericht schrieb, dass Kings Prozessanwalt "eine Anzahl von Fehlern" während der Schuld-/Unschuldsphase in Kings Prozess machte und dass diese Fehler "einige Fragen aufwerfen, bis hin zur Ineffektivität." ****Eine medizinische Sachverständige, die eine der wichtigsten Aussagen gegen King in dessen Prozess bot, war möglicherweise inkompetent. Im Jahr 2002 schrieb die St. Petersburg Times, dass nicht sicher war, ob ihr Verhalten in einem Fall nur deshalb "ungeeignet und beunruhigend parteiisch" war um eine Verurteilung zu erreichen und fragte: "Wie viele andere Autopsien hat sie vermasselt?" ****Der Staat hat zugegeben eines der wichtigsten Beweisstücke in dem Fall - Vaginalproben mit Samenflüssigkeit - vernichtet zu haben, das , wenn man es modernen DNA-Tests ausgesetzt hätte, ein für alle Mal Kings Unschuld oder Schuld bewiesen hätte. Hawkins verlangte, dass Bush Kings Strafe in eine lebenslängliche umwandelt. "Wenn Gouverneur Bush es versäumt zu handeln, riskiert er mehr als das Leben von Amos King," sagte er. "Er riskiert es, das Konzept der Justiz selbst zu erniedrigen. Die Justiz muss sicher und genau sein. Wenn sie es nicht ist, dann muss die Justiz Gnade zeigen. In einem Übermaß an Vorsicht muss das Leben von Amos King verschont werden." Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
Joachim65 Geschrieben 20. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 20. Februar 2003 National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty National Execution Alert March 2003 Scheduled Executions Bobby Cook (TX) 3/11 Delma Banks, Jr. (TX) 3/12 Michael Thompson (AL) 3/13 Louis Jones (Federal – IN) 3/18 Walanzo Robinson (OK) 3/18 Keith Clay (TX) 3/20 John Hooker (OK) 3/25 James Colburn (TX) 3/26 Ernest Martin (OH) 3/26 David Jay Brown (OK) 3/27 Louis Jones (Federal – IN) March 18, 2003 The United States is scheduled to execute Louis Jones, a black man, March 18 for the 1995 murder of Tracie Joy McBride in San Angelo, Texas. This pending federal execution – just the third in the modern era of capital punishment – is set for March 18 at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. The only two previous executions by the U.S. government since 1976 – Timothy McVeigh and Juan Raul Garza – took place within an 8-day period in June 2001. Jones allegedly bludgeoned the 19-year-old U.S. Army private to death with a tire iron after abducting her at gunpoint at Goodfellow Air Force Base on Feb. 18, 1995. Police investigators found evidence of sexual assault after Jones confessed to the murder and led them to McBride's body, which was under a bridge approximately 20 miles outside of San Angelo. Since the murder, Jones has accepted full responsibility for the murder and expressed his remorse on numerous occasions. He offered a significant amount of mitigating evidence during the penalty phase of his trial, but the jury voted for the death penalty regardless. Two of the jurors claimed afterward that the judge's instructions were unclear, and that given proper instructions concerning its options, the jury would have given Jones a sentence of life without parole instead of death. In 1999, an appeal regarding those jury instructions reached the U.S Supreme Court, which voted 5-4 to uphold the sentence. The troubling background that haunts Jones marks an all-to-common biography of death row inmates in the United States. He suffered serious physical and sexual abuse as a child, and battled mental illness as a result of his days in combat. Like McVeigh, he fought in the Gulf War in 1991; from that, as well as his action in the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983, he developed a post-traumatic stress disorder. After returning from the Gulf War, he displayed major personality and behavioral changes, and began showing signs of mental illness. He retired from the military in 1993, a transition further harmed by the break-up of his marriage. Sadly, when this clemency petition reaches its destination, it will land in the hands of President George W. Bush – one of the most relentless death penalty supporters in U.S. history. In his six-year term as the governor of Texas, he authorized more than 150 executions, nearly one fifth of the total executions in the United States since 1976. In fact, President Bush has presided over more executions than any other elected official alive today. Like so many political leaders, President Bush refuses to recognize that the death penalty system is arbitrary and capricious, that it discriminates based on racial and economic factors, and that it risks the execution of innocent human beings. Furthermore, he simply does not consider mitigating factors relevant, and classifies people in one of two categories: good or evil. The federal government should take the lead in the fight for equal justice and commute the sentences of all 26 people on the U.S government's death row. Please write President George W. Bush and request clemency for Louis Jones. Please Contact President George W. Bush The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Email: president@whitehouse.gov Fax: 202-456-2461 Alberto Gonzales Counsel to the President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500 Fax: 202-456-2461 Write Op-Ed The New York Times Letters to the Editor 229 West 43rd Street New York, NY 10036 Fax: 212-556-3622 The Washington Post Letters to the Editor 1150 15th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20071 Email: letters@washpost.com Texas Delma Banks, Jr. (TX) March 12, 2003 6:00 PM CST, 7:00 PM EST The state of Texas is scheduled to execute Delma Banks, Jr., a black man, March 12 for the 1980 murder of 16-year-old Richard Whitehead of Texarkana. Banks' case – clearly tainted with racial discrimination and prosecutorial misconduct – represents the tragic pattern of injustice so prevalent in the death penalty system. The trial featured a black man with ineffective defense lawyers, a prosecutor withholding exculpatory evidence, and by no coincidence, an all-white jury. The systemic discrimination in Banks' case is only the tip of the iceberg; as time has passed since his trial and conviction, more evidence has emerged concerning the legitimacy of his innocence claim. The two key witnesses who testified against him have both recanted their testimony, and scientific evidence now suggests that Banks was in Dallas – 180 miles away – at the time of the murder. No eyewitness accounts tie him to the crime, nor does any logical motive; furthermore, he had no prior criminal record. Banks has appealed his conviction and death sentence based on three of the most historic U.S. Supreme Court decisions in history: Strickland v. Washington (1984), Batson v. Kentucky (1986), and Brady v. Maryland (1963). With Strickland – which currently defines the standards for ineffective assistance of counsel claims – he succeeded for a short time when a U.S. district judge threw out his death sentence after calling the performance of his trial counsel "dismal." The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the sentence shortly thereafter, somehow determining that the outcome of the trial would have been the same regardless of the effectiveness of Banks' defense counsel. On Feb. 12, three judges on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals filed a scathing dissent in the case of Leonard Rojas, claiming that the majority made a serious error by refusing to consider his ineffective assistance appeal. Sadly, the issue no longer has practical applicability in Rojas' case, because the state executed him on Dec. 4, 2002. The judges and executive authorities would be wise to avoid a similar situation in Banks' case by stopping his scheduled execution. As for Batson, this case sadly represents the norm of Texarkana murder trials in the early 1980's. Banks, a black man, stood trial before an all-white jury – a scenario clearly intended by the state; in fact, the prosecution struck every single prospective black juror from the selection pool. In the famous Batson decision (1986), the U.S. Supreme Court banned strikes based on non-race neutral grounds, which should certainly apply to Banks' case. The high court may even redefine the guidelines for proving these claims in the case of Thomas Miller-El, another Texas death row inmate, which the court heard in October. Banks' Brady claim argues that the prosecution did not reveal potentially exculpatory evidence, which could have supported his innocence argument. At trial, the prosecution withheld crucial evidence from the defense that would have demonstrated the fact that neither key witness was credible or believable. In one of the most egregious rulings in the past quarter century, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals blamed Banks for not uncovering the prosecution's suppression and withholding of evidence earlier. This case combines all of the classic systemic problems of the death penalty – possible innocence, racial discrimination, ineffective counsel, and prosecutorial misconduct. The power of executive clemency marks the last safeguard against the overt discrimination and injustice that has plagued Banks' case for the last 23 years. Gov. Rick Perry and the Board of Pardons and Paroles should recognize the obvious problems with this death sentence and commute it to life in prison. Please write the state of Texas and protest Delma Banks' pending execution. Bobby Cook (TX) March 11, 2003 6:00 CST, 7:00 EST The state of Texas is scheduled to execute Bobby Cook, a white man, Feb. 5 for the murder of Edwin Holder. Cook, along with two accomplices, allegedly robbed and killed the 42-year-old Buffalo resident somewhere along the Trinity River near Cayuga on Feb. 6, 1993. Investigators found Holden's body in the back of his pick-up truck, which was submerged in the river. An Anderson County jury sentenced him to death in 1994, and his appeals have been unsuccessful thus far. The state also convicted Steven Ray Cockroft of capital murder in the Holden case, but he received a life sentence. Meanwhile, Robin Jenkins – the third defendant charged – testified against Cook, and in exchange, received a 15-year sentence on a robbery charge. Cook, unlike the others, now finds himself on death row, and his pending execution clearly demonstrates the arbitrary nature of the death penalty system. Cook, a native of Navarro County, dropped out of school in ninth grade. He faced burglary charges numerous times before the Holder murder, and spent several years in prison between 1987 and 1992. Carrying out this execution will only represent the state's participation in, and perpetuation of the cycle of violence and crime that has defined Cook's life to this point. At a time when most states with death penalty statutes are debating legislative bills to halt executions or minimize the pool of people eligible for capital punishment, Texas continues to proceed without caution. Please write Gov. Rick Perry and the Pardon and Parole Board and protest the execution of Bobby Cook. Keith Clay (TX) March 20, 2003 6:00 CST, 7:00 EST The state of Texas is scheduled to execute Keith Clay, a black man, March 20 for the 1994 murder of Melathethil Tom Varughese in Houston. Clay allegedly attacked Varughese, a convenience store clerk, amidst a robbery. According to the state, he shot him 10 times and then beat him with his pistol. Unfortunately, despite a decline in executions from 2001 to 2002 in the other 37 states with death penalty statutes, Texas nearly doubled its own total from the previous year, recording 33 executions. Early projections indicate that those numbers will only increase in 2003, as Texas accounted for eight of the first 10 executions in the United States this year. Clay allegedly felt pressured into committing the Varughese murder by his co-defendant, Shannon Thomas, who is currently on death row in Texas for a murder in 1993. Police speculated that this pair's crimes were drug-related and money-driven, and prosecutors convinced Clay's jury that he constituted a future threat to society. Not surprisingly, the two men, both black, stood trial in Harris County – the leading death penalty jurisdiction in the state of Texas. This scheduled execution – involving a black man in a system plagued by racial discrimination and a jurisdiction known for its excessive application of the death penalty – epitomizes the arbitrary nature of the capital punishment process. Please write Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and protest the execution of Keith Clay. James Blake Colburn (TX) March 26, 2002 6:00 PM CST, 7:00 PM EST The state of Texas is scheduled to execute James Blake Colburn March 26 for the 1994 murder of Peggy Murphy. Colburn, a white man, has an extensive history of chronic paranoid schizophrenia, a serious mental illness with symptoms including hallucinations and delusions. He displayed signs of this condition on the day of his crime, and also suffered several psychotic episodes while in pre-trial detention. The state acknowledged Colburn's severe mental illness at trial, yet sought the death penalty despite it. On Nov. 6, 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court intervened to stop Colburn's scheduled execution to review questions surrounding his competency. However, in January of this year, the high court refused to take his appeal, and the state of Texas responded quickly with another execution date. Colburn allegedly stabbed and strangled Murphy, a 55-year-old woman, on June 26, 1994. Shortly after the murder, he went to a neighbor's house, confessed his crime, and waited for the police to come and arrest him. He told investigators: "this one impulse came over me said to kill her…I couldn't stop myself." Doctors first diagnosed Colburn with paranoid schizophrenia at age 17, recognizing his auditory and visual hallucinations. His horrible experiences during that year severely complicated his condition; the victim of a violent homosexual rape, he developed a chronic post- traumatic stress disorder and severe depression with suicidal impulses. His attempts at self-medication eventually led to chronic substance abuse, and he suffered from periods of dissociation and memory deficits. At the onset of Colburn's trial in October 1995, the prosecutor said, "You are going to hear evidence that the defendant is a paranoid schizophrenic…You will hear evidence that he's heard voices and you are going to see him on tape. He's shaking or fidgeting. The State is not going to contest or deny any of that…" Knowingly violating every relevant human rights resolution passed in the United Nations since 1997, the state went on to make its case for executing Colburn. Meanwhile, evidence indicates that Colburn was essentially unaware of the courtroom proceedings – a fairly clear sign that he may not have been competent to stand trial. Under heavy sedatives for his mental illness, he fell asleep several times at the defense table. His attorneys constantly prodded him to stay awake, but the lapses continued throughout the trial. Recognizing problems with handing this mentally ill man a death sentence, the jurors inquired about the possibility of alternative punishments. During deliberations, they sent this written question to the trial court: "Given a life sentence, is there a possibility of parole in this case?" Seemingly, the jurors were seeking a punishment that would prevent a future threat to society, but also avoid the execution of Colburn. The court refused to respond to this question, holding that the jury should not consider parole when determining whether a defendant should be sentenced to life or death. Under the law applicable in this case, if the jury sentenced Colburn to life imprisonment, he would not become eligible for parole until he actually served forty years. In other words, the defendant, 35 years old at the time, already in poor mental and physical health and with a history of drug abuse, would have the very earliest possibility of leaving prison at the age of 75. The jurors' question to the trial court indicates that they simply wanted to protect society from Colburn's violent tendencies in the future, but avoid a death sentence if possible. They found a life sentence problematic only because they did not understand the consequences of such a sentence, and they perceived no other punishment as practical. The court's refusal to answer that question insinuated that the only way to prevent Colburn from harming society again was to execute him; this was not the case, and the jury should have fully understood that when determining his sentence. The state's scheduled execution of Colburn directly contradicts countless human rights resolutions and principles, and also displays the state's apathetic position toward people with mental disorders. Please write the state of Texas to request a commutation for James Colburn. Please Contact Governor Rick Perry Office of the Governor PO Box 12428 Austin, TX 787112418 Phone: (512) 463 2000 Fax: (512) 463 1849 http://www.governor.state.tx.us Board of Pardons and Paroles Attn: Gerald Garret Executive Clemency Section PO Box 13401, Capitol Station Austin, TX 78711 Phone: (512) 406 5852 Fax: (512) 467 0945 http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/bpp/index.html Write Op-Ed The Austin American-Statesman P.O. Box 670 Austin, TX 78767 Phone: (512) 445-3667 Fax: (512) 445-3679 Email: letters@statesman.com http://www.austin360.com/statesman/editions/today Dallas Morning News 2726 S. Beckley Dallas, TX 75224 Phone: (214) 977-8494 Fax: (972) 263-0456 Email: http://www.dmnweb.dallasnews.com/letters http://www.dallasnews.com Houston Chronicle P.O. Box 4260 Houston, TX 77210 Phone: (713) 220-7491 Fax: (713) 220-6806 Email: hci@chron.com http://www.houstonchronicle.com For More Information Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty 3400 Montrose Blvd. Suite 312 Houston, TX 77006 Contact: David Atwood Phone: 713-520-0030 (day) Phone: 713-529-3826 (eve) Fax: 713-942-8146 dpatwood@igc.apc.org http://www.tcadp.org Amnesty International State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator SMU PO Box 750172 Dallas, TX 75275 Contact: Rick Halperin Phone: (214) 768-3284 Fax: (214) 768-3475 Email: rhalperi@mail.smu.edu Alabama Michael Thompson (AL) March 13, 2003 12:00 AM CST, 1:00 AM EST The state of Alabama is scheduled to execute Michael Thompson March 13 for the 1984 murder of Maisie Carlene Gray. Thompson, a white man, allegedly robbed the Majik Mart in Blount County on the evening of Dec. 10, 1984, and kidnapped Gray, the lone employee. According to the state, he then threw her down a well and shot her, only to return to the well later with his girlfriend, Shirley Franklin, and more bullets to make sure Gray was dead. Thompson initially admitted to committing the crime, but later said police investigators coerced his confession by threatening and questioning him for 24 consecutive hours. Such interrogations are unconstitutional, and have been the basis for numerous exonerations and pardons of death row inmates in the United States over the past decade. Over the past 18 years, Thompson has filed a wide range of appeals, many of which were related to his ineffective assistance of counsel claim. During the guilt/innocence phase of the trial, his defense lawyers essentially forfeited during opening statements, agreeing with the prosecution that Thompson had, in fact, committed the Gray murder. Although he admits to being an accessory after the fact, he has continuously denied playing a role in the actual killing. Johnson's ineffective counsel argument is extremely compelling. His defense lawyers presented very little mitigating evidence, and never even contacted several key potential witnesses – including his mother, his uncle, and his pastor. At the state hearing to re-evaluate the death sentence years later, these witnesses finally offered some background information on Thompson's tragic and traumatic upbringing. According to this mother, he suffered serious physical abuse from his father as a child, and witnessed his grandfather shoot his father in the shoulder to protect his mother. At age 17, Thompson got in a payment dispute at work; when his father confronted the employer, he died of a gunshot wound. This event occurred as Thompson and his father were just beginning to heal the wounds that had traumatized his entire childhood and adolescence. Thompson's grandmother blamed him for his father's death, and he began drinking and using drugs more heavily to deal with the guilt (although his substance abuse problems began at age 10, when his father began providing him with liquor and drugs). His pastor, Rev. Jerry Fleming, also attested to Thompson's intensified struggles with substance abuse after his father's death, and said as a teenager Thompson he had demonstrated a deep concern for others' well being, as well as a desire to quit using drugs. Unfortunately for Thompson, his defense lawyers did not ask any of these witnesses to testify during his trial, and simply skipped over this mountain of mitigating evidence. The cycle of violence that has defined Thompson's life, as well as his socio-economic and educational background (he dropped out of school in eighth grade), is sadly the standard personal history of death row inmates in the United States. The application of capital punishment continues to discriminate against people with limited resources, and Thompson now finds himself dangerously close to execution as a result of the systemic inequalities in the death penalty process. Please write Gov. Bob Riley and the state of Alabama and request clemency for Michael Thompson. Please Contact Governor Bob Riley State Capitol, 600 Dexter Avenue Room N-104 Montgomery, AL 36130 Phone: 334-242-7100 Fax: 334-242-0937 Email: http://www.governor.state.al.us/office/email/email.html Alabama Parole Board PO Box 302405 Montgomery, AL 36130 Phone: 334-242-8730 Fax: 334-242-8700 Email: wsegrest@paroles.state.al.us Write Op-Ed The Birmingham News PO Box 2553 Birmingham, AL 35202 Phone: 205-325-2444 Fax: 205-325-3345 Email: elard@bhamnews.com http://www.bhamnews.com Montgomery Advertiser 200 Washington Ave. Montgomery, AL 36104 Phone: 334-262-1611 Fax: 334-261-1597 Email: khare@montgomeryadvertiser.com http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com For More Information Alabama Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Contact: George H. Jones P.O. Box 948 Leeds, AL 35094 hilesjones@aol.com Alabama Prison Project 215 Clayton Street Montgomery, AL 36104 Phone: 334-264-7416 Fax: 334-264-4661 Email: addvocat@bellsouth.net alabamaprisonproject.org Oklahoma Walanzo Robinson (OK) March 18, 2003 6:00 CST, 7:00 EST The state of Oklahoma is scheduled to execute Walanzo Robinson March 18 for the 1989 murder of Dennis Hill in Oklahoma City. Robinson, a black man, allegedly shot Hill after the two – both drug dealers – engaged in an argument over money and territory. At trial, his jury consisted of 11 white people; when the sole black juror decided Robinson deserved a life sentence, she received intimidation and harassment from her fellow jurors. They told her she was "just one nigger helping out another" and eventually persuaded her to vote for the death penalty. After reviewing the circumstances concerning this racist coercion, a federal district judge wrote that the allegations, "if proven true, are egregious and intolerable." However, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in January 2002 that the testimony of this holdout juror could not be used to overturn the sentence. Now, after a 14- year process clearly tainted by discrimination and bigotry, Robinson is just a few weeks away from his scheduled execution. Since his initial arrest in 1989, he has professed his innocence, claiming that although he was in the vicinity when the Hill murder occurred, he did not commit it. Prosecutors presented no physical evidence linking him to the crime, and earned a conviction based only on eyewitness accounts, which are historically unreliable. The governor's power of executive clemency marks the final safeguard against the overt racial discrimination that clearly led to this pending execution. In Oklahoma, the governor can commute a death sentence if the Pardon and Parole Board gives him a favorable recommendation. Sadly, Gov. Brad Henry has shown little respect for the Board's understanding of the system since he entered office earlier this year. In February, he ignored a clemency recommendation in the case of Bobby Joe Fields – a man clearly railroaded by the justice system. Fields unknowingly pled guilty for a death sentence and found himself on death row without a trial. Gov. Henry evidently paid no attention to the Board's recommendation, and the state executed Fields on Feb. 13. Robinson's hearing before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board starts at 10 am on March 12, and shortly thereafter, the Board will pass along its recommendation to Gov. Henry. If the Board gives him the opportunity, Gov. Henry should commute this sentence in the interest of fairness and racial justice. Please write the state of Oklahoma and request clemency for Walanzo Robinson. John Hooker, OK March 25, 2003 6:00 CST, 7:00 EST The state of Oklahoma is scheduled to execute John Hooker March 25 for the murders of his common-law wife, Sylvia Stokes, and her mother, Durcilla Morgan. Hooker, a black man, allegedly stabbed the two women to death in his Oklahoma City apartment on the evening of March 27, 1988. The Providence Apartment Complex, where the murders occurred, had a long-standing reputation as a haven for frequent drug abuse and violence. Although Hooker, Stokes, and their three children lived together in an apartment there for quite some time, Stokes and the children had moved in with Morgan a few months earlier. According to witnesses, Hooker had been visiting Morgan's apartment during the afternoon on the day of the murders, attempting to persuade Stokes to move back in with him. She refused, but later in the day, walked with Morgan to Hooker's apartment, where they both eventually suffered fatal stabbings. Medical examinations found they were intoxicated at the time of the murders, and blood analyses also found the drug PCP in Stokes' blood. Over the years, Hooker has argued a wide range of issues that could have altered the outcome of his trial, primarily improper jury selection procedure and ineffective counsel. Thus far, he has had no success in the appellate courts. This pending execution reflects a bleak perspective from the state of Oklahoma in terms of solving issues concerning crime, poverty, and substance abuse. Hooker, like many death row inmates, grew up surrounded by drugs, violence, and a disturbing family lifestyle. He developed an addiction to PCP, which plagued him throughout his life despite several serious attempts to quit. He was under the influence of PCP, as well as alcohol, at the time of the murders. Hooker also made note of his chronic underlying depression, as well as his inferiority complex and fragile coping skills, during the penalty phase of his trial. The state of Oklahoma can do better than sweep its problems under the carpet by executing people who fall victim to cycles of drug abuse and violence as a result of their upbringing. Please write the state of Oklahoma and request clemency for John Hooker. David Jay Brown (OK) March 27, 2003 6:00 CST, 7:00 EST The state of Oklahoma is scheduled to execute David Jay Brown March 27 for the 1988 murder of his former father-in-law, Eldon McGuire, in Grady County. This is the state's third attempt to carry out Brown's death sentence in the last year; appellate courts have granted stays on both prior execution dates. In June 2002, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted for clemency for Brown, but Gov. Frank Keating denied the recommendation. Now, Gov. Brad Henry must decide whether he will ignore clemency requests as his predecessor did, or consider the facts before signing off on executions. According to the state, Brown shot McGuire – his ex-wife's father – multiple times with a semi-automatic weapon in the McGuire's home on February 19, 1988; the murder evidently marked the culmination of a long-standing argument between the two men. Lee Ann McGuire and Brown had a short, rocky marriage, and Brown blamed most of the problems of their relationship on her father. Prior to the murder, Brown faced charges on several criminal counts for an altercation with Lee Ann in a barbershop, in which he fired a gun into a vacant chair. Eldon McGuire allegedly pressed hard for a solid prison term for the incident, but Brown fled the state while out on bail and returned only to settle his score with the McGuire family. Brown's lawyers egregiously failed to present mitigating evidence during the punishment phase of his trial – evidence that the Pardon and Parole Board has relied on to recommend clemency. As a child, Brown suffered from egregious abuse and neglect, as his family survived on his mother's job as a prostitute. He endured severe physical abuse growing up as well; at least once, he engaged in a fight to protect his mother from an abusive husband. These mitigating factors somehow fell by the wayside during the sentencing phase of Brown's trial, and the jury sentenced him to death with no understanding of his tragic upbringing. Clearly it is within reason to expect defense attorneys to investigate mitigating circumstances in a murder case and present them to the jury in a plea for a life sentence. Brown argued that his attorneys provided ineffective assistance throughout the trial, noting their failures to properly request a change of venue and raise issues of prosecutorial misconduct. If Brown's attorneys had investigated the mitigating factors in his case and presented them during his trial, he might very well have received a life sentence. Instead, he is dangerously close to execution, in large part because his financial background forced him to stand trial with ineffective state-appointed lawyers. Gov. Brad Henry should use his executive power wisely by accepting the recommendation of the Pardon and Parole Board and granting a commutation of David Brown's sentence. Please write the state of Oklahoma and protest this execution. Please Contact Governor Brad Henry Room 212 State Capitol Building Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Phone: 405-521-2342 Fax: 405-521-3353 governor@gov.state.ok.us Pardon & Parole Board 4040 North Lincoln Suite 219 Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Fax: 405-427-6648 Please Contact The Daily Oklahoman P.O. Box 25125 Oklahoma City, OK 73125 Phone: (405) 475-3311 Fax: (405) 475-3183 Email: newsroom@oklahoman.net http://www.oklahoman.com Tulsa World P.O. Box 1770 Tulsa, OK 74102 Phone: (918) 581-8300 Fax: (918) 581-8353 Email: tulsaworld@mail.webtek.com http://www.tulsaworld.com For More Information Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty PO Box 713 Oklahoma City, OK 73101 Contact: Jim Fowler Phone: 405-943-3808 Email: pr@ocadp.org http://www.ocadp.org Death Penalty Institute of Oklahoma PMB 131 3728 S. Elm Place Broken Arrow, OK 74011 Contacts: Robert Peebles, Michelle Gambino Phone: (918) 455-2849 Email: comments@dpio.org http://www.dpio.org Ohio Ernest Martin (OH) March 26, 2003 10:00 AM EST The state of Ohio is scheduled to execute Ernest Martin, a black man, March 26 for the 1983 murder of Robert Robinson in Cleveland. Martin allegedly shot him through the glass door of Robinson's drug store, which the victim owned. Over the past two decades, Martin has maintained his innocence, and repeatedly claimed that his ex- girlfriend and two of her friends gave perjured testimony at his trial. In 2001, Martin gave his first-hand perspective of the criminal justice system from death row: "It has no scruples or qualms against presenting an inmate, police informant, or someone willing to provide false evidence just so there will be a conviction…[which is apparent] taking into consideration the many innocent men which DNA testing has proven to be innocent..." According to the state, Josephine Pedro went to Robinson's Drug Store on the night of Jan. 21, 1983 because Martin had coerced her to do so. After Robinson, the drug store owner let her in and locked the door behind her, Martin shot him through the glass from outside, killing him almost instantly. Pedro initially told police investigators that she knew nothing about the shooting, but later turned on Martin and said he had been planning to rob the store for months. Since his incarceration in 1983, Martin has spent much his time praying and writing. He is a practicing Christian, and has written extensively on his wrongful conviction and death sentence, as well as issues concerning racial injustice in the application of capital punishment in the United States. In Illinois, Gov. George Ryan recently granted a blanket commutation to all the inmates on death row because of problems with innocence cases and systemic biases. These same issues plague the death penalty process in Ohio, and the state should re-evaluate its system before proceeding with more executions. Please write Gov. Bob Taft and the state of Ohio and request clemency for Ernest Martin. Please Contact Governor Bob Taft 30th Floor 77 South High Street Columbus, OH 432156117 Phone: 6144663555 Fax: 6144669354 Email:governor.taft@das.state.oh.us http://www.state.oh.us/gov Ohio State Parole Chairman Gary Croft 1050 Freeway Drive N. Columbus, OH 43229 Phone: 6147521200 Fax: 6147520600 http://www.drc.state.oh.us Write Op-Ed Cincinnati Enquirer 312 Elm St Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 5137212700 Fax: 5137688340 Email:enquirer.com/editor/letters.html http://www.enquirer.com The Columbus Dispatch 34 South 3rd St Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: 6144615000 Fax: 6144617580 Email: dcarson@dispatch.com http://www.dispatch.com For More Information Ohio Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty 3921 Davis Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45211 Phone: 5136629376 Ohioans to Stop Executions 9 East Long St Suite 201 Columbus, OH 432152901 Phone: 6142247147 Fax: 6142247150 Email: otse_webmaster@yahoo.com http://www.otse.org National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty National Execution Alert Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
Joachim65 Geschrieben 20. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 20. Februar 2003 Dies ist ein offener Brief von Amos King, der über 20 Jahre im Death Row sitzt, immer seine Unschuld beteuerte und auch durch DNA-Tests nicht entlastet wurde, weil das Material nicht verwertbar war!? Am Anfang dieses Threads gibt es noch mehr Informationen über ihn, hier nun der offene Brief: LETTER FROM AMOS KING - PLANNED EXECUTION OF AN INNOCENT MAN On Friday, February 14, 2003, Circuit Judge Susan Schaeffer abruptly disconnected me from a court hearing I was attending telephonically. The reason she did this is because I started to talk about the wrong person, Dr. Joan E. Wood, a potential Pandora's box for the judiciary. In 1994, Judge Schaeffer found the now infamous former medical examiner, Dr. Wood, had committed perjury before the Grand Jury in the Rubio case. In the years that followed, ending in the demise of her career in 2000, Dr. Wood came in for more infamy for her corruption and lies. My lawyer referred to Dr. Wood's work in my case in 1981 as "voodoo pathology," and then requested experts to challenge it as well as the work of Marion Hill, a chemist in her employment. The court denied these experts as well as an investigator. (See Judge Schaeffer's order in my case of January 1, 2002, exhibits B through F). Again in 1985, my lawyer filed for experts to challenge the work of Dr. Wood, Chemist Hill, and other experts in the case. That too was denied. Judge Schaeffer vouched for the competency of the work and testimony of Dr. Wood in my case as does the current medical examiner and State Attorney. Judge Schaeffer filed on December 1, 2002 as a matter of fact and law, that nobody had ever tried to challenge Dr. Wood's work in my case in the preceding 25 years, in spite of her own documentation to the contrary. Besides a very thorough examination of Dr. Wood's work by Dr. Reeves and Dr. Larkin, finding Dr. Wood's work "quackery" in my case. There's obvious perjury by Dr. Wood in my case over two trials. The now-infamous former medical examiner, Dr. Wood, committed perjury repeatedly at both my initial 1977 trial and my 1985 resentencing trial. I'm to be executed, based on her testimony, on February 26, 2003, at 6:00 pm. In April of 1977, Dr. Wood ordered an X-ray of the victim's larynx that showed a fracture of the right side of the thyroid cartilage. Contrary to this X-ray, Dr. Wood testified at deposition prior to both trials, and at both trials, that the broken cartilage on both sides of the thyroid, likely caused by hand or foot, that got corrotted material introduced against me in a demonic way at both trials. At the latter trial, a detective testified that Dr. Wood told him that the victim's thyroid cartilage was crushed. Again, prior to both trials, Dr. Wood testified that she could not tell if regular sexual intercourse or some object caused the vaginal tear in the victim. At both trials, Dr. Wood said that a knitting needle caused the tear. The two knitting needles and the victim's gown are being DNA tested at this writing. The same detective who testified that Dr. Wood said the thyroid cartilage was crushed was also the detective who found both the whole and half knitting needles, and he was impeached in 1985. Why? He had to admit that the knitting needles did not have blood on them when found. Someone put blood on them later. Obviously, this is false evidence. A smoke screen. Contrary to her own autopsy report of superficial stab wounds, literally scratches, throughout the trial in 1977, the victim developed a stab wound to the neck, first 2-2 1/2" deep, and later 2 1/2-3" deep, and stab wounds to the chest and others to the face. At trial, all of these stab wounds vanished, except to the neck. In 1985, Dr. Wood tried to turn a bruise into a bite mark. Prior to trial in 1985, Dr. Wood testified that she could not tell whether the victim was conscious during the sexual intercourse, yet at trial, she said she was conscious because she put her panties back on. At this same trial, she testified for the very first time that she had a solution to the missing vaginal washings. Previously she had not even written about the solution, nor had the detective, by chemist Marion Hill who analyzed the vaginal washings. This raises big questions: Was there a rape? Were the knitting needles jabbed into the victim's vagina? Given Dr. Wood's perjury, one must say "no" to both. Dr. Wood testified the victim died at 3:00 a.m., but the policeman who moved the victim at 4:15 a.m. testified she had a faint pulse at the time. Dr. Wood was a lying quack over 25 years ago. She did not go "bad" in the late 1990's as officials have tried to convince the public. Both police and fire marshals testified there was no burglary. This is a felony murder death penalty case based on rape. Almost all of the aggravating factors in this case are based on Dr. Wood's perjurous testimony. I thank the Honorable Governor Bush for digging deeper in allowing DNA testing. I ask now that he look into these allegations. The task would be simple and quick. The judicial system has failed. I have complained of ineffective counsel for over 25 years, even to the governor himself, knowing that an execution can be held on this evidence. I'm an innocent man. Amos King Florida Death Row February 18, 2003 http://www.amosking.com For information injustice@amosking.com info@oranous.com info@floridasupport.org Herzliche Grüße Joachim Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
Edith Geschrieben 21. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 21. Februar 2003 @WeisserRabe: danke, daß Du darauf mal hingewiesen hast. Wir wettern alle gegen die Todesstrafe, und richten Menschen hin, aus finanziellen Gründen ! (soziale Indikation). Nur weil sie zufällig noch ungeboren sind.... oder sie evtl behindert sein könnten (eugenische Indikation) !! Durch Deine Zeilen ist mir ein Licht aufgegangen..... Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
Joachim65 Geschrieben 21. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 21. Februar 2003 Hallo Edith, ohne Zweifel sind die soziale und die eugenische Indikation fragwürdig ( ich bin selbst Krankenpfleger in einer Behinderteneinrichtung ). Allerdings kann man meiner Ansicht nach die Todesstrafe und die Abtreibung nicht in einen Topf werfen und gegeneinander aufwiegen. Die Todesstrafe ist ein juristisches System, das in unserer ach so zivilisierten Welt längst überwunden sein sollte, weil es primär nur um Machterhalt und eine fragwürdige Doppelmoral geht. George W. Bush wurde mit Hilfe von 126 Hinrichtungen in Texas Präsident von God´s own Country, und gerade im Süden der USA sind viele bibelfeste (!) Baptisten TS-Befürworter. Amos King wird am 26. Februar vermutlich hingerichtet, obwohl seine Schuld/Unschuld überhaupt nicht erwiesen sind, aber Jeb Bush, seines Zeichens Gouverneur von Florida und Bruder von George W. Bush, wiedergewählt werden will. Die TS wird angewandt, obwohl sie nicht die erhoffte Abschreckung zeigt, und obwohl nur EINER das Recht hat über das menschliche Leben, und das ist Gott. Hat nicht ER das berühmte Kainsmal gesetzt, damit Kain nicht mit dem Tode bestraft wird? Nicht alle, die Todestrakt sitzen, sind unschuldig - ganz im Gegenteil. Aber das ist auch "zweitrangig", wenn man gegen die TS ist. Die Verfügungsgewalt über menschliches Leben hat nur Gott - sonst niemand. Herzliche Grüße Joachim Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
Joachim65 Geschrieben 21. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 21. Februar 2003 Feb. 20, 2003 from Rick Halperin NEW YORK: [statement by Howard J. Hubbard, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany and President of the Board of Directors of New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty to members of the Albany Common Council on February 20, 2003 in support of a resolution calling for a moratorium on executions.] Since 1974, the Catholic bishops here in New York State and the bishops of the United States, as well as individual bishops across our nation, have addressed capital punishment on many occasions and have concluded overwhelmingly and consistently that given the conditions and the circumstances which prevail in our country, public order and the safety of persons can be protected by incarceration within our secure penal system without the necessity of resorting to the death penalty, even in cases of capital offense. Hence there is unanimity among Catholic Bishops in the United States that there is no circumstance in our country where the death penalty is morally justified. Our position is rooted in the Biblical concept of restorative justice which flows from a set of moral principles that can be summarized as follows: * Human life is sacred and inherently precious; * Every person has basic dignity that comes from God, not from any human quality or accomplishment; and * God's love is unconditional; indeed, as St. Paul reminds us in Romans, there is absolutely nothing in heaven or on earth that can separate us from the love of God. Indeed, no person, including a violent murderer is beyond God's redemptive mercy. While Catholic opposition to the death penalty is based on respect for the sacred dignity of each person, on moral grounds as a violation of the 5th commandment "Thou shalt not kill," and on the need to recognize the possibility of repentance and conversion, there are numerous legal, ethical, social and pragmatic reasons to oppose capital punishment. 1. The death penalty does not deter crime. Studies have shown that rather than acting as a deterrent to criminal activity, executions merely reinforce the concept of a brutal society where mortal vengeance is an acceptable form of behavior. 2. The death penalty is not administered equitably. Application of the death penalty consistently discriminates against the poor and minorities. Whites are not being executed for killing African- Americans; African-Americans are being executed for killing whites. Further, those being executed are generally poor and under-educated. The lack of wealth affects the quality of legal representation, the ability to negotiate, the ability to appeal, and the perception of the individual by the media, the community and the criminal justice system itself. 3. The death penalty results in the execution of innocent people. In the past 25 years 103 death row prisoners have been exonerated and released from prison based on new evidence or new technology. Many were saved not because the system worked, but because of some fortunate happenstance. Capital punishment is irrevocable; once society kills unjustly, there is no way to remedy that wrong-doing. Cases of wrongful death penalty application are gruesome reminders that our criminal justice system is not foolproof. 4. The cost of maintaining the death penalty is astronomical. We have spent more than $100 million dollars to support New York's death penalty since 1995. The cost can only escalate with time, siphoning off resources that could otherwise be used in the war against drugs, in finding treatment and other alternatives to incarceration, in enhancing police forces, in creating a more safe and humane prison system both for correctional personnel and inmates, and in promoting neighborhood crime prevention programs. It is indeed a shame if we sacrifice prevention for the sake of vengeance. 5. The U.S. is becoming a pariah among nations over the death penalty. While all the European nations, Canada and nearly all Central and South American countries have abolished capital punishment, we in the US keep company with such rogue nations as China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the Sudan by resorting to the state-sanctioned violence of capital punishment. In a fragile world seared by violence, injustice and terror, our allies and friends tell us that a great deal depends on our shared vision of the dignity of the human individual, and that capital punishment is inconsistent with that vision. I can tell you that as bishop I don't have a great deal of time or energy to devote to every cause that I support. However, as President of the Board of Directors of New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty, I can assure you that my commitment to this issue is central to who I am as a citizen of this community, as a person of faith, and as a teacher within the Catholic faith community. There can be no justice when we entrust life-and-death judgments (judgments which are more properly left to God) to an error-prone system, especially when we have alternative, bloodless means of protecting society from those who are disposed to violence. What you are considering today is a resolution calling for a moratorium on executions pending a careful study of the state's capital punishment statute by a panel of experts. A moratorium would cause no one to be released from prison or from death row. It is a most reasonable proposal, one that invites people of good will to meet on common ground. For, regardless of one's views on capital punishment, we have an important, shared stake in making certain that innocent people aren't executed by our government, and that bias in one form or another does not finally determine who may live and who must die. I commend you for your willingness to examine this issue. I know that you will find much that is informative and eye-opening in the testimony of the witnesses who follow. Let us hope that the seeds of conscience and reason that you are planting tonight will grow. With this resolution, you lift your voices for humanity and justice. May others open their ears and minds and follow your example. Thank you. Respectfully submitted by, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard President, Board of Directors Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
Edith Geschrieben 24. Februar 2003 Melden Share Geschrieben 24. Februar 2003 @Joachim: natürlich kann man das nicht in einen Topf werfen. Das wollte ich damit auch nicht sagen. Aber, gewissermaßen "analog".-.... ist schon krass : wir regen uns auf, wenn jemand nach einem Prozeß für schuldig befunden hingerichtet wird. (Also ich jedenfalls bin der Meinung "Auge um Auge macht die Menschheit blind" -Gandhi) Die Ungeborenen bekommen keinen Prozeß... oder ? Link zu diesem Kommentar Auf anderen Seiten teilen More sharing options...
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