Georgia--the state, not the nation--prepares to execute a man who was convicted on the testimony of nine witnesses, seven of whom have recanted. There is, by the way, no forensic evidence tying Troy Davis to the crime. Oh, and three other witnesses have fingered another man--a witness against Davis at the trial--as the killer.
As if that wasn't enough, the US Supreme Court has said that it will decide by September 29th whether to accept Davis' appeal.
Nonetheless, yesterday the Georgia Supreme Court refused, by a 6-1 vote, to delay the execution. Davis is scheduled to be put to death later today.
Davis' only hope now is that the US Supreme Court will issue a stay.
And we call ourselves civilized.
Update: Less than two hours before Davis was scheduled to die, the US Supreme Court issued a stay of execution.
Note that one of the comments below comments on capital punishment as the most premeditated murder. I have long felt that the cruelest part of capital punishment is not the execution, but forcing the condemned to wait, knowing the date and hour of his death.
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I've been following this and it makes me sick to my stomach.
This is the kind of instance which makes me want to deny my identity as a member of homo sapien, sapien.
Even if one of the commandments Thou Shalt Not Kill, meant not kill one of one's own kind or tribe, as some Biblical scholars speculate, we are still violating that commandment constantly by killing our kind. Execution is the ultimate premeditated murder, the most heinous of crimes.
In this case it's even more of a tragedy that the Supremes have scheduled a looksee long after today's scheduled execution.
Often I can't avoid identifying with the horrow the condemned person surely feels.
Travesty of justice is too tame a phrase to describe such reality.
A new CNN report says the Supremes will decide on the execution today, Tuesday, the day of the 7PM scheduled execution.
Nope. Didn't miss it.
I listen to
Democracy Now
just about every day and Amy Goodman covered this.
He got the reprieve. Looks like he'll get a new trial too.
Whew!
Unfortunately, it is not yet clear that he will get a new trial.
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