The Georgia Board of Pardon and Paroles denied Troy Davis' petition for clemency last week. In a case where the prosecution has failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt that Davis is responsible for the 1989 death of a police officer in Georgia, urgent action is needed to suspend Davis' looming September 23 execution date. Corporate media continues to ignore Troy Davis, but this should not prevent us from taking action and agitating the Board.
Davis essentially faces execution based on recanted witness testimony and no physical evidence. The Davis case speaks to serious issues in our penal system. His verdict was based exclusively on witness testimony. The prosecution failed to produce a murder weapon or any other tangible evidence. Among the nine individuals who testified against Davis, seven have since recanted their testimony – some even cited allegations of coercion and pressure from law enforcement officials.
In light of such significant changes and a breadth of new information, Davis' attorneys sought a new trail, perhaps hoping to highlight the recantation of witness testimony. The request for re-trail was denied early this year.
It is becoming increasingly evident that we cannot engage in a conversation about the death penalty without taking into account the fallibility of our criminal justice system and the existence of racism in our penal system.
Davis is a victim of our racist criminal justice system. It's no secret that race plays a far more significant role in the courtroom than any other fact, particularly in the south where Davis resides. The fact that Davis is an African American and the victim was white certainly played a role in the decision. A report by Amnesty International reveals that although there is approximately an even number of homicides in terms of race, over 80% of those executed were being punished for killing white victims – essentially suggesting that only the life of a white person deserves "retribution" over non-whites.
If execution is not suspended, Davis will perhaps join twenty-three other innocent individuals who have been wrongfully executed this century. Many others have been wrongfully imprisoned and later released. In the past thirty years, almost a hundred individuals have been exonerated for crimes after being vindicated by forensic evidence or new testimony. Between 1976 and 2002, over a hundred people have been declared innocence and pardoned from death row in light of new evidence. This number accounts for approximately 13% of the executed rate, and it highlights that the system often gets it wrong. Such mistakes are irreversible.
To execute a person on the basis of such inconclusive evidence within overwhelming doubt is a tragedy. The Georgia Board of Pardon and Paroles must suspend Davis' execution and grant the defendant a new trail. Instead of rushing to take life, the state ought to prioritize justice. Please join former President Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Al Sharpton, the Pope, the ACLU, Amnesty International, and thousands advocates and take action.
To learn more or take action, please visit AI’s site on Troy Davis.
Also see maya354 and the ACLU dairies on Troy.