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Capital Punishment -- the Death PenaltyDevelopments during the year 2000
Sponsored link.
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2000-JAN-9:Amnesty International: AI hasissued
three reports as part of their "rights for all"
program:
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"Killing with prejudice: Race and the death penalty in
the USA." 1
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"Fatal flaws: Innocence and the death penalty,"
2
and
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"On the wrong side of history: Children and the death
penalty in the USA," 4
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2000-JAN-10: VA Execution: Douglas Thomas was executed by
the state of Virginia for a crime committed when he was a child.
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2000-JAN-15: International Death
Penalty Abolition Day. MAR-1 has been set aside to promote the
abolition of the death penalty, One web-site asks that people "send faxes, emails, letters and petitions to those responsible, and to make
clear to them, that the senseless killing of human beings must come to
an end." 3
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2000-JAN-31: IL temporary abolition: Governor G.H. Ryan of Illinois announced that he
will create a moratorium on executions in that state until after an
administration review of the death penalty. "Sam Jordan,
Director of AIUSA's [Amnesty International USA] Program to Abolish the
Death Penalty said, 'The death penalty cannot be repaired. As the rest
of the world moves toward abolition of the death penalty, Illinois has
an opportunity to consign the death penalty to the past. If the
Commission finds that the death penalty is disproportionately imposed,
Amnesty International urges Governor Ryan to permanently abolish the
death penalty in Illinois.' "
"Adam Ortiz, Deputy Director of AIUSA's Midwest Regional
Office, said, 'Amnesty International strongly commends Governor Ryan
for this courageous decision. Illinois has already discovered 13
serious mistakes in death row sentencing, and the Commission is likely
to find many others. A moratorium is a first step in the right
direction, but only abolition of the death penalty can protect against
the execution of the innocent.' " 4
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2000-FEB-10: Senate hearings requested: Five Democratic
senators, Dick Durbin, Russell Feingold, Edward Kennedy, Carl
Levin and Robert Torricelli asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to
hold hearings on the death penalty. Their statement referred to the
findings of errors in Illinois, and said in part: "We fear the
problems of fairness and accuracy associated with the death penalty -
including inadequate representation, lack of access to DNA testing,
police misconduct, racial bias and even simple errors - are not unique
to Illinois."
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2000-FEB-29: Washington DC demonstration: According to
Maranatha Daywatch: "Dozens of demonstrators were arrested in
Washington Monday [FEB-28] calling for a new trial for death row
inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal as well as the repeal of the death penalty.
Protesters were arrested for a civil disobedience demonstration. They
were appealing to authorities to reconsider the case of Mumia, a
former Black Panthers member convicted in 1982 for the killing of
Philadelphia policeman Daniel Faulkner."
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2000-APR-7: Pat Robertson endorses moratorium: Pat
Robertson, is a Fundamentalist Christian and founder of the Christian
Broadcasting Network and the Christian Coalition. He
gave the keynote speech at a symposium at the College of William
and Mary's law school. Replying to a question from the audience,
he expressed support for a moratorium "I think a moratorium
would indeed be very appropriate." He added that he generally
supports the moratorium movement but isn't ready to "crusade"
about it.
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2000-APR: Vietnam executes Canadian citizen: A cache of
heroin was discovered in the luggage of a Canadian woman of Vietnamese
origin who was returning from Vietnam to Canada. She was tried an
found guilty of smuggling drugs. Canadian investigators were on their
way to that country with evidence that the drugs were planted in her
luggage by others without her knowledge. She was executed before they
could plead her case. Canada has taken a number of steps to withdraw
economic support and diplomatic recognition from Vietnam.
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2000-APR: Senate bill to suspend executions: According to
the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations Washington
Office for Faith in Action, Senators Feingold (WI) and Levin (MI)
"introduced S 2463, a bill which would immediately suspend
executions in the United States while a national commission reviews
the administration of the death penalty. The moratorium would
bar execution of individuals sentenced under either state or federal
statutes. Currently 38 states have death penalty statutes on the
books."
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2000-MAY-8: New Hampshire votes to repeal the death penalty:
The senate voted 14 to 10 to abolish capital punishment. In that
state, capital crimes are restricted to the killing of a police
officer in the line of duty; the killing of a rape victim; the killing
of a kidnap victim and murder for hire. People convicted of other
first-degree murders face life sentences. Governor
Jeanne Shaheen has promised to veto the measure. She said: "I
respect the deeply held beliefs of opponents of the death penalty. But
it is my strong belief that there are some murders so heinous that the
death penalty is an appropriate punishment, and accordingly, I will
veto this legislation." New Hampshire has not executed an
inmate since the 1930s. In 1998, New
Hampshire had the lowest homicide rate in the U.S. Their death row is
currently empty.
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2000-MAY-19: States working towards abolition of the death
penalty: Brian Henninger, program coordinator for the Washington,
DC-based National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, (a
project of the American Friends Service Committee), commented
on the MAY-8 New Hampshire Senate vote. He said that their action was
part of a broader national trend toward abolition. "The events
we've seen unfold in Illinois has given a wake-up call to others.
People around the country are asking 'what are we doing in executing
people, do we want to go this fast?' And 'is this what we want to be
doing?' It's a healthy debate, one which the country should be having."
Eleven other states, including Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri,
Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington are considering abolition. The
Governor of Illinois has imposed a moratorium on capital punishment in
his state. Oregon may have an abolition question on the November
ballot. Opponents in Kentucky hope to move an abolition measure
through the House Judiciary Committee. Henninger sees a
national change in attitude towards the death penalty. He attributes
this to:
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Opposition by Pope John Paul II and other religious leaders. |
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People on death rows awaiting execution who have been proven
not guilty as a result of DNA testing |
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Execution of adults who were children at the time of their
crime -- a practice that is almost uniquely American. |
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Execution of mentally ill persons -- another practice that is
almost uniquely American. 5
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2000-JUN-13: AMA considers request for moratorium: According
to EWTN News, the American Medical Association's policy-making
committee is considering a resolution which would ask for a moratorium
on capital punishment until questions are resolved, including the
availability of DNA testing. The resolution reads, in part, "The
possibility exists that in several states innocent individuals may be
executed because medical technology will not be made available in time
to prevent their death." If accepted by the committee, the
resolution will be considered at the annual meeting of the AMA later.
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2000-JUN-13: Senate debates capital punishment: According
to DayWatch: Debate raged in the Senate...over the issue of
capital punishment and whether DNA testing should be used to
re-examine current death penalty cases and other serious criminal
convictions. "While reasonable people can differ about capital
punishment, it is indisputable that advanced DNA testing lends support
and credibility to the accuracy and integrity of capital verdicts,"
said Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
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2000-JUN-14: Conservative religious group supports death
penalty: The Southern Baptist Convention has
about 16 million members in the U.S.; it is the largest Protestant
denomination in America. At their annual meeting, messengers
(delegates) approved a resolution that said, in part, says "God
authorized capital punishment for murder after the Noahic Flood,
validating its legitimacy in human society...[the SBS supports] "the
fair and equitable use of capital punishment by civil magistrates as a
legitimate form of punishment for those guilty of murder or treasonous
acts that result in death." [Actually, the Bible mandates the death
penalty -- sometimes by stoning to death, other times by burning people
alive -- for a great variety of crimes,
including murder, males who are not circumcised, people consuming blood, sexual
activity with a woman who is menstruating, teaching another religion,
excessive drinking, etc. Only the death penalty for murder has been
retained in the U.S.]
Hayes Wicker, chairman of the
resolutions committee, commented on the court system: "We are
saying that they may [impose the death penalty], not that they must."
This is an apparent reference to the calls for moratoriums and studies
on capital punishment by a number of other faith groups. Hayes Wicker,
a pastor from Naples, FL said that the resolution states that the
ultimate punishment should be only used when there is "clear
and overwhelming
evidence" of guilt. In an apparent reference to charges
of racism in the justice system, and the refusal of some courts to
order DNA testing, the SBC Resolution 5 states: "we call for
vigilance, justice, and equity in the criminal justice system;
and...urge that capital punishment be applied as justly and as fairly
as possible without undue delay, without reference to the race, class,
or status of the guilty..."
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2000-JUN-22: Texas: Graham executed; claims innocence: According to Maranatha Daywatch:
"Texas prison authorities carried out a death sentence by lethal
injection, on convicted killer Gary Graham at 8:49 PM local time
Thursday amidst a rapidly rising tide of controversy surrounding the
continued use of the death penalty in the USA. Graham reportedly
claimed he was innocent right up to the end, his final statement being
"they know I'm innocent, they won't acknowledge it."
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2000-JUN-30: USA: Presbyterian Church opposes death penalty: The
Presbyterian Church (USA)'s General Assembly reaffirmed its opposition
to the capital punishment. This reaffirms the stance that they have
taken since their Assembly in 1959. They called for "an
immediate moratorium on all executions in all jurisdictions that
impose capital punishment."
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2000-JUL-7: USA: Execution postponed: President Clinton postponed what would have
been the first execution by the federal government since 1963: that of
Juan Raul Garza, a marijuana smuggler convicted of several
drug-related murders. The President also ordered a review of the cases
of all 25 Death Row prisoners under federal control.
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2000-JUL-9: Nobel Prize: David Wastell, a reporter for The
Washington Bureau of the London Telegraph reported that
Sister Helen Prejean, 62, the nun who inspired the movie Dead Man
Walking is emerging as a front runner for the Nobel Peace Prize.
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2000-NOV-13: Texas: Stay of execution requested: Human Rights Watch has
recommended to Governor Bush of Texas that he stay the NOV-16
execution of Johnny Paul Penry. Penry has the mental capacity of a 7
year old, and an IQ of between 50 and 63, apparently caused by organic brain damage. HRW
spokesperson Jamie Fellner said: "Executing the mentally
retarded is senseless cruelty. Even strong death penalty supporters
recognize that capital punishment is wrong for people with the mind of
a child." HRW wrote that Penry "has grave
difficulties in communication, learning, foresight, logic, attention,
memory and understanding consequences. He is limited in his ability to
learn from experience, to control his impulses, to understand
causality. Penry's development was also dramatically affected by the
vicious, relentless beatings and abuse he endured as a child at the
hands of his mother, a woman who even made her son eat his own feces."
[Penry has since received a stay of execution. The U.S. Supreme Court
will hear his case. They will use it to clarify how much opportunity
jurors in death-penalty cases must have to consider the defendant's
mental capacity.]
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2000-NOV-13: Texas: Request for moratorium defeated: The city council of El Paso TX
defeated a resolution which would have asked the Texas Legislature to
impose a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. This follows
similar actions by the city councils of Huntsville and Fort Worth, TX.
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2000-NOV-15: USA: Support for executions weakening: U.S. Roman Catholic bishops are meeting
in Washington DC. In a statement, they indicated that they are pleased at signs that support for the death
penalty are weakening in the country.
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Sponsored link:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
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Amnesty International, "Killing with prejudice: Race and the death
penalty in the USA," http://www.amnesty%2Dusa.org/
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Amnesty International, "Fatal flaws: Innocence and the death
penalty," at: http://www.amnestyusa.org/
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A site promoting "International Death Penalty Abolition Day"
is at: http://mitglied.tripod.de/
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"Amnesty International welcomes Illinois execution moratorium,"
at: http://www.amnestyusa.org/
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"New Hampshire Senate votes to abolish death penalty," CNSNews,
at: http://www.mcjonline.com/
Copyright © 1997 to 2014 incl. by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Extracted from our main death penalty essay on
2000-FEB-13
Hyperlinks checked: 2000-FEB-13
Last updated 2014-MAR-30
Author: B.A. Robinson
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