Posts tagged 'death penalty'
Stop Meriam's Execution
A judge in Sudan just sentenced 27-year-old Meriam to 100 lashes and death by hanging for violating her faith and marrying a Christian man.
We must act immediately to save Meriam from this horrific death. Click here to sign the petition asking the United States and the United Kingdom to intervene and put pressure on Sudan to stop Meriam's execution.
Meriam is 8 months pregnant and has a 20 month-old child. The courts are convicting her of violating her Muslim faith and adultery because her marriage to a Christian man is void under Sharia law. But Meriam says she was raised by her mother as a Christian her whole life.
Adultery and violation of faith should not be considered crimes at all, let alone acts worthy of the death penalty. Human rights groups are calling this a breach of international human rights law.
If enough of us raise our voices in protest against this horrific sentencing, the government of Sudan will be forced to protect Meriam from execution. Please sign the petition to join the campaign to protect Meriam.
Thank you for taking action,
Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team
Threat of Execution
Abdullah al-Qahtani is still alive, but the threat of execution is still dangerously real.
Abdullah is the Saudi Arabian man whose attorneys say he was tortured by Iraqi security forces into confessing to being a member of a terrorist organization. He was sentenced by Iraqi courts to death by hanging.
Last week, pressure from activists like you likely helped spare Abdullah's life, but make no mistake — his execution is imminent. His attorney urges continued vigilance:
"We thank Amnesty International members for their support; it is helping. We call for everybody's continued help to save Abdullah's life, to pressure the Iraqi government to give Abdullah the chance to a fair and just trial."
Keep up the pressure — click here to join our call for justice for Abdullah. Your actions can help spare this man's life.
With great appreciation,
Samir Goswami
Director, Individuals and Communities at Risk Program
BTW – Amnesty's just-released 2012 Word Death Penalty Report depicts a stark rise in executions in Iraq — at least 129 people were executed, almost double the 2011 figure of at least 68. Abdullah's case is a clear illustration of the lack of respect for human rights among Iraqi authorities.
Abdullah al-Qahtani
fair and just trial
In Jail With Her Innocent Clients
Nasrin Sotoudeh has had enough.
One of Iran's most prominent human rights attorneys, Nasrin is serving a six-year prison sentence for defending political activists and juveniles facing the death penalty.
While Nasrin is in jail, authorities have gone out of their way to harass her husband and children.
LIGHT THE WAY to freedom for prisoners of conscience around the world. Click here to support Amnesty International's work to defend human rights.
Iranian authorities are doing their utmost to silence the families of political prisoners.
When Nasrin's husband Reza Khandan wrote a letter protesting her harsh treatment in prison, he was accused of "disturbing public opinion," detained in Evin Prison overnight and questioned while blindfolded.
When authorities discovered that Nasrin had been using a tissue to write her defense for an upcoming court hearing, they cut off face-to-face visits with her 13-year-old daughter and five-year-old son.
Nasrin went on a seven-week hunger strike in protest.
But there is hope. The "judicial restrictions" placed on Nasrin's daughter were removed today after increased public pressure from Amnesty International activists and others, ending Nasrin's hunger strike.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has denounced Nasrin's unjust imprisonment, calling her a "sincere colleague and a very courageous Iranian attorney."
In October, after receiving the Martin Ennals Award for human rights defenders, Nasrin issued the following statement from prison:
Iranian society has never ignored its fundamental rights, but has paid heavily in doing so. They have never stopped their efforts because of arrest, incarceration, [or] judicial prosecution. I am proud to defend each and every one of [my] cases. I am glad and satisfied to endure incarceration alongside my innocent clients.
Nasrin's children need their mother back, and the Iranian people need their brave human rights hero set free.
Your gift today can make a difference to victims of repression like Nasrin. Donate now.
Gabriel, your generosity makes Amnesty work.
Thank you for your continued dedication and support.
Suzanne Nossel
political activists
Shirin Ebadi
Uganda Bill to "Kill the Gays"
The speaker of the Ugandan parliament has promised she will pass the so-called "Kill the Gays" bill in the next two weeks — she called it a "Christmas gift" for the Ugandan people. The bill would legalize the death penalty for LGBT people and people with HIV or AIDS.
Uganda experts say that one way to stop this bill is to get pressure from banks that have significant resources invested in the country, such as Citibank and Barclays.
Citibank and Barclays together have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in Uganda and wield significant influence in the country, just as banking lobbyists wield influence with Congress in the US. Citibank and Barclays speaking out against the "Kill the Gays" bill might be the best — and only — chance to stop it.
Collin Burton is a Citibank customer who is also gay. Collin started a petition on Change.org asking Citibank and Barclays to speak out against the "Kill the Gays" bill. Click here to sign Collin's petition right now.
Citibank and Barclays are both big supporters of LGBT rights for their own employees, yet they invest money with a government that is threatening to execute LGBT people. "I expect Citibank and Barclays to live up to the values of equality and fairness, not just list them on their websites," Collin says.
If Citibank and Barclays speak out against the "Kill the Gays" bill, Ugandan legislators will see that they are risking the business relationships that keep their government afloat.
Click here to sign Collin's petition asking Citibank and Barclays to issue strong statements condemning Uganda's "Kill the Gays" bill. The bill could come up for a vote any day, so swift action is essential.
– Mark Anthony and the Change.org team
parliment
California and Death Row
I saw Troy Davis today in California.
Come to think about it — he was there when Oregon's governor refused to allow another execution to take place on his watch. And I'm positive that Troy was in Connecticut this past spring — on the day its legislature made it the 17th state to do away with the death penalty.
The state of Georgia may have executed Troy Davis one year ago today, but I continue to see so much of Troy's legacy reflected in our fight to end the death penalty worldwide.
Now it's California's turn. This November, we have an historic opportunity to pass a ballot initiative on the death penalty. Amnesty International has been a proud supporter of the campaign that has been heating up here. Our student and community activists have been busy gathering support for Prop 34, organizing events and activities to educate their communities about the sad reality of California's flawed system and the chance we have to change things.
Pledge to vote YES on Prop 34 — replacing California's death penalty with life without parole!
California could join the growing number of states turning their backs on the flawed death penalty system. Proposition 34 is a ballot initiative that will not only save the state $130 million a year, but it eliminates the risk of executing an innocent person forever!
Another Troy Davis could live right here. In fact, some say he already does. A man named Thomas Thompson was executed in 1998 amid serious doubts about his guilt. And five men sentenced to death under current California law were later cleared of the murder charges that put them on death row.1
We believe the death penalty is never the right answer. And as long as the death penalty is on the books, then we will always risk executing the innocent.
Ending the death penalty in California this year would not only be a resounding victory for human rights in our state, but will make a deep impact on the rest of the country.
But first, we need your support. We need your pledge. We need your vote in November.
See you at the polls,
William Butkus
Field Organizer, Western Region
SAFE California Act
California Paying For Death
For the first time ever, California voters have a chance to replace the deeply immoral death penalty by voting YES on Proposition 34.
The poll numbers are tight and they indicate that Californians are ready to end the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of parole. But before they make the right decision to vote YES on 34, we need to give them the facts about how — beyond the loss of life — the death penalty imposes a very real financial burden on our state.
To do our part, we are partnering with our friends at the YES on 34 Campaign to help them reach the seven million voters necessary to win in November.
We need all hands on deck to end the death penalty in California. Can you chip in $3 today to help the YES on 34 Campaign get its state-of-the-art phone bank campaign off the ground?
The YES on 34 Campaign's volunteers have started calling through the voter lists to reach as many voters as possible. But if we raise enough funds, they will be able to launch a state-of-the-art phone banking program with technology that allows hundreds more volunteers to phone bank from their own phones anywhere in the state.
With about seven weeks left until Election Day, your contributions are crucial. If we are going to end the death penalty in California, we are going to do it through grassroots communication.
A recent editorial endorsement from the Sacramento Bee, which for the first time in its 155 years of service took a position to end the death penalty, summed up the need for educating our state's voter on the facts around YES on 34:
In November, California voters will have a chance, through Proposition 34, to end the death penalty and replace it with a system of life imprisonment without possibility of parole. We urge you to vote for it. While capital punishment remains popular in California, polls suggest that a majority of those surveyed would accept ending the death penalty if it were replaced with a mandatory sentence of life without parole. Numerous longtime supporters of capital punishment have concluded our system can't be fixed and are supporting Proposition 34 because of it.1
The money you contribute today to fund YES on 34's state-of-the-art phone bank campaign will directly boost our chances to end the death penalty. One-on-one contact is the single most effective way to turn a "no" vote into a "yes" vote.
Chip in $3 today to end the death penalty in California.
Thank you for taking action.
Murshed Zaheed, Deputy Political Director
YES on 34
Stop Execution of Rape Victim
Terry Williams is facing the death penalty in three weeks for killing the man who repeatedly raped him.
But when Terry was convicted, the jury didn't know the whole story. At the time of his trial, jurors say they had no history or background of the sexual assault and abuse that Terry Williams had suffered for years.
Terry was brutally raped for five years, beginning when he was thirteen, by an older man he trusted — Amos Norwood. When the jury learned his information after the trial, five jurors came forward to say that they no longer supported his death sentence. Even Norwood's widow has forgiven him, and does not want Terry to be executed.
Sign the petition on Change.org asking Governor Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania to stop Terry's execution scheduled on October 3 — click here to add your name.
"When I heard about Terry Williams' life and his legal case, I knew I had to do what I could to stop the scheduled execution of a man who should not be on death row and would not be on death row had the jury heard all the relevant evidence," said Sue Osthoff, Director of the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women, a Philadelphia-based organization that assists victims of abuse and trauma who have been charged with crimes related to their abuse.
Like many of the victims of abuse Sue assists, Terry was repeatedly victimized. For Terry, that abuse by older males in his life started when he was only six years old. Despite continuing to suffer sexual abuse for the next twelve years, Terry received no counseling or support to help him deal with the repeated violence he endured. In fact, some of the people who were supposed to help were the ones who actually preyed on him.
None of this information was presented to the jurors during Terry's sentencing; had it been, Terry would not be on death row.
The public outcry for Terry's clemency is growing. A broad coalition of people has joined the jurors and victim's widow in asking that Terry's sentence be commuted from death to life. Those calling for Terry's life to be spared include a growing list of child advocates, victims' rights advocates, former prosecutors and judges, law professors, mental health professionals, and faith leaders across Pennsylvania.
Sue Osthoff is very familiar with stories like Terry's. She started this petition because she believes that if the jury had all of the evidence, they would not have sentenced Terry to death.
Join Sue in calling on Governor Corbett to spare Terry Williams' life for killing the man who raped him.
– Emilia and the Change.org team
Terry Williams
Tom Corbett
140 Innocent Women and Men
Since reinstatement of the death penalty in the U.S., 140 innocent men and women have been freed from death row.
The SAFE California Act will replace California's death penalty with a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole as the maximum punishment for murder. This means convicted killers will remain behind bars forever – but with no risk of executing an innocent person.
Please support the SAFE California Act to replace the death penalty with life without parole.
Bob Fertik
Dear Activist,
Texas executed an innocent man in 1989. That is the stunning conclusion of a groundbreaking new report published recently by Columbia University that shows Carlos De Luna was wrongfully convicted and executed for a crime he did not commit.
The news shook me to my core: It could have been me.
I was wrongfully convicted when I was 16 years old and served 20 years in prison before proving my innocence. I was mistaken for the true killer, just like Carlos De Luna. That terrible mistake took two decades of freedom from me — but it took Carlos De Luna's life.
I need your help to make sure California never executes an innocent person:
Click here to sign my petition supporting the SAFE California Act this November — an initiative to replace the death penalty with life in prison without parole!
Each moment I've spent with family and friends since proving my innocence has been full of joy.
But I can't stop thinking about Carlos De Luna's family and friends. How will they ever experience that kind of joy again? How will they ever believe again that justice will prevail, knowing that Carlos was executed for a crime he did not commit?
If there's one thing my wrongful conviction taught me, it's that mistakes can always be made. The only way to guarantee that no innocent person is ever put to death in California is to replace the death penalty with life in prison with no possibility of parole.
Protect the innocent in California: Sign my petition supporting the SAFE California Act to replace the death penalty today.
Every wrongful conviction is a tragedy, but with the death penalty that tragedy becomes irreversible.
That's why I must speak for Carlos De Luna — and we all must. Please help me get the message out: The time has come to replace the death penalty in California, to protect the innocent, and make California safer for all families.
Together, we will ensure that no innocent person is ever executed here in California.
Franky Carrillo
P.S. Please stand up and make your voice heard: Sign my petition supporting the SAFE California Act to replace the death penalty today!
I Am Listening
Hello Gabriel,
I am Suzanne Nossel, the new executive director of Amnesty International USA.
It is a privilege to take the reins of Amnesty, especially now, at this pivotal moment. We have the opportunity to make solid human rights gains. To succeed, I will rely on the dedication and talents of all Amnesty supporters.
This is where you come in. In collaboration with our Board of Directors and other member leaders, I am leading a listening tour to gather feedback from every corner of the Amnesty movement. We will use your input to develop a strategic plan for the organization.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please take a short online survey to help guide our strategy.
I look forward to working with Amnesty because I have cared about human rights from a very young age. My mother's family fled from Nazi Germany to South Africa. As a child, I saw apartheid first hand. Bathrooms, beaches and buses were segregated, and I knew something was wrong.
In high school in New York City I worked with an organization to help free Soviet Jews. We wrote letters, wore bracelets with the names of individual dissidents on them, raised money, marched down 5th Avenue and demonstrated in front of the United Nations.
My position at Amnesty will draw upon every one of my professional experiences. As Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, I learned how decisions get made within Washington and how to push through important human rights initiatives.
As Chief Operating Officer of Human Rights Watch I gained a deeper understanding of human rights around the world and the role of expertise in human rights advocacy.
I know I have big shoes to fill. I owe a deep debt of gratitude to my predecessor, Larry Cox, and the tremendous hard work and accomplishments of Amnesty USA members in recent years:
Abolition of the death penalty in New Jersey (2007), New Mexico (2009) and Illinois (2011).
Enactment of the Tribal Law and Order Act (2010) to streamline access to justice for crimes of sexual violence against Native American and Alaska Native women.
Freedom for thousands of political prisoners persecuted for their beliefs.
As Amnesty supporters, you and I share a powerful belief that dedicated individuals acting together can defend human dignity and restore human rights — and society can flourish.
I'm excited about the opportunity to work with you, and I do hope that you can take the time to share your ideas with me in this short survey.
P.S. Hurry — the survey will close on Friday, March 23.
Stop State Killings
We have a historic opportunity in California. We can shut down the nation's biggest and most expensive death penalty system, with 720 death row inmates and a $4 billion price tag. But to be successful, we need to gather 750,000 voter signatures by February 15 (today).
We're well on our way to gathering the signatures we need to put the measure on the ballot, but with only a few weeks left, we still need a lot of help. And we can only end the madness through another vote.
The SAFE California Act will replace California's death penalty with a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole as the maximum punishment for murder. This means convicted killers will remain behind bars forever, but with no risk of executing an innocent person.
California taxpayers will save well over $100 million every year without releasing a single prisoner.
Please sign up now to volunteer and help us collect the remaining signatures we need to qualify the initiative and shut down death row in California.
Click here to sign up:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=271062&id=35593-1274818-jp4nDGx&t=1
Why replace the death penalty with life without parole?
1. With the death penalty we will always risk executing an innocent person. Since reinstatement of the death penalty in the U.S., 140 innocent men and women have been freed from death row.1 Franky Carrillo from Los Angeles was released from prison last March after 20 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit.2
2. Many people think that the death penalty costs less than life in prison with no chance of parole, but that's just not true. California taxpayers would save well over $100 million every year, as well as hundreds of millions in one-time savings.3
3. Dangerous criminals must be caught and brought to justice, yet a shocking 46% of murders and 56% of rapes go unsolved every year in California, on average.4 We need to use our very limited public funds to get more criminals off our streets to protect our families. SAFE California would dedicate $100 million in budget savings to the investigation of open rape and murder cases.
4. While we cut our state budget for schools, violence prevention, and law enforcement, California spends millions of dollars on death row. We need more teachers in the classroom, not more lawyers in the courtroom.
Please join the SAFE California campaign. Volunteer to replace California's death penalty.
–Natasha Minsker, SAFE California
no parole