Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire
Promoting human rights from Salisbury UK
October 2023
The 10th October is World Day Against the Death Penalty and we are asking you to write or email to Singapore which is active in using the penalty against drug dealers. The action contains some suggested points to make in your communication.
[Other Amnesty groups are free to use this material if they wish]
September 2023
We are pleased to attach the latest death penalty report produced by group member Lesley for the period mid August to mid September 2023. As ever there is good news and bad with some countries engaged in heavy use of the penalty. China – believed to be the world’s largest executioner of its citizens – is briefly mentioned but detailed statistics are not available because they are a state secret. It is depressing to note in the UK, that following the conviction of Lucy Letby of murdering new born infants and attempting to murder others, a national newspaper ran a poll showing a strong majority to bring the death penalty back for such crimes.
August 2023
We are pleased to attach the mid July – August death penalty report thanks to group member Lesley for preparing it. It contains some good news about Ghana which has all but abolished use of the penalty and also Texas which is showing a much reduced use. By contrast Singapore has executed two people for drugs offences. We had occasion to mention Singapore in our previous post about Burma for their role in providing the military junta with weapons and other materiel. As ever, China is not mentioned because statistics about the huge numbers they execute are a state secret.
August 2023
This is a link to a video on progress around the world concerning the death penalty. Produced by Amnesty but sent to us by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. Regrettably the delivery will be too fast for some viewers.
July 2023
We are pleased to attach the death penalty report for mid June to July thanks to group member Lesley for its preparation. Features developments in USA, Tanzania and Malaysia. Note there is no material on China which is believed to execute more of its citizens than the rest of the world put together but details are a state secret.
May 2023
We are pleased to attach the latest report thanks to group member Lesley for the work in compiling it. Note that although China appears briefly, it remains the country thought to execute more of its citizens than the rest of the world combined but details are a state secret.
May 2023
Richard Glossip has been on death row in Oklahoma, USA, for 25 years for a murder it seems likely he did not commit. He was accused of the murder of motel owner Barry van Treese in 1997. The conviction was largely based on the plea bargain struck by Justin Sneed, who has a history of mental illness, in a deal which saved his own life.
Two independent investigations have cast doubt on the veracity of the trial. First the only evidence seemed to be the plea bargain by Sneed who in fact admitted committing the murder. Further testimony by prison inmates was not given to the jury. The State withheld evidence and other evidence was either lost or destroyed by the DA’s office.
As Mr Glossip’s execution date of May 18th draws near, there has been a flurry of activity to get it delayed or vacated. On April 7th, the Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond – a pro death penalty Republican – asked the state Court of Criminal Appeals to vacate the conviction. He said “the only witness to allege Mr Glossip was involved in this case cannot be believed, it is unconscionable for the State to move forward with his execution“.
On April 20th, the Oklahoma Court upholds the conviction. On 26th April the Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to recommend clemency on 2-2 vote which meant the Governor, Kevin Stitt, was unable to do so either.
On May 5th, the Supreme Court of the United States stays the execution pending the disposition of two writs of certiorari. Should they be denied this stay will terminate automatically.
So that is the current position. The case reveals some troubling aspects of the legal system in this instance. Relying on plea bargain evidence should not be the sole justification for a conviction let alone an execution. The failure to present all the evidence to court is also questionable and the loss or destruction of other evidence is also to be deplored. The fundamental problem with the death penalty is that mistakes cannot ever be rectified once the deed is done.
We must hope that the intervention of the Supreme Court will lead to the state authorities to think again.
Sources: Death Penalty Information Centre; Wikipedia; New York Times, Save Richard Glossip Campaign
We are pleased to attach this month’s death penalty report for the period mid March to Mid April thanks to group member Lesley for compiling it. Note that China is believed to execute more of its citizens than the rest of the world combined but details are a state secret.
March 2023
We are pleased to attach the latest death penalty report for Mid February – March 2023 thanks to group member Lesley for the work in preparing it. The desire for the newly appointed deputy chair of the Conservative Party, Lee Anderson MP, for the reinstatement of the penalty in the UK is unwelcome.
February 2023
We are pleased to attach our latest death penalty report for the period Mid January/February thanks to group member Lesley for the work in compiling it. It features the orgy of executions in Iran following the uprisings as well as reports from Saudi where the range of offences leading to executions has increased, and USA. Note as always that there is no mention of China which is believed to execute more of its citizens than the rest of the world combined but the details of which are a state secret.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 