Tag: Death penalty

Christi Pike, Tennessee


Let us not loose sight of this woman in a supposedly civilised nation

November 2026

Readers will recall that Christi Pike was intended to be executed a few weeks ago but after an hour spent trying to find a vein and two attempts, the curtains were pulled across and Christi was found to be still alive. She was rushed to hospital where she came back to life. She has now been returned to prison and is in solitary confinement and is in great pain. Medical experts have expressed shock at the incompetence of the process.

She was condemned to death for the violent murder in 1995 of Colleen Anne Slemmer. Christi has been in prison ever since that is over 30 years. The case has aroused great passions in the US and failings in the initial trial to tell the court of the profound abuse and trauma she experienced as a child has been criticised not least by Amnesty USA.

Many have urged the Tennessee governor, Bill Lee to commute her sentence which he has not so far done.

The death penalty aroused great passions in the US although support for it has declined according to various polls. It survives because several prominent politicians use it to claim that they are ‘tough on crime’. It has become a kind of metaphor enabling politicians to parade their supposed toughness by supporting this sentence. That it has little to do with the vast majority of crimes and criminality seems not to be noticed. Neither the fact that it is not a deterrent nor that hundreds have been exonerated demonstrating an unsatisfactory legal system seems to enter the narrative.

The US, alone in the Americas in using the penalty, joins regimes such as China, Iran and Saudi Arabia in continuing in using it.

Sources: The Tennessean, CBS, Daily Mail

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Latest death penalty report


October 2026

We are pleased to attach the latest death penalty report for mid September to mid October thanks to group member Lesley for the work in compiling it. This month the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee has led to international outrage. After two failed attempts to execute her she was found still to be alive and was rushed to hospital where it is reported she is still alive.

The governor of Florida continues with his drive to execute people making it the record state in the US.

We are pleased to report the release of Jagtar Singh-Johal on bail after being held in prison for 9 years.

As ever we must note that we have no reports from China which is believed to execute more of its citizens than the rest of the world combined but where details are a state secret.

Report: Sept – Oct (Word)Download

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Execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee fails


Terrifying failure to execute Christa Pike in Tennessee

October 2026

It seems as far as Tennessee is concerned, actually executing someone is more difficult than might be supposed. Christa Pike was on the gurney and the supposedly lethal drugs were injected twice. Forty minutes later, she was heard snoring from behind a screen and was taken to hospital.

There seems no doubt that Christa committed the murder of a fellow 19 year old 30 years ago in 1995. She was sentenced to death at the time. As is common in America, the appeals process can take decades and last right up to the last moment. The latest appeal concerns how she was treated as a child with evidence of rape and sexual abuse.

There followed a tussle between the Tennessee Supreme Court and the US Supreme Court with the latter agreeing the execution could go ahead. Three justices dissented.

USA is the only country in the Americas still to retain the penalty and these events add a further twist to the campaign to end the penalty it including Tennesseans for Alternative to the Death Penalty. Amnesty is opposed to the penalty in all circumstances.

We may amend this post in the light of further developments. The failed execution has led to a storm of protest in the US.

Sources: Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, BBC, Guardian. We were unable to access the Tennessean.

Latest Campaign Against Arms Trade newsletter


Issue No 278 of CAAT news details latest activities of this trade November 2026 We give coverage to this newsletter from CAAT because of the significance of the arms industry in connection with our political process and for human rights world wide. These are: The industry is one of the few in the UK ofโ€ฆ

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Good turnout for 152nd vigil


Vigil took place during election week in Israel November 2026 The future of Israeli politics looks uncertain at this moment with no party achieving a secure majority and with the ‘Arab’ parties doing well becoming in effect the king makers. Neither likely winner: Netanyahu nor Eisenkot, are representing real change in the political landscape. Watchingโ€ฆ

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Christi Pike, Tennessee


Let us not loose sight of this woman in a supposedly civilised nation November 2026 Readers will recall that Christi Pike was intended to be executed a few weeks ago but after an hour spent trying to find a vein and two attempts, the curtains were pulled across and Christi was found to be stillโ€ฆ

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Group minutes and newsletter


September 2026

We are pleased to attach our minutes and newsletter for September thanks to group members Lesley for compiling them and Fiona and Andrew for their contributions.

Somewhat longer than previously reflecting two months and also because a lot has been happening on the death penalty front. The piece on refugees is interesting because it reflects the fact that the numbers of boat crossings is down. The item on UK rights discusses some dubious legal decisions around Palestine Action cases where protestors have been locked up and some imprisoned for terrorism offences whereas masked protestors in Dover and Portsmouth haven’t.

There are some details of the Uyghur campaign last month which was extremely successful for us.

Minutes and Newsletter, September (Word)Download

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Latest Death Penalty Report


Report for mid – July to mid – August

August 2026

We are pleased to attach the latest report with thanks to group member Lesley for the work in compiling it. The highlights in the report are

  • Conditional pardon offered to Ruth Ellis who was the last person to be hanged in Britain
  • In Lebanon aย law has been passed abolishing the death penalty.ย  It will be the only country in the Middle East formally to end the penalty
  • Florida continues with its spate of executions including two on one day and Governor DeSantis is busy signing fresh warrants
  • Jermaine Wright, Delaware, becomes the 203rd person exonerated since 1973 and is declared innocent after 34 years on death row.

As ever we note that there is no data from China – believed to execute more of its citizens than the rest of the world put together – because they are a state secret. It is another aspect of the persecution of the Uyghurs the subject of a series of posts elsewhere on this site.

Report: mid – July to mid – August (Word)Download

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Reading books can get you killed


Reading a Uyghur book can lead to serious punishment

August 2026

This is not the Middle Ages. This is the 21st Century. But the desire of the Chinese to extinguish Uyghur culture can lead to draconian consequences. This short piece and the book, were created by the Amnesty Death Penalty project.

So often, we take our books for granted.ย But if you are Uyghur, reading, promoting or writing books in the Uyghur language – even childrenโ€™s text books – can land you in serious trouble.ย In fact it can and has on a number of occasions, resulted in a death sentence.ย This is all part of the Chinese governmentโ€™s attempts to suppress the Uyghur language, culture and identity.ย Too many governments around the world use the death penalty as a means of intimidating ordinary people into compliance.ย ย Books, things that we take for granted in the West, can be very dangerous for Uyghurs which is why the Anti-Death Penalty Project has created a book (ูƒู‰ุชุงุจ) to show our solidarity. ‘Thank you so much Death Penalty Network for such a beautiful and thoughtful project!ย ย 

The Salisbury group publishes a report each month on the use of the penalty around the world. It does not include China as executions are a state secret. The country is believed to execute more of its citizens than the rest of the world put together.

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Death penalty debate: Florida


Webinar on the penalty hosted by Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

August 2026

Florida is featuring in the news on this topic because of its record use of the penalty having passed Texas as the state who previously held this dubious honour. Its passion for executions is allegedly because the governor, Ron DeSantis, is a keen proponent of its use. He believes it is a deterrent and also helps victim’s families come to terms with their loss. It is also alleged that he is keen to show himself to be tough on crime as part of his wish to become president of the US. Recently, on July 28th,, there were two executions in one day a kind of grisly record. In a previous post on this topic we wondered if it should no longer be known as the ‘Sunshine State’ but the ‘Death State’.

On the justification for its use, De Santis is wrong on both counts. There is no correlation between violent crime and the death penalty. US states or other countries internationally who do not use it, do not have higher levels of violent crime. Victims of crime as a speaker of the seminar observed, want the crimes solved.

Brief history

The history of the penalty in the US was discussed and the decision by the US Supreme Court in 1972 to rule, in the case of Furman v. Georgia, that the penalty was arbitrary and inconsistent (as between different states) and in contravention of the 8th and 14th Amendments. In 1976, the same court allowed the resumption of the penalty in Florida, Georgia and Texas. Since 1976, 12 states have abolished its use they noted.

There has been a gradual reduction in its use the speakers noted. In 1978 there was 84% support according to a Gallup pole. This has dropped to 36% now. Some supported it because they thought it cheaper. Since many are on death rows for decades this is not supported by the facts. A study by the Death Penalty Information Center showed that the cost in California was around $4bn.

It was noted that the US was a member of a motley collection of states still actively using it: China, North Korea and Saudi Arabia (interestingly, none noted Iran, another colossal user). To be among them was not exactly a badge of pride. The US was unique in the Americas still to use it.

The fact remains that many Americans support its use. Mr DeSantis obviously feels that his actions in making the state the nation’s chief executioner will improve his chances in the presidential primaries improving his tough on crime credentials.

Readers might want to revisit an earlier post on how the penalty and court system works in the state.

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Death penalty in Florida


Should Florida become known as the ‘Death State’ in place of the Sunshine State?

July 2026

Two more executions are scheduled for same day – July 28th – in Florida as Governor Ron DeSantis pursues his mania for the policy. DeSantis said he believes the death penalty could be a “strong deterrent” to crime. “My view is it’s an appropriate punishment for the worst offenders,” he said. The evidence does not support his statement. Indeed the Death Penalty Project concludes:

‘Overall, homicide rates have been declining since the early 1990s across all US states. And increasing rates of homicide have not followed in those states which have abolished the death penalty during the past two decades. In fact, over the last 20 years, homicide rates in US states which retained the death penalty have been higher than those without it.

‘One study found that between 1974 and 2009, 447 executions occurred in the state of Texas, 13 occurred in California and none occurred in New York, yet rates of homicide followed similar patterns of fluctuation throughout this period across all three states, clearly influenced by factors other than punishments.’

‘Aping the President‘

Florida executed more than ever before in 2025. The State accounts for 40% of all executions in the US, a shocking statistic. The increase in the national statistic is almost entirely due to this one state. One commentator reflects in a Tampa Free Press article that DeSantis is aping the President “it matters to the President [Trump] so it matters to them.” It has also been suggested that the execution spree is part of the Governor’s desire to become the president at the end of President Trump’s term of office.

One of those due to be executed at the end of the month is 80 years old, Dominick Anthony Occhicone and his attorneys say he is in their opinion, too old to be executed.

There are still 246 individuals on death row in the state.

If these executions proceed, Florida will carry out two executions in a single day — the first time this has happened in the modern era of Florida’s death penalty. That fact alone should stop us in our tracks.

Amnesty opposes the use of use of the penalty in all circumstances. It is not a deterrent. It perpetuates violence. Mistakes cannot be rectified (and there have been 30 exonerations in this state alone). The US is the only state in the Americas continuing to execute its citizens.

Another case

Another truly shocking case involves a man called Eddie Suggs who is on death row. Reading the astonishing story you learn that the evidence is so weak and flawed it’s a wonder that the case ever came to court. But he may lose his life. There is a petition to sign and we’d be grateful if you’d add your voice.

Sources: Death Penalty Information Center, Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Florida Today, Tampa Free Press, AP News.

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Key highlights from July 2026 meeting minutes


Lots of interest in this month’s minutes and newsletter

July 2026

We are pleased to attach our July minutes and newsletter with thanks to several group members for their contributions. There are pieces on the refugee situation which continues to resonate in the British political scene but often with little attention to the facts. Few would know from the media and politicians that the number of boat crossings have declined for example.

As we have pointed out in a previous post, we now report on British human rights following successive government’s introduction of ever more restrictive laws on assembly and protest.

There is a summary of the death penalty noting that the Restore party wants to see the penalty brought back in the UK. This coincided with the conditional pardon offered to Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in Britain.

There is a report on social media statistics noting that views to this site are at significantly higher level than last year but that most come from outside the UK. High numbers from China are a surprise but very welcome.

There is no meeting in August and the next time we meet is on September 10th.

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Ruth Ellis pardon


Ruth was the last woman to be hanged in Britain

July 2026

Ruth Ellis was hanged in Holloway Prison in 1955 and was the last woman to receive this punishment. Hanging was abolished in 1969 but the execution of Ruth Ellis was one of the events which led to its abolition. The last execution was in 1964, that is 70 years ago. This week Ellis was given a conditional pardon by the government. The application was brought by four of Ellisโ€™s grandchildren who said her action was profoundly shaped by domestic abuse, trauma and circumstances that were never properly recognised at her trial. It is likely that if her life of abuse was made known to the jury it is likely she would have been convicted of manslaughter.

The desire to restore the penalty emerges from time to time and ‘bring back hanging’ appears in some interviews especially after a terrible murder or a terrorist attack. A minor British political party, Restore, is campaigning for its return but it is not a policy of the major parties. The Daily Telegraph does not agree that she has been pardoned reflecting perhaps its older readership’s views about the penalty.

Amnesty believes it is wrong in all circumstances and campaigns for its abolition around the world. The US is the only country in the Americas to retain it in some states at least and in Florida, there has been an increase under Governor De Santis, it is suggested as part of his campaign to be President. Support in the States is slowly diminishing reflecting the views of younger Americans. China is the world leader in executions carrying out more than the rest of the world combined although exact figures are not known as they are a state secret.

There are many problems with the penalty the most obvious being that mistakes cannot be rectified once the execution has happened. And there are mistakes often because exculpatory evidence is sometimes withheld by police. Frequently, the defence is poor or because a key witness can lie to save their own skin. There is considerable racial bias. It does not deter crime as is often claimed: there are no significant differences in crime between states with the penalty and those without. It is very expensive especially in the US where prisoners live for years on death row waiting results of appeals. It is a barbaric practice and simply perpetuates the cycle of violence.

Each month the Salisbury group publishes a report on the use of the penalty around the world.

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