Publications & Testimony

Lewis, Neil A., “Rules Set Up for Terror Tribunals May Deter Some Defense Lawyers,” New York Times, July 13, 2003 Lyall, Sarah, “Families of 2 British Terrorism Suspects Oppose Military Trials by the U.S.,” New York Times, July 5, 2003. Lewis, Neil A., “Six Detainees Soon May Face Military Trials,” New York Times, July 4, 2003. Safire, William, “Kangaroo Courts,” New York Times, November 26, 2001 McVeigh Errors Raise Doubts About Other Capital Cases, USA Today, May 16, 2001 (editorial)…

Inclusion or exclusion of a candidate on this page does not imply support by DPIC. For more information on each candidate, go to their individual 2004 Election homepage, or visit The Washington Post’s 2004 Election Tracker. Candidates for the 2004 Democratic Party NominationFormer Candidates for the 2004 Democratic Party NominationRepublican Party Candidate for the 2004 Presidential Election CANDIDATES FOR THE 2004 DEMOCRATIC PARTY NOMINATION CANDIDATE WEBSITE STANCE QUOTE / RECORD John Kerry…

A new Amnesty International report examines the case of Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman, a Tennessee death row inmate scheduled for execution on June 18. His case involves questions of inadequate defense and prosecutorial misconduct. The report notes that after learning of exculpatory and mitigating evidence that was kept from the jury at Abdur’Rahman’s trial, eight of the original trial jurors said that they no longer have confidence in their sentencing verdict. In addition, a Tennessee Supreme Court…

A new Amnesty International report examines the case of Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman, a Tennessee death row inmate scheduled for execution on June 18. His case involves questions of inadequate defense and prosecutorial misconduct. The report notes that after learning of exculpatory and mitigating evidence that was kept from the jury at Abdur’Rahman’s trial, eight of the original trial jurors said that they no longer have confidence in their sentencing verdict. In addition, a Tennessee Supreme Court…

American military officials say that a Canadian teen being held at Camp Delta in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba could be eligible for the death penalty. The 17-year-old boy was captured in Afghanistan last July and is accused of killing a U.S. medic during battle as a member of al-Qaida. After 18 months of imprisonment, none of the 700 detainees have been officially charged, but a review of their cases by President George W. Bush is pending. Some of the cases could involve capital charges, and officials…

Although he beheads up to seven people a day, Saudi Arabia’s leading executioner, 42-year-old Muhammad Saad Al-Beshi, says that he leads a normal life and is carrying out God’s will. Using a sword given to him as a gift by the government, Al-Beshi has performed public executions since 1998 and has since trained his son, Musaed, to also become an executioner. “An executioner’s life, of course, is not all killing. Sometimes it can be amputation of hands and legs. I use a special sharp knife, not…

North Carolina’s Attorney General has announced that the state will retry Alan Gell, whose death sentence was vacated last year when a North Carolina judge ruled that prosecutors withheld important evidence that might have exonerated Gell at his 1998 trial. After acknowledging that prosecutors from his office violated court orders and the U.S. Constitution by not handing over the evidence, Attorney General Ray Copper announced that the state will not seek the death penalty at Gell’s second…

Despite the fact that the Constitution defining Puerto Rico’s status as a self-governing commonwealth associated with the United States unconditionally bans capital punishment, the U.S. is seeking the federal death penalty in the trial of two Puerto Rican men. The trial has spurred grass-root protests against the death penalty. Gov. Sila M. Calderon, the Commonwealth’s top elected official, said the case demonstrates the need to further reform the U.S. — Puerto Rican relationship, especially in…

States have been spending tens to hundreds of millions of dollars extra per year in order to pursue the death penalty, while crime fighting strategies that have been proven effective are starting to suffer as states face severe budget deficits. The New York Times recently collected some of the cutbacks to essential services: In Multnomah County, Oregon, where Portland is located, the district attorney’s office is so short of money that they have stopped prosecuting drug and property crimes…

Despite concerns that errors made by poorly paid private attorneys who are unfamiliar with death penalty litigation could risk innocent lives in Florida, Governor Jeb Bush will soon close one of the state’s three Capital Collateral Regional Counsel (CCRC) offices. The offices are designed to defend death row inmates in their post-conviction appeals. Bush is closing the Tallahassee office, where attorneys have successfully freed wrongfully convicted death row inmates. Bush claims that the…