Publications & Testimony

On December 27^th, Turkmenistan became the first of the five former Soviet Central Asian republics to abolish the death penalty. The people’s council passed a resolution amending the constitution and removing the death penalty. “Now in our country neither the government nor anyone else has the right to take away human life,” said Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov. (Reuters, 12/27/99) After 8 hours of debate, the Bermudan House of Assembly voted to abolish the death penalty in the British…

Speech given by Former Florida Chief Justice Gerald Kogan Amnesty International Southern Regional Conference Orlando, Florida October 23, 1999 Good morning, everybody. It’s my pleasure to be here this morning and it’s worth the trip up from Miami to come to Orlando to speak before a group such as this. I was commenting to Joe before we started that there are so many young-looking folks in the audience and Joe very politely said, “I’m glad to know there are those who will be able to carry on…

Message from Mary Robinson: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to the Press Conference Organized by the Death Penalty Information Center New York City, USA Tuesday, 12 October 1999 Ladies and Gentlemen, I regret that I am not able to be with you today to share this important event. I am confident that today’s discussion will be fruitful and contribute to the continuing international effort aimed at limiting, and one day, eliminating the use of the death penalty throughout the…

Following a series of celebrated releases of innocent defendants from its death row, Illinois’s House of Representatives held hearings to address the state’s system of capital punishment on September 15 & 16, 1999. Among those who testified were Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking; Mike Farrell, actor and human rights activist; Renny Cushing, Director of Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation; Bryan Stevenson, Director of Equal Justice Initiative; Professor Lawrence Marshall…

HISTORIC ILLINOIS HEARINGS ADDRESS INNOCENCE AND THE DEATH PENALTY Following a series of celebrated releases of innocent defendants from its death row, Illinois’s House of Representatives held hearings to address the state’s system of capital punishment on September 15 & 16, 1999. Among those who testified were Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking; Mike Farrell, actor and human rights activist; Renny Cushing, Director of Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation; Bryan Stevenson…

Jones v. U.S., 97 – 9361, The Court, reviewing the sentencing provisions of the Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994 for the first time, held that jurors in death penalty cases do not have to be told about the consequences of their failing to agree on whether life or death is the appropriate sentence. The sentencing provisions of the Federal Death Penalty Act allow for three sentencing options: death, life without parole and a lesser sentence. The Court’s instructions to the jury in Jones were…

Resolution Supporting Worldwide Moratorium on Executions April 1999 [Preliminary unedited version] Question of the death penalty Commission on Human Rights resolution 1999/61 The Commission on Human Rights, Recalling article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms the right of everyone to life, article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and articles 6 and 37 (a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Recalling also General Assembly…

Co-sponsored by the National Council of Synagogues and the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops1 “A Sanhedrin that puts one person to death once in seven years is called destructive. Rabbi Eliezer ben Azariah says: Or even once in seventy years. Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Akiba say: Had we been the Sanhedrin, none would ever have been put to death.” Mishnah Makkot, 1:10 (2^nd Century, C.E.) “A sign of hope is the increasing…