Editor's comment: At Axis of Logic we take a clear and unapologetic stand for the abolition of the death penalty. The case of Troy Davis exemplifies our reason and position to abolish the death penalty.

- Britta Slopianka, Columnist for the
Abolition of the Death Penalty
Axis of Logic

Alternet has featured Troy Davis as its top “Take Action Campaign of the Week”. Alternet has also published remarks from Martina Correia, Troy’s sister and Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP) board member, along with a letter from Troy that she read at the CEDP’s national convention last November. These remarks, along with the letter, were first published in the CEDP’s newsletter, The New Abolitionist. - Julien Ball

Campaign to End the Death Penalty

Troy Davis was sentenced to death in 1991 for the 1989 murder of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail in Georgia. Davis was convicted despite that the murder weapon was never found and that there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime. Since the original trial, 7 out of the 9 eyewitnesses have recanted or contradicted their original testimony. This new evidence has never been heard in a court of law.

For 18 years Davis has maintained his innocence. Davis claims he went to aid a homeless man who was being beaten in a parking lot, but that he fled the scene upon seeing the assailant had a gun. MacPhail, who was working security at a nearby Greyhound bus station, intervened and was shot to death. Another man has been implicated in the shooting, who also happens to be the one of two witnesses who have not recanted their testimony.

On September 23rd, 2008 Troy Davis came within two hours of being put to death by the State of Georgia via lethal injection. The U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay of execution. This was not a first for Davis though, who has now come close to being executed three times, which is inhuman and highly unusual. Davis has written on his website “I want you to know that the trauma placed on me and my family as I have now faced execution and the death chamber three times is more punishment that most can bear."

Recently, on April 16th, 2009, a federal court rejected Troy Davis's most recent -- and likely final -- appeal 2 to 1. The dissenting judge, Judge Rosemary Barkett, wrote, “To execute Davis, in the face of a significant amount of proffered evidence that may establish his actual innocence, is unconscionable and unconstitutional.”

We here at AlterNet agree, which is why we’re highlighting Amnesty International’s campaign to urge Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to exercise leadership and ensure that Troy Davis’s death sentence is commuted.

Join the numerous people who support Troy Davis in his fight for justice, including President Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Pope Benedict XVI, and Georgia Congressman and Civil Rights icon John Lewis. Please visit Amnesty International’s website to find out the many ways you can help Troy Davis, from encouraging Perdue to demonstrate respect for fairness and justice by supporting clemency to participating in the Global Day of Action for Troy Davis on May 19th. Your help is needed, this is an unfair trial and an innocent man’s life may hang in the balance.

© 2009 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/139808/

Death Row Prisoner Troy Davis: "We Must Expose a System That Fails to Protect the Innocent. There are so many more Troy Davises. This fight to end the death penalty is not won or lost through me."

Martina Correia has spearheaded the fight for justice for her brother, Troy Davis, who has spent 18 years on Georgia's death row despite overwhelming proof that he is an innocent man. Troy has faced three execution dates in two years, and won a stay each time. Despite facing a battle with breast cancer herself, Martina has led a national and international struggle to win justice for Troy.

At the National Convention of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty last fall, Martina gave brief remarks and then read a statement from Troy.

"Good evening. My name is Martina Correia, and I'm from the distant planet of Georgia. For those of you who don't know about my brother, Troy Anthony Davis was convicted in 1991 of killing an off-duty police officer. He was trying to help a homeless man.

"Someone went and told the police that my brother had shot and killed this police officer. They used nine eyewitnesses to convict my brother and sentence him to death. Seven of those witnesses have since recanted, and yet the state of Georgia still wants to execute my brother -- even though they have no physical evidence, no weapon, no motive, no anything."

Here is the message from my brother, Troy Anthony Davis:

"I want to thank all of you for your efforts and dedication to human rights and human kindness. In the past year, I have experienced such emotion, joy, sadness and neverending faith.

"It is because of all of you that I am alive today. As I look at my sister Martina, I am marveled by the love she has for me -- and of course, I worry about her and her health. But as she tells me, she is the eldest, and she will not back down from this fight to save my life and prove to the world that I am innocent of this terrible crime.

"When I look at my mail from across the globe, from places I have never ever dreamed I would know about, and people speaking languages and expressing cultures and religions I could only hope to one day see firsthand, I am humbled by the emotion that fills my heart with overwhelming, overflowing joy.

"I can't even explain the surge of emotion I feel when I try to express the strength I draw from you all. It compounds my faith, and it shows me yet again that this is not a case about the death penalty, this is not a case about Troy Davis -- this is a case about justice, and the human spirit to see justice prevail.

"I cannot answer all of your letters, but I do read them all. I cannot see you all, but I can imagine your faces. I cannot hear you speak, but your letters take me to the far reaches of the world. I cannot touch you physically, but I feel your warmth every day I exist.

"So thank you, and remember I am in a place where execution can only destroy your physical form, but because of my faith in God, my family and all of you, I have been spiritually free for some time. And no matter what happens in the days and weeks to come, this movement to end the death penalty, to seek true justice, to expose a system that fails to protect the innocent must be accelerated.

"There are so many more Troy Davises. This fight to end the death penalty is not won or lost through me, but through our strength to move forward and save every innocent person in captivity around the globe.

"I want you to know that the trauma placed on me and my family as I have now faced execution and the death chamber three times is more punishment than most can bear. Yet as I face this state-sanctioned terror, I realize one constant -- my faith is unwavering, the love of my family and friends is massive, and the fight for justice and against injustice by activists worldwide has ignited a fire that is raging for human rights and human dignity.

"You inspire me, you honor me, and as I pray for strength and guidance for my family and loved ones, and for the victim's family and loved ones, I share with you this struggle. I share with you our triumphs, knowing that you add to my strength and my courage, and because of that, I share with you my life.

"We must dismantle this unjust system, city by city, state by state and country by country. I can't wait to stand with you, no matter if that is in physical or spiritual form. I will one day be announcing, "I AM TROY DAVIS, and I AM FREE!

"Never stop fighting for justice, and we will win!'

http://www.alternet.org/rights/139815/
death_row_prisoner_troy_davis:_we_must_
expose_a_system_that_fails_to_protect_the_innocent/