Death row inmate Troy Davis has been executed in the US state of Georgia for the fatal shooting of policeman Mark MacPhail in 1989.
Davis' death was delayed for hours while the US Supreme Court considered an 11th-hour appeal for clemency. The 42-year-old's case was heavily disputed after most of the witnesses recanted or changed their testimony. Outside the jail in Jackson, Georgia, there was a heavy police presence earlier as his supporters demonstrated.
Davis was convicted in 1991 of killing MacPhail, an off-duty police officer, but maintained he was innocent. The US Supreme Court judges took more than four hours to issue their rejection of the final appeal, an unusually long time for such a ruling.
"The application for stay of execution of sentence of death presented to Justice [Clarence] Thomas and by him referred to the Court is denied," it read. Davis continued to protest his innocence in the death chamber.
"I did not have a gun," he said, "For those about to take my life, may God have mercy on your souls. May God bless your souls."
Davis was pronounced dead at 23:08 (03:08 GMT Thursday), 15 minutes after the lethal injection began.
Read more: BBC News - Troy Davis is executed in Georgia for shooting policeman
"I was not the one who did it. I did not have a gun. Look deeper to find the truth." - Troy Davis' last words.
Davis' death was delayed for hours while the US Supreme Court considered an 11th-hour appeal for clemency. The 42-year-old's case was heavily disputed after most of the witnesses recanted or changed their testimony. Outside the jail in Jackson, Georgia, there was a heavy police presence earlier as his supporters demonstrated.
Davis was convicted in 1991 of killing MacPhail, an off-duty police officer, but maintained he was innocent. The US Supreme Court judges took more than four hours to issue their rejection of the final appeal, an unusually long time for such a ruling.
"The application for stay of execution of sentence of death presented to Justice [Clarence] Thomas and by him referred to the Court is denied," it read. Davis continued to protest his innocence in the death chamber.
"I did not have a gun," he said, "For those about to take my life, may God have mercy on your souls. May God bless your souls."
Davis was pronounced dead at 23:08 (03:08 GMT Thursday), 15 minutes after the lethal injection began.
Read more: BBC News - Troy Davis is executed in Georgia for shooting policeman
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Most of you who have read my views on this forum will know what's coming next. I'm a liberal, but to me that's irrelevant. What's relevant is that I am a human being first and foremost, and as a human this sickens me. It's easy to get caught up in hyperbole or sensationalism, but Troy Davis' death is looking more and more like a tragedy rather than a justified termination of life.
Troy Davis was convicted on the back of nine witness testimonies. Fair enough. Except when you take into account that SEVEN of those nine recanted their statements. Of the remaining two, one was a major suspect in the case, and was never going to recant if it meant he could save his own skin. Thus, the state of Georgia convicted and killed a man on the basis of one reliable witness, and with no forensic evidence available. How is this even possible?
We live in an enlightened age, yet this still takes place? What kind of message are we sending, if we actively condone a GOVERNMENT participating in the taking of a life? To me, killing someone as a punishment for murder (or potentially not, in this case) represents more or less the ultimate hypocrisy. Even worse, they didn't have the guts to do it privately, in a Government-run facility. Oh no. This is, after all, capitalist America: they hired a corporation called (darkly ironically) 'CorrectHealth' in order to perform the murder, making them thousands of dollars in the process.
Whatever happened to Voltaire's maxim of "It's better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one"? Whatever happened to a society being judged on how it treats its most vulnerable members? Whatever happened to a fair trial?
Of course, Davis' death could have been justified - as justified as you can be when you're taking anothers' life - he could, after all, have killed MacPhail. But the basic laws of human rights allow any human the right to a fair trial, and this was not a fair trial. Take the example of the Georgia Resource Centre. Initially aiding Davis by representing him, their budget was cut by over 70%, leading to the departure of many of their lawyers and investigators. Coincidence? Yeah, right.
To me, this reeks of prejudice, power, greed and sadism right through to the core. Another example: Darrell Collins, who retracted his witness statement after admitting the police had threatened to charge him as an accessory to the crime if he didn't help convict Davis. Soon after, three other witnesses also retracted their statements, also claiming brutal police tactics in order to force them into writing and signing witness statements. Not only that, but the courts repeatedly either rejected petitions from Davis or dismissed them out of hand, even when evidence to suggest there may not be all that meets the eye with the story came into light.
To me, it just looks like a particularly tragic victim of America's flawed justice system. This one has touched me personally, though, and I'm not quite sure why. One could argue the point is moot: Troy Davis is dead. Either way, I'd like to know your thoughts on this.
Oh, and a few last things. Active debate is encouraged. To quote Voltaire again, "I may disapprove with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." I detest the death penalty, but if you support it then I can respect your stance. Any flaming of somebody else just because they disagree with you is against the rules. This is a situation which can invoke much emotion, and we must all be careful not to overstep boundaries. Another thing: no America-bashing, please. I have referred to America's flawed justice system because I think that is rather plain to see, but I blame the state of Georgia for this shambles of an execution. America is not just one generalised entity, and this wouldn't have happened in somewhere like Massachusetts (not least because they don't support the death penalty). So that means no "OMFG AMERICUNS ARE BARBARRIUNS" generalising.
Troy Davis was convicted on the back of nine witness testimonies. Fair enough. Except when you take into account that SEVEN of those nine recanted their statements. Of the remaining two, one was a major suspect in the case, and was never going to recant if it meant he could save his own skin. Thus, the state of Georgia convicted and killed a man on the basis of one reliable witness, and with no forensic evidence available. How is this even possible?
We live in an enlightened age, yet this still takes place? What kind of message are we sending, if we actively condone a GOVERNMENT participating in the taking of a life? To me, killing someone as a punishment for murder (or potentially not, in this case) represents more or less the ultimate hypocrisy. Even worse, they didn't have the guts to do it privately, in a Government-run facility. Oh no. This is, after all, capitalist America: they hired a corporation called (darkly ironically) 'CorrectHealth' in order to perform the murder, making them thousands of dollars in the process.
Whatever happened to Voltaire's maxim of "It's better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one"? Whatever happened to a society being judged on how it treats its most vulnerable members? Whatever happened to a fair trial?
Of course, Davis' death could have been justified - as justified as you can be when you're taking anothers' life - he could, after all, have killed MacPhail. But the basic laws of human rights allow any human the right to a fair trial, and this was not a fair trial. Take the example of the Georgia Resource Centre. Initially aiding Davis by representing him, their budget was cut by over 70%, leading to the departure of many of their lawyers and investigators. Coincidence? Yeah, right.
To me, this reeks of prejudice, power, greed and sadism right through to the core. Another example: Darrell Collins, who retracted his witness statement after admitting the police had threatened to charge him as an accessory to the crime if he didn't help convict Davis. Soon after, three other witnesses also retracted their statements, also claiming brutal police tactics in order to force them into writing and signing witness statements. Not only that, but the courts repeatedly either rejected petitions from Davis or dismissed them out of hand, even when evidence to suggest there may not be all that meets the eye with the story came into light.
To me, it just looks like a particularly tragic victim of America's flawed justice system. This one has touched me personally, though, and I'm not quite sure why. One could argue the point is moot: Troy Davis is dead. Either way, I'd like to know your thoughts on this.
Oh, and a few last things. Active debate is encouraged. To quote Voltaire again, "I may disapprove with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." I detest the death penalty, but if you support it then I can respect your stance. Any flaming of somebody else just because they disagree with you is against the rules. This is a situation which can invoke much emotion, and we must all be careful not to overstep boundaries. Another thing: no America-bashing, please. I have referred to America's flawed justice system because I think that is rather plain to see, but I blame the state of Georgia for this shambles of an execution. America is not just one generalised entity, and this wouldn't have happened in somewhere like Massachusetts (not least because they don't support the death penalty). So that means no "OMFG AMERICUNS ARE BARBARRIUNS" generalising.
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"I was not the one who did it. I did not have a gun. Look deeper to find the truth." - Troy Davis' last words.