Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Update
Former witnesses against Troy come clean
The testimony of the witnesses called by the defense team really underscored the fragility of the state's case against Troy Davis. It was amazing to hear their stories. Over the course of the morning, the witnesses affirmed that their testimony implicating Davis was built on lies and often explained their recantations in moving ways, recounting the pressure they felt to point the finger at Troy.
June 24, 2010
Update
Troy Davis Media Coverage
Here is a sampling of media coverage of the Troy Davis hearing in Savannah and events surrounding it. Also, some great photos of scenes outside the Savannah Courthouse yesterday. On Monday, June 21, former Georgia Supreme Court justice Norman Fletcher wrote in the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the importance of the decision of the US Supreme Court, led by retiring Justice Stevens, to grant the hearing. That op-ed is entitled Stevens leaving legacy of judicial care. The next day, June 22, NAACP President Benjamin Jealous wrote a special opinion piece for CNN called Death row inmate's rare chance to prove…
June 24, 2010
Update
Troy Davis' Supporters Call for Justice for All
On Tuesday, on the eve of the hearing that is currently giving Troy Davis a chance to present evidence pointing to his innocence, about a hundred and twenty activists and supporters gathered at the New Life Apostolic Temple in Savannah for a community mass meeting. Member of Amnesty International USA from as far as Seattle and New York gathered with Troy’s family and the Savannah community to pray for justice and all those who suffer from the failures of the criminal justice system and the horror of the death penalty. I was honored to share the podium with my colleagues…
June 24, 2010
Update
Cleared for Release for Years But Still Detained
Mohammed Mohammed Hassan al-Odaini is a 24-year-old Yemeni national held in Guantanamo for more than 8 years, despite the fact that he was cleared for release over 4 years ago. In 2002, when he was studying Islamic law at Salafi University in Faisalabad, Pakistan, the police raided a house where he was dining with other Yemeni nationals. Due to their presumed links to al-Qaeda, they were all handed to U.S. authorities, and days later transferred to Guantanamo. In 2005, al-Odaini was cleared for release from the detention facility, and furthermore, in May 2010, a U.S. federal judge ordered the administration…
June 24, 2010
Update
Amnesty International USA Statement After Troy Davis Hearing
At the close of the Troy Davis evidentiary hearing, Anne Emanuel, legal analyst for Amnesty International USA, released the following statement: "Given the evidence that emerged from the two-day hearing it is clear that the state's case against Troy Davis is thin and tainted. Today's hearing underscores the deepening doubt that has plagued this case. It is difficult to imagine that a jury would convict Davis today after hearing four of the witnesses who convicted Davis 19 years ago testify in open court before a judge that they lied. One eyewitness testified for the first time that he saw his…
June 24, 2010
Update
UN names war crimes panel on Sri Lanka
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that the Secretary-General has appointed a three-member panel of experts to advise him on the issue of war crimes reportedly committed in Sri Lanka during the war between the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels. Is this the international investigation that Amnesty International has been calling for? No, unfortunately. According to the spokesperson's statement, the UN panel will look into "modalities, applicable international standards and comparative experience" on how to provide accountability for reported violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. While the panel is to advise the UN Secretary-General, it hopes…
June 23, 2010
Update
Justice for Everyone
It's just after 5 am and I'm in line with the first 20 people waiting for a coveted seat in the courthouse for Troy Davis’ evidentiary hearing.  Reporters, supporters of Troy Davis, and supporters of Mark MacPhail, the victim in this tragic case, are all jumbled together. Last night we gathered in the Davis family's church for a vigil. Two death row exonerees spoke, including Juan Melendez. He was on death row in Florida 17 years for a crime he didn't commit. He shared a piece of that story and encouraged the Davis family and supporters to stay strong. Larry…
June 23, 2010
Update
Syrian human rights lawyer wrongly convicted today
Muhannad al-Hassani, a Syrian human rights lawyer, was convicted to three years in prison for 'weakening national sentiment' by the Damascus Criminal Court.
June 23, 2010
Update
Of Pakistan and the Taliban
UPDATE: The BBC reports that the Taliban are "openly" raining money for terrorist attacks in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Many of us on this blog have been writing on Pakistan lately.  I wrote a couple of weeks back about a horrendous attack on Ahmadi mosques in Lahore; Christoph (AIUSA’s crisis guru) wrote about using the latest in mapping technologies to visually describe the human rights catastrophe in tribal areas of northwest Pakistan; and Larry Cox, AIUSA's Executive Director, wrote about how the international community, especially the United States, must pay attention to the human rights situation in Pakistan. I would like to…
June 22, 2010
Update
The Story of Troy Davis’ Sister
By Laura Kagel, Georgia Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator for Amnesty International As part of the Freedom School that Amnesty International is sponsoring in Savannah this week, Kim Davis, Troy Davis’ sister, came today to speak to a group of young activists about how the death penalty affects the families of death row inmates. Towards the end of a day spent learning about and discussing the death penalty in the United States and abroad, the group focused in on the Troy Davis case. I took them through a history of the case and tried to explain how he got to where…
June 22, 2010
Update
Abandoned and betrayed – why Haiti’s displaced people feel neglected by the state
Amnesty researchers are on the ground in Haiti. Displaced people living in makeshift camps haven’t seen any improvement in their living conditions in the six months since the earthquake, and in some cases their situation has been deteriorating.
June 22, 2010
Update
Troy Davis Hearing: Landmark Opportunity for Justice
The hearing at the Savannah federal district court tomorrow is both historic and unprecedented. Never before has the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a hearing to determine if it is unconstitutional to execute someone who is innocent. While this hearing is of the utmost importance to Troy Davis and the entire Savannah community, it also carries great legal significance. Following his conviction in 1991, the case against Davis has unraveled, with seven of the nine witnesses recanting or contradicting their original testimony. After spending 19 years on death row and facing three execution dates, Davis has been given an opportunity to present evidence…
June 22, 2010