Today, June 22nd, marks the Global Day of Solidarity for death row prisoner, Troy Davis. Davis is accused of fatally shooting Mark MacPhail in 1989. However, after serving more than 18 years on death row, Davis continues to assert his innocence, and serious questions concerning the fairness of his trial have sparked international concern in the human rights community: there was no physical evidence presented in Troy Davis’ trial, the weapon used in the crime was never found, and the case against him rests entirely on witness testimony, even though seven of the nine witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony and have admitted they were coerced by police.

As part of its Freedom School in Savannah, Georgia held this past week, representatives from Amnesty International USA and Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty have held educational programs around universal human rights and the death penalty, and the application of capital punishment here in the United States. The Global Day of Solidarity, which will include vigils around the world, is being organized to raise consciousness surrounding Troy Davis’ case as the Georgia Federal District Court begins reviewing new evidence, as ruled last August by the U.S. Supreme Court. Human rights groups will be holding a candlelight vigil in Savannah and at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, and along with the NAACP, will be holding hours of prayer for both Troy Davis and the family of Mark MacPhail.

Vigil Participants Hold Photos of Troy Davis

In a recent move that went largely undetected by mainstream media and advocacy groups, the American Law Institute decided to abandon its legal support and justifications for the death penalty. In a study conducted by the Institute, it was found that the current system of capital punishment can not provide systemic fairness, that it risks executing innocent people, and that it is plagued by racial disparities. An article in the New York Times explores what this move means in the long-term for the future of the death penalty in the United States.

In light of “World Day Against the Death Penalty” on October 10th, leaders of the European Union have called on all countries of the world to abolish the death penalty. Rights organizations in the United States, such as the American Civil Liberties Union have joined the call in urging the United States to abolish the death penalty. Amnesty International has a very informative fact sheet on death penalty statistics around the world, reminding those of us in the United States that we live in one of the only industrialized democracies that continues to administer death as a form of punishment. How has the Troy Davis case here in Georgia shaped public discourse on the death penalty? Has the Obama Administration’s increased international engagement shifted the political opportunity for nation-wide abolition?

Photo: Scott Langley