| Guilty, until proven dead... |
| Written by Christopher Mills |
| Saturday, 16 May 2009 14:02 |
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One night in August 1989, sports coach Troy Anthony Davis happened to see Sylvester "Redd" Coles harassing a homeless man for a beer. He and a few others silently followed the two men to a car park near a Burger King, where an off-duty Policeman named Mark Macphail was working as a security guard. The homeless man called out for help and Macphail responded, and was subsequently shot and killed. Troy Davis was convicted and sentenced to death in 1991 for the murder of Officer MacPhail based solely on eyewitness testimony. There was no physical evidence or murder weapon that linked him to the crime, other than being at the scene, and what appears to be in this case, being black. Davis has always maintained his innocence and stated that Coles was the man that committed the crime. However, Coles' picture was never used in witness photo spreads, and despite admitting to owning a gun of the same caliber that shot officer MacPhail, his house was never searched for a weapon. Of the nine witnesses that had testified against Davis, seven have recanted their testimonies because of coercion or questionable interrogation tactics by the police. The only two witnesses whose testimony remains is that of Coles, and another man who first identified Davis two years after the crime took place. Since the verdict in 1991, Davis and his lawyers have been repeatedly appealing the jury's decision by all means available to them. There has been much attention to this case, both national and international. Many notable political and cultural figures have called for the clemency (lessening the punishment) of Davis sentence, including former US President Jimmy Carter, both the basis of a lack of physical evidence incriminating Davis, and a lack of examination of potentially exonerating evidence. It's difficult to understand that there could be such a lack of what we would call justice in this case. A man who was convicted and sentenced to death on just the word of a few people, seven of which have recanted what they swore in court. The fact that evidence has arisen that could potentially free Davis, and that it has been ignored by the state's courts suggests something else is probably going on. Apparently, all you need to kill someone legally in Georgia is two people willing to lie under oath. In the world today, there are still 57 countries that maintain and use the death penalty as a form of punishment for crime. Last year, at least 2390 people were executed worldwide. Five nations accounted for 93% of the total number of executions. China was responsible for executing approximately 1,718, Iran 346, Saudi Arabia 102, the United States 37, and Pakistan 36. What is most noticeable in this group of nations is the United States, a nation that somewhat takes pride in their justice system; in some cases, jurisdictions are renowned for their death row sentencing. The United States seems to keep interesting company in regard to its justice system, especially as former-President George W. Bush named Iran as one of the members of the 'Axis of Evil' in 2002. The 'Bible Belt' is considered to be an area in the Southern United States where socially conservative evangelical Protestantism is a dominant aspect of culture, and church attendance across all denominations is very high. Many of the states that make up the bible belt were also slaves states before the American Civil War. Interestingly enough, Georgia is a part of this area. The capital punishment debate has raged for decades. The Bible is something that comes into play very often, with some (Roman Catholics in particular) arguing that Exodus 20:13 “Thou shall not murder/kill” is the overriding rule on the subject of capital punishment. It seems simple. But as there are other religions who believe differently, such as those prominent in the Bible Belt. Some Protestant groups believe that Genesis 9:6 “Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.” and Leviticus 20:1-27. However, it would seem that Christianity based religions do not usually abide by the laws set out in Leviticus, yet groups such as this feel as though they can pick and choose what fits their agenda best. This is also the chapter that states that same-sex male relationships are 'abominations' and states such men must be killed. Perhaps they hadn't quite figured out lesbians at that point in time. Capital punishment was a part of the New Zealand justice system from 1840, and was first used in 1842, and used for the final time in 1957. It was abolished as a punishment for murder in 1961, but remained as a punishment for treason until 1989 when it was completely abolished. During that time, 85 New Zealanders were executed for their crimes. In comparison to this, the United States has executed 1163 people since 1976, with 3316 people still on Death Row. But what can you do about it? There isn't a lot you can do. Davis is running out of ways to prove his innocence. Amnesty International has a section of their website dedicated to educating people about Troy Davis and his case, and how you can help. There is a facility to send a message to the Governor of Georgia, George Perdue, requesting clemency for Davis, and there are ways for you to spread the word about the case. The general assumption for the law is that you are innocent until proven guilty, but in Troy Davis' case, it is the other way around. |
