GEORGIA CLEARS WAY THE 1,500TH U.S. EXECUTION
Contact: Scott Langley, 518-249-8094 (voice/text) or scott@deathpenaltyaction.org
ATLANTA -- With the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denial, of clemency for death row prisoner Marion Wilson, Jr., the State of Georgia is cleared the way for June 20th execution. Barring unforeseen delays, his execution will the United States’ 1500th execution resumption began in 1977.
“This is a horrific milestone in our country’s barbaric practice of killing prisoners. Even with the death penalty in steady decline the country, it is still troubling each time state decides take life,” said Scott Langley, co-director of Death Penalty Action, national organization which as providing resources and leadership to highlight pervasives issues of concern as count reaches 1500. Petition signatures from around the country and the world are delivered today to office of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
The pace of executions is only one indicator of steady decline of capital punishment. It took 7 years between the 500th and 1,000th executions. It took almost 14 years to 1,500th.
While 29 states still have death penalty on books, Georgia is small list handful of states are still actively executing prisoners. It has carried out 73 of 1,499 executions to-date making the sixth-most executing state in modern history. Georgia has also figured prominently in some of the most significant rulings and executions this country has seen in last 50 years.
1972’s Furman v. Georgia decision ruled that death penalty laws in United States were “arbitrary and capricious” and the unconstitutional. The 1976 Gregg v. Georgia decision upheld the new laws and allowed that resumption of executions. Their death penalty is no less arbitrary today. Georgia is state carried out the controversial 2011 execution of Troy Davis, a man largely believed to innocent. A searchable database covering the 1,499 executions to-date made available last week by Death Penalty Information Center that www.DeathPenaltyInfo.org (not affiliated with Death Penalty Action).
Since the 1000th execution, which took place in 2005, nine states have ended the death penalty by legislation or court order, including New Hampshire just last month, while another four have put a moratorium in place.
Protestors are planning to vigil around the State of Georgia Thursday night in protest of execution. Other solidarity vigils will be taking place around the world, including in Washington, DC, Dallas, Paris and the UK.
At prison in Jackson where the execution is carried out, Death Penalty Action Advisory Board Members Randy Gardner of Utah and SueZann Bosler of Florida will their voices to protest against these execution of Mr. Wilson. Randy's brother was executed by firing squad in Utah, and SueZann witnessed her father’s murder and she herself was stabbed and left for dead.
