Urgernt Action Ohio: This could be a breakthrough

Focus on Ohio's lethal injection process has increased since 15 September,
when the state attempted to execute Romell Broom. Over the course of two
hours, the execution team repeatedly tried and failed to find a useable
vein in which to insert the lethal injection needle, before finally giving
up (see UA 245/09 and update). Broom's execution has been stayed until at
least 30 November, pending a hearing in his case.

On 5 October, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit stayed the
execution of Lawrence Reynolds, who was scheduled to be put to death on 8
October. It noted that since 2007 the state had had "serious and troubling
difficulties in executing at least three inmates, most recently Romell
Broom - (the other two were Joseph Clark and Christopher Newton - see UA
253/09. These "disturbing issues", the court said, called into question
the competence of the lethal injection team and the state's adherence to
its execution protocol more generally. As such issues would be heard
before the federal judge considering the Broom case, the Sixth Circuit
remanded the Reynolds case to that same judge for fact-finding and
evidentiary hearings."

Later on 5 October, Governor Strickland signed a warrant of reprieve for
Lawrence Reynolds, staying his execution until 9 March 2010, and another
for Darryl Durr, staying his execution until 20 April 2010. Durr had been
scheduled to be put to death on 10 November. The governor said that the
failed execution of Romell Broom stemmed from circumstances that "were
truly extraordinary" and it was "unlikely" that the prison officials
"would ever face such a situation again." Nevertheless, the governor said,
since 15 September the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction "has
been working to establish a back-up or alternative lethal injection
protocol that would be available should those responsible for carrying out
executions for the State ever again be unable to access a sustainable vein
at the time of an execution." More time was needed to research, evaluate
and implement alternative procedures, the governor said, and so reprieves
were warranted in at least the cases of Lawrence Reynolds and Darryl Durr.
He added that he believed the Department's work could be completed by the
time of the next scheduled execution in Ohio, that of Kenneth Biros on 8
December, but that "I will issue any additional reprieves I deem necessary
to the appropriate administration of executions under Ohio law."

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases,
unconditionally, regardless of the method chosen to kill the condemned
prisoner. The death penalty is inherently cruel and degrading,
incompatible with human dignity. To end the death penalty is to abandon a
destructive, diversionary and divisive public policy that is not
consistent with widely held values. It not only runs the risk of
irrevocable error, it is also costly, to the public purse as well as in
social and psychological terms. It has not been proved to have a special
deterrent effect. It tends to be applied in a discriminatory way, on
grounds of race and class. It denies the possibility of reconciliation and
rehabilitation. It prolongs the suffering of the murder victim's family,
and extends that suffering to the loved ones of the condemned prisoner. It
diverts resources that could be better used to work against violent crime
and assist those affected by it.

Today, 139 countries are abolitionist in law or practice. The USA, in
contrast, has carried out 1,175 executions since resuming judicial killing
in 1977, with 1,004 carried out by lethal injection, the method currently
promoted by advocates of the death penalty as "humane." There have been 39
executions in the USA this year, four of them in Ohio. Ohio has carried
out 32 executions since resuming executions in 1999. All Ohio's executions
have been carried out by lethal injection.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:

- Welcoming the governor's decision to issue reprieves in the cases of
Lawrence Reynolds and Darryl Durr;

- Expressing concern that Kenneth Biros is still scheduled for execution
on 8 December;

- Arguing that the death penalty can never be rendered humane;

- Calling for a full moratorium on executions in the State of Ohio,
pending abolition of the death penalty.

APPEALS TO:

Governor Ted Strickland
Governor's Office,
Riffe Center, 30th Floor
77 South High Street,
Columbus, OH 43215-6108

Fax: 1 614 466 9354

Salutation: Dear Governor

Terry J. Collins, Director
Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
770 West Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43222

Fax: 1 614 752 1171

Salutation: Dear Director Collins

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.

Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 17
November 2009.

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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and
defends human rights.

This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact
information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your help
with this appeal.

Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003

Email: "This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it!"

http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/

Phone: 202.544.0200

Fax: 202.675.8566

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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL

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