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Vol. 72/No. 44      November 10, 2008

 
Troy Davis wins execution stay
 
BY CLAY DENNISON  
ATLANTA—Supporters of Troy Davis won a stay of execution October 24, just three days before he was to die by lethal injection. The action by a federal court of appeals came one day after an international day of protests against the planned execution.

Davis, an African American framed for the 1989 killing of an off-duty Savannah, Georgia, policeman, was to have been put to death on October 27.

On October 23 more than 400 supporters of Davis gathered on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol to demand a halt to his execution. Davis sent a message to the rally by phone.

Martina Correia, Davis’s sister, led the crowd in chants of “Free Troy Davis!” She explained the impact of the international support his case has received, saying, “If Troy Davis’s name is being heard in Madagascar, we have won. If Troy Davis’s name is heard in Finland, we have won. If Troy Davis’s name is heard in England, we have won… . The name Troy Davis is ringing in Savannah, Georgia.”

Laura Moye, with the Atlanta office of Amnesty International, explained that the court granted the stay in order to allow lawyers for Davis to ask permission to file a petition for a new hearing in front of a federal court.

After her brother received the stay, Correia told the Militant, “This fight for Troy Davis is far from being over.”

If the court does not grant permission for the new hearing, Davis could again face execution in late 2008 or early 2009.  
 
 
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