The Militant - April 7, 2008 -- Troy Davis denied appeal, faces execution

Vol. 72/No. 14 April 7, 2008

Troy Davis denied appeal, faces execution
(front page)

Militant/Clay Dennison

Supporters of Troy Davis protest denial of appeal March 25 in Atlanta.

BY CLAY DENNISON
ATLANTA—In a 4-3 decision, the Georgia State Supreme Court ruled March 17 to deny Troy Davis’s appeal for a new trial or evidentiary hearing.

Davis, who is Black, was charged in the 1989 killing of a white police officer in Savannah, Georgia. Seven of the nine witnesses who testified against him have recanted or contradicted their story. He has been on death row for 16 years.

“The stakes are high in this case. They may be nervous that if they allow witness recantations in this case, they may have to allow them in other cases,” said Laura Moye, deputy director of Amnesty International in Atlanta, who is an activist in Davis’s defense.

Defenders of Davis kicked off a “Tuesdays for Troy” campaign on March 25. At least 18 volunteers gathered at a busy Atlanta intersection with signs, leaflets and petitions. They plan to get out each Tuesday to distribute information.

Moye said that with the denial of Davis’s appeal, his supporters are focusing on a campaign to save his life by winning clemency. “It is essential that we mobilize as many people as possible to pressure the parole board,” she said. For more information on Davis’s case, call (404) 876-5661 ext. 12, or write Lmoye@aiusa.org.

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