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15 Sep 2011 22:33

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U.S.: US Supreme Court issues stay in execution of Texas inmate

  • NO Duane Buck won’t be executed tonight source
  • » What happened: In 1995, Buck was convicted of double-murder in Houston, Texas, and sentenced to death. Buck’s guilt is not being disputed; however, during the sentencing phase, a psychologist testified that black criminals are more likely than other races to pose a threat to the public if released. Buck’s lawyers contest that this testimony–which was denounced in 2000 by then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn–played a role in Buck’s sentence, and asked Governor Rick Perry and the district attorney to grant Buck a retrial. Perry and the DA refused the request, but the US Supreme Court intervened today, issuing a stay in his execution just four hours before his execution was set to take place. The court has yet to rule on a request for a resentencing.

13 Sep 2011 15:20

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Politics: Four more executions in Texas scheduled over next eight days

  • Rick Perry’s Execution problem: Though it’s beginning to look like an asset in a deep-red GOP primary process, the brouhaha over Rick Perry’s stewardship of the Texas death penalty continues – four more inmates are slated to die over the next eight days. In one case, a man named Duane Buck who shot and killed two people was subject to prejudicial testimony when a psychologist claimed his race (Buck is black) increased the likelihood of future dangerous acts. Another, Steven Woods, is to be executed for a murder that an accomplice has since claimed he carried out. Whatever your political stripe, these issues demand intense scrutiny from a responsible society (as this exemplary article illustrates, the odds that Texas has executed an innocent person seem gallingly high). source

11 Jan 2011 21:37

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U.S.: Illinois about to become sixteenth state without death penalty

  • then Since January of 2000, Illinois hasn’t executed anybody on death row, because it was discovered that the state executed people later found to be innocent.
  • now In a slow-coming-but-now-here move, Pat Quinn is about to sign legislation abolishing the death penalty in the state. They’ll be joining 15 states and DC. source

24 Aug 2010 20:29

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World: In Colombia, people make Facebook hit lists – and follow through

  • 69 Colombian teens randomly showed up on a Facebook hit list that told them to leave town or face execution
  • three have been killed since the list was first posted August 17; nobody knows why the list was posted
  • 31Colombian teens showed up on a second list on Friday; fear has taken over Puerto Asis source

30 Mar 2010 10:55

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World: Amnesty International says China executed a lot of people last year

  • 1000’snumber of people executed in China last year, according to Amnesty International – note the lack of firm number here
  • 714 number of people executed in 17 other nations last year, including Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United States source

25 Jul 2009 22:35

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U.S.: A reporter on Texas’ death row executes his job consistently

  • 315 executions in Texas seen by a single reporter source