Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 1.10.24
The State of Alabama has set 1.25.24 as the execution date for Kenneth Smith. The Talking Points are at https://www.phadp.org/execution-alert-kenneth-eugene-smith/ on our website. Please: Take action to spare Kenneth’s life at bit.ly/KennethSmithAL or at athttps://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-the-execution-of-kenneth-smith and write to the Governor as well! We hope to see you on the 23rd on the steps of the Capitol at 11:00 a.m. for a press conference after which we will deliver the petitions to the Governor. This will give us the ability to garner maximum exposure and government pressure for both Kenny and against Nitrogen Hypoxia.
We thank the Rev. Jeff Hood for his tireless work in getting the word out with his writings. “Walk Away: On Moral Embarrassment. Alabama & Kenny Smith” “Parable of the Rock from Death Row;” “A Vision”; “Wineskins Bust”
Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, has pre-filed a bill for the upcoming 2024 Legislative session which would allow individuals on death row to be resentenced if it was because of a practice known as judicial override. Kenneth Smith with a jury vote of 11-1 in favor of life is a glaring example of this which is why England expects some pushback.
Last Wednesday the United Nations experts urged the United States to halt what would be the country’s first execution by nitrogen gas, warning it could cause grave suffering and even be considered torture as a federal judge weighs whether to allow the untested method to be used later this month. There were articles in The Guardian, CBS News, AP, Forbes, The Jerusalem Post and many other media voicing the concerns by 4 U.N. Rapporteur experts. In a Press Release from the United Nations “The experts noted that punishments that cause severe pain or suffering, beyond harms inherent in lawful sanctions likely violate the Convention against Torture to which the United States is a party, and the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment that guarantees that no detainee shall be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation which may be detrimental to his health.” Of equal importance for those of us on the ground is this reaction from the Rev. Jeff Hood: “While I am thankful for the words of the United Nation’s experts and the efforts that many experts familiar with the case have put forward to secure this statement (and it is certainly helpful in some quarters), I want to make sure that people advocating for Kenny realize the possible consequences of relying solely (or even primarily) on such a release for their advocacy. Southern politicians and judges need to hear from Southerners if we are ever going to be able to stop this or any other execution. Presently, we must concentrate on mobilizing people and getting our message out in Alabama.” Kenny (and everyone else threatened by this nitrogen hypoxia method) deserves all the energy you have.
We thank all who are working so hard and diligently to stop all killing in Alabama! And as always in closing, we thank all our generous donors who either gave by going to our website and using the “donate” button or who gave directly. Thank you also to all who took the time to read our notes, commented, liked and shared them on Facebook.. Stay safe and be kind to each other!
Esther
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