Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 7.10.24
Governor Ivey set 7.18.24 as the execution date by lethal injection for Keith Edmund Gavin. Gavin’s attorney had asked the court not to authorize the execution, arguing the state was moving Gavin to the “front of the line” ahead of other inmates who had exhausted their appeals. Talking Points are at: https://www.phadp.org/execution-alert-keith-edmund-gavin-7-18-24/ and most importantly, please sign the petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-the-execution-of-keith-gavin-in-alabama
Keith Edmund Gavin is not planning any last-minute appeals to stop his lethal injection execution next week, but he is asking state officials one thing: don’t conduct an autopsy on his body because of his religious beliefs.
“Mr. Gavin is a devout Muslim,” according to a lawsuit filed last month by his lawyers. “His religion teaches that the human body is a sacred temple, which must be kept whole.”
Next Tuesday,7.16.24 we will hold a vigil and press conference on the steps of the capitol at noon before presenting the petitions on behalf of Keith Gavin to the Governor. We are grateful to be able to work with Death Penalty Action and benefitting from their incredible organizing skills and dedication. We also appreciate being able to work with Amnesty International and Witness to Innocence, Both organizations will be represented at the vigil. We hope to see many of you there!
Next Monday we will be sending out the vigils on the day of the execution.
We thank Amnesty International for its call to action on behalf of Keith Gavin. USA: Alabama's third execution of 2024 imminent - Amnesty International .
From Holman: “For Remembrance Day this year, we are treating July as death penalty awareness month. We will have our Remembrance day gathering on July 13. In addition, we will be sharing stories and memories from our brothers we have lost over the years, 2-3 each day throughout the month. We will also be wearing our purple ribbons and buttons the whole month of July. As you know we value our traditions, but also don't want to just go through the motions, so we try to look for ways not to stagnate and lose focus on what they're really about.”(Vice President, Bart Johnson.)
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
