Month: August 2010

by

Federal court ruled against Troy Davis

Amnesty International USA
Press Release
August 24, 2010

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL GRAVELY CONCERNED THAT RULING
PUTS TROY DAVIS ON TRACK FOR EXECUTION; CITES PERSISTING DOUBTS ABOUT HIS GUILT

(Washington, D.C.) – Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) today expressed deep concern that a federal district court decision puts Georgia death-row inmate Troy Anthony Davis back on track for execution, despite doubts about his guilt that were raised during a June evidentiary hearing. Judge William T. Moore, Jr. ruled that while executing an innocent person would violate the United States Constitution, Davis didn’t meet the extraordinarily high legal bar to prove his innocence.

“Nobody walking out of that hearing could view this as an open-and-shut case,” said Larry Cox, executive director of AIUSA. “The testimony that came to light demonstrates that doubt still exists, but the legal bar for proving innocence was set so high it was virtually insurmountable. It would be utterly unconscionable to proceed with this execution, plain and simple.”

Continue reading →

by

The Response film and dialogue

The City of Portland Office of Human Relations has a monthly event called Human Rights Film and Dialogue Series that is held on the 4th Wednesday of each month. AIUSA Group 48 will be a partner for the event in September to showcase The Response — a courtroom drama based on the actual transcripts of Guantanamo Bay military tribunals. After the film, the Office of Human Relations staff will lead a dialogue with Federal Public Defender, Steven Wax and adjunct professor of Lewis and Clark Law School, Travis Hall.

Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Time: 5:30–8:00PM

Location: Office of Human Relations, 5315 N Vancouver Ave, Portland

Steven Wax is a Federal Public Defender for the District of Oregon. He and his team successfully worked to free six men formerly held as enemy combatants in Guantanamo. He is the author of the book, Kafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in the War on Terror – A Public Defender’s Inside Account.

Travis Hall is a former Army interrogator and Arabic linguist who later served as an Army Judge Advocate (“JAG”). He practices law in Portland for the firm Bateman Seidel and is an adjunct professor of international law and national security law & policy at Lewis and Clark College Law School.