Amnesty International USA applauds Oregon Governor for halting all executions

Amnesty International USA
Press Release
Wednesday, November 23, 2011

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL APPLAUDS OREGON GOVERNOR FOR
“PRINCIPLED LEADERSHIP” IN HALTING ALL EXECUTIONS

Contact: AIUSA media office, 202.509.8194

(Washington, DC) – Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) today applauded Governor John Kitzhaber of Oregon for declaring a moratorium on the state’s executions. The human rights organization’s supporters in Oregon, around the country and around the world wrote letters appealing to the governor to halt the December 6 scheduled execution of Gary Haugen, who had dropped his appeals, “volunteering” to be executed.

“This is a significant day for Oregon and another step forward in the inevitable march toward the end of the death penalty in the United States,” said Laura Moye, death penalty abolition campaign director for AIUSA.

Amnesty International said the development is part of a clear trend away from capital punishment in the United States and throughout the world. Two thirds of countries no longer use the death penalty, and death sentences in the United States have plunged in the last decade to historic lows – largely due to the public’s increased awareness about glaring flaws inherent to capital punishment. Since 2007, four states have ended their use of the death penalty: New York, New Jersey, New Mexico and Illinois.

“Governor Kitzhaber demonstrated principled leadership by halting all executions in the face of a broken system that has drained public resources without offering any real value to public safety,” said Moye. “This is an important step forward for human rights and we encourage the state’s legislature and citizens to heed the governor’s call for an evaluation of the state’s death penalty so that this irrelevant and outmoded practice may be formally ended in Oregon.”

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Click here to send a thank you to Governor Kitzhaber.