[Deathpenalty]FW: AI/UAs: Human rights in specific countries
Boyle, Francis
FBOYLE at LAW.UIUC.EDU
Tue Jul 6 17:17:26 CDT 2004
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954 (voice)
217-244-1478 (fax)
fboyle at law.uiuc.edu
(personal comments only)
-----Original Message-----
From: Boyle, Francis
Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 4:12 PM
To: Boyle, Francis; 'Abolish - The Mailing List For People Working to
Abolish the Death Penalty'
Cc: 'Sissel Egeland'; 'nppryan at compar.com'; 'Rick Halperin'
Subject: AI/UAs: Human rights in specific countries
I would like to suggest to everyone on this list that you pressure AI to
produce a boilerplate UA to be used for EVERYONE being subjected to Lethal
Injection in the United States that it constitutes torture, cruel, inhuman
and degrading treatment, in violation of the Convention against Torture, the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights, etc. that way, in the event there are no "special
circumstances", at least as a matter of principle, we would have an AI UA
for everyone--which I think is very important to do. I realize that staff
and time and resources are in short supply. But still, as a matter of
principle, AI should be able to produce a standard, boilerplate UA for
everyone facing LI in the USA who does not have other special mitigating
circumstances that can be argued. fab, AIUSA Board (1988-92)
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954 (voice)
217-244-1478 (fax)
fboyle at law.uiuc.edu
(personal comments only)
-----Original Message-----
From: Boyle, Francis
Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 3:30 PM
To: 'Abolish - The Mailing List For People Working to Abolish the Death
Penalty'
Cc: Sissel Egeland; nppryan at compar.com
Subject: RE: Human rights in specific countries
At a minimum, AI should have a standard UA to put out for anyone being
subjected to Lethal Injection that they are being tortured to death in
violation of the Convention against Torture, the UDHR, the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, etc. fab, AIUSA Board (1988-92)
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954 (voice)
217-244-1478 (fax)
fboyle at law.uiuc.edu
(personal comments only)
-----Original Message-----
From: Abolish - The Mailing List For People Working to Abolish the Death
Penalty [mailto:ABOLISH at MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Joachim Kübler
Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 2:12 PM
To: ABOLISH at MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: WG: Human rights in specific countries
Hello everybody,
I'm member of amnesty international and I was surprised, that ai doesn't
start an Urgent Action for my pen-pal Troy Kunkle, who shall be executed
tomorrow. I wrote to the international secretariat and received today = the
answer below.
Maybe it is good to know for the future.
Regards
Joachim
"Der Grund der Seele ist dunkel." Meister Eckhardt
=20
Joachim K=FCbler - Mensch(sein)/Menschenrechte
amnesty international
-----Urspr=FCngliche Nachricht-----
Von: JUrquhar at amnesty.org [mailto:JUrquhar at amnesty.org]=20
Gesendet: Dienstag, 6. Juli 2004 13:23
An: JoachimKuebler at web.de
Betreff: Re: Human rights in specific countries
Dear Joachim
I am afraid it is true that, simply because so many people are sentenced =
to death in the United States, the researcher has to select death row
prisoners on the basis of certain criteria. In particular, people =
sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were under 18 (a violation
of = the US's obligations under international law), or who are mentally ill;
= cases where there is a clear racial element in sentencing (typically a
black suspect convicted by an all-white jury); and foreign nationals denied
= their right to assistance from their embassy or consul, as laid out in the
= Vienna Convention.
As I understand it, Troy Kunkle was using LSD and alcohol at the time of the
1984 murder, and had also suffered a difficult childhood. I do not = need to
say that executing him will solve nothing, and that his culpability = is
questionable. There are many others like him: I truly wish we could take
action for all of them. I realise how you must be feeling, having had = the
goodness to write to Troy Kunkle in prison. I felt the same way when I = was
involved in the case of Odell Barnes, a plainly innocent man who was
executed in March 2000 because (then Texas governor) George W. Bush = would
not take time off from electioneering to grant him a 30-day reprieve.
I am sorry I can offer so little. I can only ask you not to lose heart, =
and to continue your work against the death penalty.
Best wishes
James Urquhart
UA Team
uateam at amnesty.org
UA hotline (+44) 20 7413 5542
_______________________________
"I have been a human rights defender for 10 years, but it was only after
Amnesty International issued an Urgent Action that for the first time = the
authorities proposed to protect me and my colleague." - Eren Keskin, =
Turkey
=20
. Amnestyis
To: =
Uateam/I.S./Amnesty
International at Intsec =20
06/07/2004 11:35 cc:
Fax to:
Subject: Human rights in
specific countries =20
=20
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----- Forwarded by . Amnestyis/I.S./Amnesty International on 06/07/2004
11:35 ----- =20
Joachim Kuebler at WEB
Sent by: Auto Mailer at WEB To: =
amnestyis at amnesty.org
cc:
Subject: Human rights in
specific countries =20
05/07/2004 21:41
Please respond to Joachim
Kuebler
=20
=20
Dear Sirs, Dear Mesdames
my name is Joachim Kuebler. I'm member of the german section of ai and = I'm
a penpal of Troy Kunkle,Texas, whose execution date is July 7th.
I participate in Urgent Actions regarding the US, and I wonder that = there
is no UA for him.
I got in touch with the german headquarter, and they told me, that the
International Secretariat not for every death row inmate with an = execution
date starts an urgent action, rather the inmates are selectet on basis = of
certain criteria.
Could you explain me what criteria are this?
Regards
Joachim Kuebler
Pforzheim, Germany
Sender: Joachim Kuebler (JoachimKuebler at web.de), Germany
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