Press Release
Contact: Abe Bonowitz
Pager: 888-319-1369
Cell: 561-371-5204
ABOLITIONISTS STAGE RALLY AT WHITE HOUSE TODAY
WHO: Senator Feingold, Representative Jackson, Citizens
United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (CUADP), Fellowship of
Reconciliation (FOR), National Coalition to Abolish the Death
Penalty (NCADP), and People of Faith Against the Death Penalty (POFADP),
and others concerned with Justice.
WHAT: RALLY FOR A FEDERAL MORATORIUM ON THE DEATH PENALTY
WHEN: TODAY (7/26/2000), from Noon to 1pm
WHERE: The WHITE HOUSE, Washington, DC (Solidarity Rally at
Federal Courthouse/Indianapolis)
WHY: IT'S TIME TO STOP THE KILLING
See below for: ALSO TODAY - YET ANOTHER
QUESTIONABLE TEXECUTION
People from across the United States will visit the White House at
noon today with a demand for a halt to all executions in the
country. This event comes at a time when the executive branch
is preparing to begin executing federal death row prisoners, in
spite of growing national sentiment for a moratorium on executions.
Invited speakers at the rally include U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold and
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
The main portion of the rally will be over by 1pm, but the rally
will continue until 4pm. From 2:30 to 4 p.m. a teach-in on the death
penalty will be offered at St. Aloysius Catholic Church a few blocks
north of the US Capitol at N. Capitol & K sts.
There will be a solidarity action at the Federal Courthouse in
Indianapolis, also at noon to 1pm today. Additionally,
activists with the Abolitionist Action Committee (AAC) are preparing
for additional action at the time when the first killing under
federal law appears imminent. For details, see http://www.abolition.org (click
on "Upcoming Actions").
The rally is part of the Peoples Campaign for Nonviolence, a 40-day
series of national faith-based protests calling for justice and
nonviolence. The Campaign is sponsored by the Fellowship of
Reconciliation, the largest and oldest interfaith peace organization
in the United States based in Nyack, NY. (www.forusa.org, wdcfor@excite.com)
ALSO TODAY - YET ANOTHER QUESTIONABLE TEXECUTION
WHAT: George W. Bush will oversee his 137th killing as Texas
Governor, if he allows the Texecution of Juan Soria, a man
who is clearly mentally incompetent.
WHEN: The execution is scheduled for July 26, 2000 after
6:00pm Central USA time.
WHERE: Huntsville, TX.
A few weeks ago the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ)
moved Juan Soria from the Terrell Unit (the Livingston, Texas prison
which houses Texas Men's Death Row) to the Jester IV Unit (the
Richmond, Texas prison which exclusively houses inmates with mental
health concerns). By making this move TDCJ itself acknowledges that
Juan Soria has acute psychiatric problems. On Sunday, June 23,
2000 Juan Soria's family saw him. Juan Soria was completely
incapable of making himself understood. He could say a few
intelligible words, but he couldn't convey any ideas or
thoughts.
Effective September 1, 1999 Texas enacted a law especially to
prohibit the execution of any person who is incompetent. See Texas
Code of Criminal Procedure Article 46.04. In lay man's terms,
this law establishes that a death row inmate is considered
incompetent if he or she does not understand
1) that he or she is to be executed and that the execution is
imminent; and
2) the reason he or she is being executed.
Juan Soria clearly doesn't understand that he is about to be
executed, nor does he understand the reason why he is about to be
executed. It appears that Juan Soria doesn't currently understand
anything.
Juan Soria's execution is illegal. |
