Amnesty International condemns today’s execution of Troy Davis as a great injustice and an appalling failure of the justice system

At 3.08pm (NZT) after a delay of over four hours Troy Davis was executed by lethal injection in Georgia. On the announcement of Davis’ execution Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand’s Chief Executive Patrick Holmes released this statement. “This is a horrific failure of the justice system, not just for Troy Davis but for all the Troy Davis’ in the world. The death penalty is inhumane and today the state of Georgia has proved itself to be inhumane. “There was too much doubt in this case and the state of Georgia may well have executed an innocent man. The facts were clear, seven of the nine witnesses recanted or changed their testimony, and there was no DNA evidence linking Davis to the crime. For any human being to put someone to death with this much doubt is an atrocious violation of fundamental human rights. “The death penalty is a human rights violation whether it is given to the innocent or guilty. This shameful and horrific act has today been felt by hundreds of thousands of people around the world. “The global fight to end the death penalty will not stop here. Amnesty International continues to stand in solidarity with the thousands who fight for the abolition of the death penalty.”