CITIZENS UNITED FOR ALTERNATIVES TO THE DEATH PENALTY
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: May 9, 2002
Contact: Abe Bonowitz at 800-973-6548 or <abe@cuadp.org>
Maryland Governor Declares Moratorium on Executions
CUADP Urges National TIME OUT on Executions!
In the wake of the declaration of a moratorium on
executions in Maryland, Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death
Penalty calls on all Governors in states with the death penalty, as well
as Mr. Bush in the Whitehouse, to acknowledge the need for drastic
reform in death penalty laws across the country by declaring an
immediate and formal moratorium on executions in their jurisdiction.
Maryland Governor Parris Glendening declared a halt to all executions in
his state today pending release and General Assembly review of a study
of racial bias currently in progress at the University of Maryland
College Park. The executive order comes as Maryland was preparing to
execute Wesley Baker next week.
"CUADP calls on the leaders of our country to
formalize that "Time Out" on executions," said Abe
Bonowitz, director of the Florida-bsed Citizens United for Alternatives
to the Death Penalty. "In fact, much time and money can be saved
simply by adopting many of the recommendations for reform which were
recently made by the commission established by Illinois Republican
Governor George Ryan. People in the United States deserve a legal system
they can rely on to be fair and accurate, and we currently do not have
such a system. We call on politicians to become leaders by putting an
immediate stop to all executions in the United States."
Illinois Governor Ryan declared a moratorium in that
state in January, 2000 after finding Illinois had executed 12 prisoners
but released 13 from its death row after it was shown that they were
innocent. In Florida alone, 24 prisoners have been exonerated from death
row, and there are a number of others whose cases are pending.
Nationally more than 100 prisoners have been exonerated from death row.
It is time for a Time Out on Executions in the USA.
To see the Illinois Moratorium Commission Report, visit:
<http://www.idoc.state.il.us/ccp>
For "The Florida Problem," visit: <http://www.fadp.org/thefloridaproblem.html>
##########
POSTED BY:
************************************************************
************************************************************
Abraham J. Bonowitz
Director
Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
(CUADP)
PMB 335, 2603 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hwy,
Gainesville, FL 32609
800-973-6548 <http://www.cuadp.org>
<abe@cuadp.org>
************************************************************
************************************************************
