Global Day of Action for Troy Davis

Amnesty International has declared today to be a Global Day of Action on behalf of Troy Davis, a death row inmate in Georgia who may be executed soon despite the abundant evidence that his trial and conviction were unfair.

7 out of 9 of those who testified against Davis have now recanted their testimony, and one of those who has not recanted is a suspect in the crime himself. There is NO physical evidence linking Davis to the crime scene.

What I find baffling about the persistence of Georgia in trying to kill Troy Davis is that this is a case when pro-death penalty forces could easily deflect attention from the many less clear-cut but still shady OTHER cases on death row by making a big point of giving Davis his day in court. Then people would say, "Oh, see, if an innocent man is somehow convicted, he'll get his chance to prove it before execution--the system works," and the death penalty system itself could keep on rolling.

The fact that Troy Davis has not gotten his day in court indicates clearly how invisible the machinery of death really is. Even in a case like Davis's, where there's so much to indicate probable innocence, politicians can still feel safe betting that the public at large will not pay enough attention to make ignoring his pleas for justice a politically unsound move.

We can only hope that the efforts of Amnesty International and other groups fighting on Troy's behalf will somehow raise awareness of the case enough to save his life. Go here to find out how you can get involved.