The torture of death row prisoner Troy Davis is moving to the next level.
After a huge campaign with more than 300.000 people signing petitions on his behalf within a few weeks last October, he had received a stay of execution based on a new last-minute appeal to the federal appeals court in Atlanta.
The stay came just two days before the execution date that had been scheduled for October 27th, 2008.
Troy Davis appealed to the 11th Circuit court for a new trial. By April 16th the Court has now denied the appeal with a 2:1 decision. The dissenting Judge Rosemary Barkett wrote: “To execute Davis, in the face of a significant amount of proferred evidence that may establish his actual innocence, is unconscionable and unconstitutional.”
This denial allows for a 30-day execution stay for Troy to appeal to the US Supreme Court. After 30 days the stay will be automatically lifted and he will face his third (!) execution date.
Amazingly Troy Davis is still finding words of hope: