Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 6.26.19

Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 6.26.19

We have very good news: “The U.S. Supreme Court ordered documents unsealed Monday in a death penalty case out of Alabama after a motion was filed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and NPR.” It was the case of Christopher Price and revealed that the so called state’s “medical experts” were not even physicians.  This ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court is an example of the positive power of the press for which we are very grateful. I was interviewed by Troy Public Radio for NPR’s national newscast on this topic as well as other related issues.

Today the Montgomery Advertiser published an important article by Melissa Brown “Alabama approved death by nitrogen for execution. When did it inform its inmates?” An important question to which those of us at Holman obviously know the answer!

The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) has launched their new and improved site. Same address on the WWW just cleaner and with more information. The DPIC has not listed Hypoxia as a method of execution in any State which has approved this method and of course, they are aware but have decided not to list it as a method of execution right now. The page for Alabama lists our organization as a resource along with other statistics. We were honored at the time to be asked for input for the previous website and appreciate that our suggestions were carried forward to the new site. Our thanks and appreciation to the Death Penalty Information Center for being the authority and resource in the nation on the death penalty! A printed copy of our page has been sent to the Board at Holman.
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-and-federal-in…/…/alabama

We believe that acknowledging and saying thank you is an important component of justice. On this the first anniversary of the heroic effort by the Federal Defenders for the Middle District of Alabama to provide the opportunity for the men at Holman to sign on to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia rather than lethal injection we say thank you! We say thank you for providing the forms for all, not just your clients, thank you for overcoming roadblocks, thank you for being available to take calls from the out of state attorneys who represent many of us, thank you also for taking my calls, John Palombi, Assistant Federal Defender! We hope one day the complete story will be told and meanwhile I did pass on your message, John Palombi, that you are out there working for them. We thank you and all the great people of the Federal Defenders for the Middle District of Alabama!

We continue to thank anonymous donors who gave by going to our website and using the “donate” button and of course also those who gave directly. We would also like to welcome the new members who joined our email list last week. We are encouraged by the kind messages we receive which are all forwarded to the Board.

                                                                 Esther