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Urge Gov. Perdue to Grant Clemency for Troy Davis

Troy Davis faces execution for the murder of Police Officer Mark MacPhail in Georgia, despite a strong claim of innocence. 7 out of 9 witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony, no murder weapon was found and no physical evidence links Davis to the crime. The Georgia Board of Pardon and Paroles has voted to deny clemency, yet Governor Perdue still has the power to step in and commute Davis’ sentence. Please urge him to demonstrate respect for fairness and justice by granting clemency to Troy Davis.
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George Perdue - Governor

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Dear (recipient name),

I am writing to urge you to use your authority as Governor of the state of Georgia to commute the death sentence of Troy Davis, in order to ensure that Georgia does not put to death a man who may well be innocent.  I believe you have the power to do so, and I believe you must use it in this case.

According to the Georgia Constitution, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles does not have “exclusive” authority to commute sentences in death penalty cases.  After the Georgia Constitution was ratified, the Georgia Legislature divested the Governor of the power to grant pardons or paroles, but it has never divested the Governor of the power to commute sentences, including death sentences.

In this extraordinary case, where a man with a strong claim to innocence may well be executed without a court ever holding a hearing on his claims, I urge you to act in the interests of justice and commute Troy Davis’ death sentence.  An execution in this case, without a proper hearing on significant evidence of innocence, would severely compromise the integrity of Georgia’s justice system.

As you may know, Mr. Davis was convicted of the 1989 murder of police officer Mark MacPhail, a conviction based solely on witness testimony, and seven of the nine non-police witnesses have recanted or contradicted their trial testimony.  The courts, citing procedural rules and time limits, have so far refused to hold an evidentiary hearing to examine these witnesses.  Executive clemency exists, and executive action is required, to preserve justice when the protections afforded by our appeals process fail to do so.

I strongly urge you to take such action now and commute the death sentence of Troy Davis.  Thank you for your attention to this extremely serious matter.

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