Illinois bishops applaud Governor Ryan's

commutation of death sentences 

In praising Illinois Governor George Ryan`s Jan. 11 commutation of the death sentences of all inmates on the state`s death row, the Illinois Catholic Conference called the action "consistent with Catholic principles in opposition to the death penalty," and called upon incoming Governor Rod Blagojevich to continue the moratorium on executions imposed by Ryan in 2000.

 The conference represents Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago, and the bishops of the state's five other dioceses, including the Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, current president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

 "The death penalty cannot suppress the inalienable dignity of those who have committed great evil," the conference said. "Although evil and criminal activities deserve punishment, the door to repentance, forgiveness, and rehabilitation must always remain open. The opportunity for redemption must always remain available.

 "The death of the murderer cannot bring back the one who has been killed, nor does revenge help to heal the hole in the heart of the grieving loved ones," the statement continued. "We pray that Governor Ryan`s granting of clemency will lead to healing."

 Among those who had urged Ryan to issue a blanket commutation was Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, Pope John Paul II`s Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S. In a letter last year, Montalvo thanked Ryan for having imposed a moratorium on executions, and added:

 "I am sure you are aware of the Holy Father`s commitment to upholding the sacredness and dignity of each human life, from the moment of conception until the moment of natural death. For this reason, he has made many appeals to heads of governments, particularly in the United States, for the eventual abolition of the death penalty. The Holy Father would therefore like to ask you to take another step in the defense of life by commuting all death sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole within the State of Illinois." 

Bush Urged to Follow Illinois Lead on Death Penalty

By Dominic Evans

 LONDON- Activists around the world on Sunday applauded the move by the governor of Illinois to spare death row prisoners from execution and urged President Bush (news - web sites) to follow his lead by abolishing the death penalty.

 Governor George Ryan on Saturday commuted the death sentences on more than 150 men and women to a maximum of life in prison without parole, declaring the execution system to be "broken."

 The London-based human rights group Amnesty International, which opposes all use of the death penalty, said Ryan's announcement offered his fellow Republican Bush a golden opportunity.

 "This is a chance for President Bush to bring the United States in line with the world trend against the death penalty," Amnesty spokesman Kamal Samari told Reuters. "He could take a moral stand and signal that the death penalty is not the deterrent to criminals it is presented as."

 Bush's home state of Texas has come under particular scrutiny for its frequent use of the death penalty. About 150 people were put to death during the six years Bush was Texas governor before he became president. He has defended the system.

 Ryan, a former staunch supporter of capital punishment who says he gradually turned against the death penalty, lifted the death sentences just two days before he was due to leave office.

 He acted following a review ordered nearly three years ago after investigations found 13 death-row prisoners were innocent.

 Samari said Ryan's decision marked a "significant step in the struggle against the death penalty" and urged governors in U.S. states still implementing execution to follow suit.

 Illinois is one of 38 states with death penalty laws. The U.S. federal government also has the death penalty.

 Amnesty marked world Human Rights Day last month by drawing attention to the 600 people it said had been put to death in the United States in the last decade.

 Among those executed last year were a mentally ill man, convicts who had been deprived of legal rights and three under 18 at the time of their crimes -- the only three child offenders known to have been judicially executed anywhere in 2002, Amnesty said.

"It is an irony that the world's superpower is not taking a lead on moral issues," Samari said.

 Amnesty's comments were echoed across Europe and Africa.

 "VENGEANCE," NOT JUSTICE

 The Council of Europe, the region's top human rights watchdog, hailed Ryan's courage and conviction and said the death penalty had "no place in a civilized society."

 "I sincerely hope that this is a step toward the abolition of the death penalty in the whole of the United States," council Secretary General Walter Schwimmer said in a statement.

 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who had written to Ryan appealing for mercy to be shown to condemned inmates, welcomed the Illinois governor's decision.

 "This is fantastic news," said a spokeswoman for Tutu's office in South Africa. "His feeling would be that the death penalty is vengeance, it's not justice."

 In Kenya, sociology professor Katama Mkangi who was imprisoned without trial in the 1980s for human rights work, described the commuting of the sentences as "a breath of fresh air in a rotten system."

 "His decision is a wake-up call for the United States justice system to catch up with the rest of civilization."

 The United States and Japan are the only industrialized democracies in which the death penalty is still used.

 While opinion polls indicate most Americans still favor capital punishment, support has been eroding and the country's largest lawyers' organization, the American Bar Association, has called for a national moratorium.

 But even if Bush were to support a national halt to executions, it would not necessarily impact the states. Each governor has jurisdiction over laws regarding state death penalty cases.

 In Maryland, for example, the newly elected Republican governor has said he will lift a moratorium on the death penalty imposed by the former Democratic governor.

 From 1976, when capital punishment was reinstated, until the end of 2002 there have been 820 U.S. executions, 71 of them last year. There are nearly 3,700 men and women under death sentence in the United States currently. (With additional reporting by Alistair Thomson in Johannesburg. William Maclean in Nairobi and Joelle Diderich in Paris)

Amnesty Urges Bush 'Moral Stand' on Death Penalty

Jan 12, 2003

 By Dominic Evans

 LONDON (Reuters) - Human rights watchdog Amnesty International urged President Bush (news - web sites) Sunday to take a "moral stand" abolishing the death penalty after the Illinois governor dramatically emptied that state's death row.

 The New York Times said Governor George Ryan's announcement Saturday sparing the lives of more than 150 convicted men and women was the largest emptying of a death row in U.S. history.

 Ryan reduced prisoners' sentences to a maximum of life in prison without parole.

 London-based Amnesty, which says the scale of executions in the world's most powerful democracy puts it in the same league as China, Saudi Arabia and Iran, said Ryan's announcement offered Bush a golden opportunity.

 "This is a chance for President Bush to bring the United States in line with the world trend against the death penalty," Amnesty spokesman Kamal Samari told Reuters. "He could take a moral stand and signal that the death penalty is not the deterrent to criminals it is presented as."

 Bush's home state of Texas has come under particular scrutiny for its frequent use of the death penalty. About 150 people were put to death during the six years Bush was Texas governor before he became president. He has defended the system.

 "SIGNIFICANT STEP"

 Ryan, a former staunch supporter of capital punishment who says he gradually turned against a "broken" system, lifted the death sentences just two days before he was due to leave office.

 He acted following a review ordered nearly three years ago after investigations found 13 death row prisoners were innocent.

 Samari said Ryan's decision marked a "significant step in the struggle against the death penalty" and urged governors in U.S. states still implementing the death penalty to follow suit.

 Illinois is one of 38 states with death penalty laws. The federal government also has the death penalty.

 "This is a governor who himself was a proponent of the death penalty, who then found that the system is faulty and that he has on his conscience the fact that innocent people have been executed or might have been executed."

 Amnesty, a constant critic of the death penalty in the United States, marked world Human Rights Day last month by drawing attention to the 600 people it said had been put to death there in the last decade.

 Among those executed last year were a mentally ill man, several people whose legal representation was inadequate, prisoners whose guilt remained in doubt, a Mexican denied his consular rights and a Pakistani abducted by U.S. agents ignoring human rights safeguards, it said.

 They also included three offenders who were under 18 at the time of the crime -- making them the only three child offenders known to have been put to death anywhere in 2002.

 "It is an irony that the world's superpower is not taking a lead on moral issues," Samari said.

TUTU WELCOME

 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who had written to Ryan appealing for mercy to be shown to condemned inmates, welcomed the Illinois governor's decision.

 "This is fantastic news," said Lavinia Crawford-Browne, a spokeswoman for Tutu's office in South Africa. "His feeling would be that the death penalty is vengeance, it's not justice."

 In Kenya, sociology professor Katama Mkangi who was imprisoned without trial in the 1980s for human rights work, described the commuting of the sentences as "a breath of fresh air in a rotten system."

 "His decision is a wake up call for the United States justice system to catch up with the rest of civilization."

 The United States and Japan are the only industrialized democracies in which the death penalty is still used.

 While opinion polls indicate most Americans still favor capital punishment, support has been eroding and the American Bar Association has called for a national moratorium.

 From 1976, when capital punishment was reinstated, until the end of 2002 there have been 820 U.S. executions, 71 of them last year. There are nearly 3,700 men and women under death sentence in the United States currently.

12/01/03

Ryan firma la �grazia� a due giorni dalla scadenza del suo mandato

 Il governatore dell�Illinois svuota il braccio della morte

 Commutate in ergastolo 156 condanne alla pena capitale

 DAL NOSTRO CORRISPONDENTE

NEW YORK - Negli annali del movimento abolizionista, l�11 gennaio � gi� passato alla storia come una data importante quanto quel lontano 29 giugno 1972. Quando la Corte Suprema degli Stati Uniti giudic� incostituzionale la pena capitale, in quanto �punizione crudele ed inusuale� e quindi contraria ai valori sanciti dai Padri Fondatori.

Con una decisione destinata ad avere un impatto politico-giudiziario altrettanto profondo, il governatore uscente dell�Illinois George Ryan ha firmato ieri un atto di grazia collettiva a due giorni dalla scadenza del suo mandato, che commuta in ergastolo le 156 condanne a morte emesse dai tribunali dello Stato, svuotando cos� tutti i bracci della morte dell'Illinois. Per festeggiare la decisione, ieri sera a Roma, � stato illuminato il Colosseo, divenuto negli ultimi anni il simbolo della battaglia per l�abolizione per la pena di morte.

�E� stata una decisione molto difficile, ma era l'unica per correggere la manifesta ingiustizia del nostro sistema capitale�, ha spiegato Ryan, un repubblicano che tre anni fa divent� il simbolo dei movimenti abolizionisti quando, �tradendo� il suo partito, firm� la moratoria delle esecuzioni in Illinois.

Un gesto imitato poi da altri governatori, preoccupati come lui del crescente numero di condanne capitali revocate in seguito ai test del Dna, alle scoperte di abusi da parte della polizia durante gli interrogatori degli imputati - quasi sempre poveri e appartenenti alle minoranze - e alle violazioni dei loro diritti per mano di pubblici ministeri pi� interessati alla rielezione che alla giustizia. Dei 156 graziati, solo tre sconteranno pene che prevedono la possibilit� di rilascio, mentre per gli altri � previsto l�ergastolo senza scarcerazione.

Si sono invece spalancati i cancelli non solo del braccio della morte, dove sono stati ingiustamente reclusi per decenni, ma anche del penitenziario, per Madison Hobley, Leroy Orange e Aaron Patterson, tre dei quattro afro-americani scarcerati venerd� dallo stesso Ryan.

�Sono convinto che siano innocenti, altrimenti non li avrei graziati - ha detto il governatore -. Abbiamo prove che sono stati picchiati e torturati dal detective Jon Burge al fine di ottenere false confessioni�. In cella rimane solo Stanley Howard, che scontava un'altra pena oltre a quella capitale.

Immediate le proteste dei sostenitori del capestro, che oggi contano amici influenti al Congresso, alla Casa Bianca e persino nelle universit�. �E� un grosso errore - punta il dito il prossimo governatore dell'Illinois, il democratico Rod Blagojevich -, stiamo parlando di persone che hanno commesso un omicidio�. E il procuratore dello Stato non esclude di riaprire le inchieste a carico dei graziati.

Ma secondo i media americani l�amnistia di Ryan riflette un trend ormai inarrestabile. Proprio ieri il New York Times pubblicava i risultati di uno studio che rivela la crisi profonda di ci� che il giudice abolizionista della Corte Suprema Harry A. Blackmun boll� come �la macchina della morte�.

�Nel 2001 solo 155 detenuti sono entrati nel braccio della morte - scrive il Times -, il numero pi� basso dal �73�. � sceso anche il numero delle esecuzioni: 66, 19 in meno del 2000 e 32 in meno del 1999. Dal �77 ad oggi 6.754 persone sono finite nel braccio della morte, ma di queste solo 749 sono state giustiziate entro la fine del 2001.

Secondo i dati del dipartimento di Giustizia, sono ora circa 3.600 i condannati a morte in tutto il Paese: il numero pi� basso dal �76, anno della reintroduzione della pena capitale in Usa. E il dato non tiene ancora conto delle 160 grazie firmate da Ryan.

Per i nuovi teorici del patibolo questo calo � legato al minor numero di omicidi registrati negli ultimi anni. �La pena capitale fa abbassare il tasso di crimine - sostiene Kent Scheidegger, direttore della Criminal Justice Foundation - e ci� diminuisce il bisogno di imporre la pena stessa�. Ma secondo Richard Dieter, direttore dell'abolizionista Death Penalty Information Center, �persino negli ambienti giudiziari pi� di destra si � insinuato il dubbio sulla efficacia e l'equit� di un sistema giudiziario che porta alla condanna e all�esecuzione di innocenti�.

EL CLARIN

ESTADOS UNIDOS: POLEMICA MEDIDA DEL GOBERNADOR SALIENTE

El estado de Illinois indult� a los condenados a muerte

Son 156 presos. El gobernador, republicano, cambi� sus penas por cadena perpetua. Y cit� ejemplos de convictos ejecutados err�neamente.

 CHICAGO. AP Y EFE.

 El gobernador de Illinois, George Ryan, quien abandona su cargo ma�ana, lunes, firm� el indulto a todos los condenados a muerte en su estado, 156 en total, y conmut� sus penas por prisi�n perpetua.

El gobernador Ryan hizo el anuncio en una conferencia de prensa: "Voy a dormir bien esta noche sabiendo que he tomado la decisi�n correcta", dijo.

 Ryan, un republicano, explic� sus razones. "Nuestro sistema capital est� embrujado por los demonios del error, error en determinar la culpa, error en determinar qui�n entre los culpables merece morir". Y asegur�: "No jugar� m�s con la maquinaria de la vida y la muerte".

 Ryan, quien deja el poder ma�ana, hab�a ordenado la moratoria (detenci�n) de las ejecuciones en su estado despu�s de que la Justicia hab�a concluido que 13 habitantes de Illinois hab�an sido condenados a muerte err�neamente desde que la pena capital fue impuesta en 1977.

 Desde que la pena de muerte fue instalada en ese a�o, las autoridades estatales de Illinois ejecutaron a 12 personas y dejaron en libertad a otras 13 tras comprobarse que eran inocentes.

 El gobernador explic� que durante la suspensi�n de la pena se condujeron investigaciones que s�lo aportaron m�s preguntas sobre c�mo se impon�a esa condena. Record� que hubo casos en que los presos confesaron cr�menes que no cometieron bajo presi�n y tortura de la polic�a de Chicago. Cit� problemas en los juicios, en las sentencias, en los procesos de apelaci�n y la "espectacular falla" del estado en reformar el sistema.

 "Debido a que el sistema de pena de muerte en Illinois es arbitrario y caprichoso �y por lo tanto inmoral� ya no jugar� con la maquinaria de la muerte".

 Ryan abandonar� su cargo al no haberse presentado para su reelecci�n tras haber sido acusado en un caso no probado de soborno en su �poca como secretario de Estado de Illinois.

 Otros gobernadores en EE.UU. han decretado moratorias y conmutaciones de penas, pero nada de la dimensi�n de la decisi�n de Ryan.

 El gobernador envi� cartas durante la noche del viernes a las familias de las v�ctimas de homicidios advirti�ndoles que el s�bado (por ayer) en la tarde anunciar�a en un discurso que conmutar�a la mayor�a de las sentencias a pena de muerte por cadena perpetua, sin posibilidad de libertad condicional.

 Tres internos condenados a morir recibir�n sentencias m�s cortas y a la larga podr�an salir de la c�rcel, aunque ninguno lo har� de inmediato.

 Vern Fueling, cuyo hijo William muri� en 1985 por un disparo hecho por un hombre que esperaba la pena de muerte, estaba escandalizado de que el homicida siguiera viviendo. "Mi hijo est� bajo tierra desde hace 17 a�os y no ha habido justicia �sentenci�. Esto es como una burla".

 El gobernador dem�crata entrante, Rod Blagojevich, tambi�n critic� la acci�n de Ryan, afirmando que la clemencia general "era un gran error". Cada caso deber�a ser revisado individualmente, dijo. Y sentenci�: "Son asesinos".

 Del otro lado del debate, Steven Hawkin, director ejecutivo de la Coalici�n Nacional para Abolir la Pena de Muerte, denunci� que decenas de estadounidenses son condenados a morir por cr�menes que no han cometido.

Globe Correspondent

Illinois governor empties death row

Labels state's system a 'catastrophic failure'

 By Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz,  1/12/2003

 HICAGO - Governor George Ryan of Illinois said he would clear the state's death row of all 156 inmates yesterday, commuting sentences imposed by an ''arbitrary and capricious'' system. He asked the rest of the nation to reconsider the practice of putting some killers to death.

 Ryan, who conducted a three-year review of capital punishment after 13 death row inmates were proven not guilty, called Illinois's death penalty system a ''catastrophic failure,'' saying that too often ethnicity and social class seemed to be determining factors when a convicted killer was sentenced to death.

 ''Our capital system is haunted by the demon of error - error in determining guilt, and error in determining who among the guilty deserves to die,'' he said.

 The unprecedented move by the outgoing Republican governor and former death penalty supporter was immediately hailed by foes of capital punishment but decried by the survivors of some murder victims.

 Vern Feuling, whose son William was shot and killed in 1985 by a man now on death row, was outraged that the killer would be allowed to live. ''My son is in the ground for 17 years, and justice is not done,'' Feuling said. ''This is like a mockery.''

       RELATED INFORMATION 

 Chronology

A timeline of Governor George Ryan's efforts to reform Illinois�s capital punishment system.

  Jan. 31, 2000: Ryan declares a moratorium on executions after 13 men were freed from Illinois�s death row because new evidence exonerated them or there were flaws in the way they were convicted.

 ï¿½ March 9, 2000: Ryan launches a new commission on capital punishment to study Illinois's death penalty system and recommend an overhaul.

 ï¿½ April 15, 2002: The panel commissioned to study Illinois's death penalty system proposes an overhaul and says capital punishment should be abolished if the reorganization can't be enacted.

 ï¿½ Oct. 15, 2002: The state begins a marathon series of clemency hearings for nearly every prisoner on death row.

 ï¿½ Dec. 19, 2002: Ryan pardons three men wrongfully convicted of murder, Rolando Cruz, Gary Gauger, and Steven Linscott.

 ï¿½ Jan. 10, 2003: Ryan pardons Madison Hobley, Stanley Howard, Aaron Patterson, and Leroy Orange, saying Chicago police tortured the men into confessing to murders they didn't commit. � Jan. 11, 2003: Ryan announces he is commuting all 156 death row inmates' sentences. Three could eventually get out; the rest face life in prison without parole. �

SOURCE: Associated Press

 Ryan's order came one day after he pardoned four other death row inmates who he said made false confessions after they had been tortured by police. It covered all 156 remaining inmates on death row, reducing most of their sentences to life in prison. It also covered 11 other condemned inmates awaiting sentencing.

 ''The Illinois death penalty system is arbitrary and capricious - and therefore immoral,'' Ryan said. ''I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death.''

 Thirty-three of the people on death row had been represented by lawyers who were later disbarred or disciplined by the bar, he said. Half of the state's 300 capital cases since the death penalty was reinstated in 1977 had been sent back for resentencing or overturned.

 Ryan picked Northwestern University to deliver the address because work by journalism students there had helped free death row inmates. ''A system that is so fragile that it depends on young journalism students is seriously flawed,'' he said.

 In the law school's packed Lincoln Hall, lawyers, academics, and students mingled with a half-dozen men who have been freed from Illinois's death row. Loud applause throughout Ryan's address and hugs shared among the freed men and their advocates gave the event an air of celebration.

 ''Governor Ryan is probably the greatest man I'm going to ever meet in my lifetime,'' said Madison Hobley, one of the men who was pardoned by Ryan on Friday. ''He saved a whole lot of lives.''

 In a speech that quoted Abraham Lincoln, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and former US Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, the governor related a 20-minute telephone conversation he had with Nelson Mandela last week, in which the former South African president urged him to set an example for the rest of the nation.

 Ryan said that the United States' closest neighbors and allies have abolished the death penalty. ''We're partners in death with several Third World countries,'' he said.

 Death penalty opponents hailed Ryan's decision.

 Kate Lowenstein, national organizer for the Cambridge, Mass.-based Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation, called Ryan's action ''an example for governors across the country.''

 ''You simply can't risk putting innocent people to death,'' said Lowenstein, whose father was slain by a former student in New York in 1980.

In his hourlong speech, Ryan recounted how a neighbor and family friend was kidnapped and buried alive in his hometown of Kankakee. Ryan's commutation order spared the man who killed him.

 ''I don't come to this as a neophyte, without having experienced a small part of the bitter pill that survivors must swallow,'' he said.

 His wife, he said, was angry and disappointed with his decision.

 So was incoming Governor Rod Blagojevich, who takes over Ryan's office tomorrow. Blagojevich said that a case-by-case review would have been more appropriate than a blanket commutation. ''There is no one-size-fits-all approach to this,'' he said. ''You're talking about people who've committed murder.''

 Kevin Lyons, state's attorney in Peoria County, said that ''the great, great majority of these people that have petitioned for commutation ... did not even contest their guilt.''

 The event yesterday represented a momentous end to a troubled term for Ryan, who has been weakened by a four-year federal corruption probe that last year resulted in indictments of his campaign committee and two former top aides. Ryan has not been accused of wrongdoing, but decided not to seek a second term.

 The most recent blanket clemency came in 1986, when the governor of New Mexico commuted the death sentences of all five of the state's death row inmates. Analysts said Ryan's move was unparalleled since 600 death sentences were reduced to life following the US Supreme Court's decision in 1972 temporarily overturning the death penalty.

 The commission Ryan empaneled to review the state's death penalty system found the poor were disadvantaged at trial, and that too many cases that drew the death penalty involved police abuse and jailhouse informants.

The American Bar Association has called for a national moratorium on executions. From 1976, when capital punishment was reinstated, through the end of 2002, there have been 820 executions in the United States.

 In Maryland, outgoing Governor Parris Glendening, a Democrat, imposed a moratorium on the death penalty, but a spokesman said he planned no blanket commutation before leaving office.

 Barry Scheck, a lawyer and DNA defense specialist, lauded Ryan's handling of the controversy.

 ''This is such a powerful and important message, because this is so well thought out,'' Scheck said. ''It was a simple and clear imperative for him to wipe the slate clean and try to begin again.''

 Material from the Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.

 This story ran on page A1 of the Boston Globe on 1/12/2003.

La peine de mort est de plus en plus critiqu�e aux Etats-Unis

Les partisans de la peine de mort aux Etats-Unis ont enregistr� une spectaculaire d�faite, vendredi 10  janvier, avec la d�cision du gouverneur de l'Illinois de gracier quatre condamn�s � mort victimes, selon lui, d'une "injustice manifeste". Samedi, cet �lu r�publicain, dont le mandat s'ach�ve, a �galement annonc� sa d�cision de commuer la peine de quelque 157 autres condamn�s � mort en peine de prison � vie. Ancien partisan de la peine capitale, M.  Ryan dit avoir pris la mesure de la faillite d'un syst�me judiciaire "profond�ment d�fectueux": 13 condamn�s ont �t� innocent�s et lib�r�s dans son Etat. Ces d�cisions relancent le d�bat sur la peine de mort. Depuis des ann�es, avocats et associations traquent les erreurs judiciaires. L'utilisation des tests ADN pourrait � terme bouleverser les m�thodes d'enqu�te polici�res

Washington de notre correspondant

 Le sort de quelque 157 condamn�s � mort, dans les prisons de l'Illinois, �tait suspendu, samedi 11 janvier, au discours que le gouverneur de cet Etat a prononc�, deux jours avant de quitter ses fonctions.     

  Sur le m�me sujet 

En Illinois, un syst�me "bris� et profond�ment d�fectueux"

Les morbides signes vestimentaires de magistrats du Sud

Profession : pourfendeur d'erreurs judiciaires

Celui-ci a a annonc�, samedi, qu'il commuait en peine de prison � vie la peine capitale inflig�e � tous ces condamn�s. R�publicain, partisan de la peine de mort, George Ryan a �t� le premier gouverneur � d�cr�ter un moratoire sur les ex�cutions, en janvier 2000, en raison de la multiplication des erreurs judiciaires. En octobre 2002, il a fait proc�der � une r�vision g�n�rale des dossiers des condamn�s. La l�gislation de l'Illinois lui donne autorit� pour d�cider de mesures de cl�mence.

 Vendredi, M. Ryan a annonc�, dans un premier discours, qu'il avait d�cid� de gracier quatre condamn�s victimes d'une "injustice manifeste". Il s'agit de d�tenus qui, comme six autres, affirment que les aveux sur la base desquels ils ont �t� d�clar�s coupables leur ont �t� arrach�s par la torture. Ils ont �t� interrog�s, au d�but des ann�es 1990, dans un commissariat de Chicago dont le chef, Jon Burge, a �t� chass� de la police apr�s avoir �t� accus� de torturer les suspects de meurtre.

 "Ils sont de parfaits exemples de ce qui fait que le syst�me est terriblement bris�", a d�clar� M. Ryan. La gr�ce entra�ne la libert� pour trois des quatre hommes, le dernier ayant �t� condamn� pour un autre crime.

 Les autres cas sont ceux de condamn�s � mort qui ont demand� une commutation de peine lorsque M. Ryan a d�cid� que l'ensemble des dossiers serait revu. Avec 12,5 millions d'habitants - ce qui en fait le cinqui�me Etat par la population - l'Illinois s'est situ�, en 2000, au huiti�me rang des Etats-Unis pour les crimes violents (meurtres, viols, vols sous la menace d'une arme, coups et blessures). Le gouverneur a indiqu�, vendredi, qu'il avait adress� des courriers aux familles de victimes et � celles des condamn�s, avant de faire conna�tre sa d�cision. Les rumeurs allaient bon train, certains assurant qu'il commuerait toutes les peines de mort, d'autres qu'il en confirmerait une partie.

 L'exemple du moratoire d�cid� en Illinois a �t� suivi par le Maryland. Le fait important, dans le cas de M. Ryan, est que cet ancien ministre de la justice de l'Etat avait fait campagne pour le poste de gouverneur, en 1998, en d�fendant la peine de mort. Son �volution appara�t d'autant plus significative. Il avait �t� encourag� � suspendre les ex�cutions, en 2000, par l'ancien maire de Chicago, le d�mocrate Richard Daley, lui aussi partisan de la peine de mort, l'ayant plusieurs fois requise en tant que procureur, mais convaincu que ses conditions d'application �taient devenues inacceptables. La facult� de droit de l'universit� Northwestern, � Chicago, o� le gouverneur Ryan devait prendre la parole, abrite le Centre des condamnations abusives, qui lutte contre les erreurs judiciaires et plaide pour une mesure de cl�mence g�n�rale.

 MANIPULATIONS POLICI�RES

 L'opinion am�ricaine reste massivement favorable � la peine de mort, tout en admettant, � une courte majorit�, qu'elle est parfois injuste. Le dernier sondage de l'institut Gallup, sur ce sujet, date d'octobre, alors que les tireurs isol�s de la p�riph�rie de Washington faisaient des victimes. La proportion des partisans de la peine capitale �tait alors de 70 %. Apr�s l'arrestation du tueur et de son complice, �g� de 17 ans, le ministre de la justice, John Ashcroft, avait d�cid� de poursuivre le jeune homme devant la justice de Virginie, et non devant celle du Maryland, afin d'�tre s�r que la peine de mort serait requise et qu'elle aurait de fortes chances d'�tre prononc�e.

 Les d�fenseurs de la peine capitale mettent en avant des statistiques selon lesquelles, l� o� elle est non seulement inscrite dans la loi, mais effectivement appliqu�e, les meurtres seraient moins nombreux. Ils affirment, aussi, que le pourcentage de Noirs est �quivalent parmi les condamn�s � mort et dans les autres cat�gories de condamn�s et qu'il n'y a donc pas de biais "racial".

 Les adversaires de cette peine font porter leur offensive sur la fa�on dont elle est prononc�e. Plusieurs cas r�cents ont r�v�l� des erreurs et, surtout, des manipulations polici�res. Au Congr�s, une proposition de loi visant � garantir � tout condamn� l'acc�s aux tests ADN, en obligeant le syst�me judiciaire � conserver les �l�ments mat�riels permettant ces tests, va �tre d�pos� de nouveau dans les prochains jours. Il avait �t� sign� par la majorit� des d�put�s et par un tiers des s�nateurs dans le pr�c�dent Congr�s. Si ce texte est adopt�, les procureurs et les policiers devront r�fl�chir � deux fois avant de produire un suspect devant une cour.

 Patrick Jarreau

 Des condamnations en baisse r�guli�re

 Le nombre de condamnations � mort prononc�es aux Etats-Unis est en forte baisse. En 2001, selon les derni�res statistiques disponibles, 155 personnes ont �t� condamn�es � la peine capitale, le chiffre le plus bas depuis vingt-huit ans. 304 peines capitales avaient �t� prononc�es en 1998, 282 en 1999 et 229 en 2000. Fin 2001, 3 581 prisonniers �taient d�tenus dans les "couloirs de la mort", le plus jeune �tant �g� de 19 ans et le plus vieux de 86 ans. La Californie, le Texas et la Floride sont les trois Etats qui comptaient le plus de condamn�s � mort avec respectivement 603 personnes, 453 et 372.

 En 2002, 71 personnes ont �t� ex�cut�es, contre 66 en 2001. En 1999, pr�s d'une centaine de condamn�s avaient �t� ex�cut�s. En moyenne, l'application de la sentence de mort intervient une douzaine d'ann�es apr�s la condamnation. Sur les 66 personnes ex�cut�es en 2001, 63 �taient des hommes, 3 des femmes, 48 des Blancs, 17 des Noirs et 1 Indien. 

 NEL GIORNO IN CUI LASCIA L�INCARICO RYAN ATTACCA DURAMENTE MAGISTRATURA E POLIZIA 

Illinois, sottratti al boia in 150 

Il governatore commuta la pena nell�ergastolo 

 corrispondente da NEW YORK

 Nel giorno in cui ha lasciato il posto di governatore dell'Illinois George Ryan ha espresso la propria opposizione all'istituto della pena capitale, decidendo di commutare in ergastoli le condanne di quasi tutti i 156 detenuti nei bracci della morte dei penitenziari dello Stato. La decisione, che non ha precedenti negli Stati Uniti, segue quella adottata 24 ore prima, con la quale Ryan aveva annullato le condanne a morte di quattro detenuti che avevano affermato di essere stati costretti sotto tortura della polizia a confessare di aver commesso degli omicidi.

I provvedimenti adottati, annunciati da Ryan per lettera ai famigliari dei detenuti, prevedono che nessuno dei nuovi ergastolani potr� mai essere liberato in futuro e lasciano nelle celle del braccio della morte solo coloro che sono in attesa di giudizio o che hanno presentato appello chiedendo di essere sottoposti a un nuovo processo. Ryan, un repubblicano che ha scelto di non ricandidarsi alle ultime elezioni di novembre, ha accompagnato il gesto di sfida alla pena capitale con un discorso alla Northwestern University duro nei confronti del sistema della giustizia e delle forze di polizia. �L'apparato della giustizia criminale � inaccurato, ingiusto, incapace di distinguere il colpevole dall'innocente e a volte � molto razzista�, ha detto il governatore, puntando l'indice contro quei �poliziotti canaglia� dimostratisi negli anni �zelanti persecutori� e responsabili degli errori giudiziari commessi, ma anche contro �gli incompetenti avvocati difensori e quei giudici che decidono in base a cavilli giuridici piuttosto che su cosa � o meno giusto�. �So che a molti la mia decisione non piacer� - ha concluso il governatore - ma sono conscio che � quella giusta e dormir� sonni tranquilli�. Negli ultimi anni Ryan � stato uno dei paladini della battaglia contro la pena di morte negli Stati Uniti. Tre anni fa decret� la moratoria statale delle esecuzioni a seguito del riscontro della condanna di 13 innocenti dal 1977. Nell'ultimo anno ha proposto il lavoro di un team di esperti che ha redatto una dettagliata proposta di revisione della pena capitale, con l'intento di diminuire il pi� possibile il rischio che vengano commessi errori e giustiziati degli innocenti. Quel testo per� � rimasto finora lettera morta per l'opposizione dei legislatori dell'Illinois e Ryan li ha rimproverati severamente per la decisione di rimanere passivi: �Che cosa aspettano per votare? Oramai � chiaro che diciassette persone in questo Stato sono state condannare a morte senza che ve ne fosse alcun motivo. Quanti altri errori giudiziari devono essere commessi nell'Illinois affinch� i legislatori decidano di fare qualcosa?�. Dietro il passo compiuto da Ryan c'� la realt� di una magistratura americana che tende ad applicare con sempre maggiori limitazioni la pena capitale, mostrandosi consapevole del numero degli errori commessi. Non a caso le statistiche attestano che il 2001 � stato l'anno in cui � stato comminato il minor numero di pene di morte a partire dal 1973 - 155, pari a circa la met� delle sentenze capitali pronunciate da giudici e giurie in ognuno dei sette anni precedenti. A contribuire a questa inversione di tendenza - resa possibile anche dalla diminuzione del tasso di omicidi - c'� il sempre pi� frequente ricorso all'esame del Dna durante i processi e i pareri dati da alcuni giudici della Corte Suprema di Washington, che hanno pi� volte denunciato il rischio di sentenze ingiuste, sottolineando tra l'altro l'anormale sproporzione di condannati fra cittadini afroamericani e bianchi. �Stiamo attraversando un periodo di riconsiderazione a livello nazionale della pena di morte - dichiara Austin Sarat, docente di legge all'Amherst College di Princeton e autore del libro "Quando lo Stato uccide" - perch� sono sempre pi� coloro che si chiedono se la pena di morte sia compatibile con i valori americani di difesa degli innocenti, con il processo legittimo e con il diritto a uguale protezione di fronte alla legge�. Anche fra i tradizionali difensori della pena di morte si fa spazio il ripensamento. �Il fatto che vi siano meno condanne significa che la giustizia non � statica ma prende atto delle situazioni - osserva Joshua Marquis, co-presidente dell'associazione nazione dei legali impegnati in cause capitali - e tenta costantemente di riparare agli errori che vengono commessi�. 

Maurizio Molinari

LA PENA DI MORTE
L�America che cede al dubbio

14 gennaio 2003
di Francesco Rutelli
CARO direttore, mi permetta di dire grazie al Governatore dell�Illinois George Ryan. Lo dico da europeo: fa molto bene al rapporto tra l�America e l�Europa la sua scandalosa decisione, da governatore repubblicano, di commutare tutte le condanne a morte, dopo aver liberato quattro innocenti dal braccio della morte. Da molti anni non si viveva un rapporto tanto difficile tra le due sponde dell�Atlantico. Il sentimento di insofferenza in America, verso noi europei, � legato ad una critica di �parassitismo� rispetto alle difficili decisioni mondiali. Ma si innesta nella visione di un�America che separa nettamente il bene dal male, convinta di interpretare anche un�ispirazione religiosa che pu� apparire, sempre pi� fondamentalista.

� la visione per cui i malvagi vanno puniti e non hanno gli stessi diritti degli altri. Anche se si rischia � come in Louisiana � che nove condannati a morte su dieci appartengano a minoranze, o che i poveri non abbiano diritto a un avvocato decente. Non � questa la sola America, come non lo � quella convinta di dover fare ad ogni costo una guerra all�Iraq. Grazie, governatore, perch� c�� e ci deve essere sempre di pi� un grande patrimonio comune tra l�Europa di Beccaria, come quella che ha voluto il Tribunale Penale Internazionale e l�America che sa che non tutte le questioni complesse possono essere necessariamente semplificate.

Del resto, ricordo ancora la sera, era l�autunno del �99, in cui accendemmo sul Colosseo le luci per salutare per tutto il 2000 la vita restituita ad un condannato a morte o la soppressione della pena capitale in uno stato del mondo. Il Colosseo � il luogo pi� potente della Roma civile, dove tantissime persone morirono per offrire il gusto dello spettacolo della morte alle folle dell�Impero. Alle contraddizioni talvolta ci si ispira per scegliere.
Oggi c�� un�America che non d� per scontato che l�Europa sia fellona, ma sa che forse ci sono ragioni da ascoltare anche da queste parti. C�� un�America � una minoranza, ma crescente � che mette in dubbio ci� che per essa non lo � mai stato: la pena di morte. E c�� un�Europa che si batte contro chi � antiamericano, in nome di valori comuni che sono da sempre minacciati. Sempre vivi. Sempre pi� necessari per il futuro del mondo. coordinatore dell'Ulivo 

13.01.03

 USA/Todesstrafe

 ï¿½Willk�rlich, unberechenbar, unmoralisch�

 Mit der beispiellosen Begnadigung aller zum Tode verurteilten H�ftlinge im US-Bundesstaat Illinois hat Gouverneur George Ryan die Debatte �ber das F�r und Wider der Todesstrafe in den USA wieder angeheizt.

Gouverneur George Ryan kritisierte das Rechtssystem in Illinois als �willk�rlich, unberechenbar und unmoralisch�. Mit der Begnadigung wurden in Illinois 167 Menschen vor der Giftinjektion bewahrt, darunter vier Frauen. Die meisten Strafen werden in lebenslange Haft umgewandelt. Den Verurteilten werden zusammen mehr als 200 Morde zur Last gelegt.

 Es war die gr��te Begnadigung von Todeskandidaten seit Wiedereinf�hrung der Todesstrafe in den USA 1977. In den Todestrakten der US-Gef�ngnisse sitzen nach Angaben des �Informationszentrums Todesstrafe� nach dieser Begnadigung noch mehr als 3500 Menschen.

 Ryan: �Durch unser System spuken Fehlerd�mone�

 ï¿½Was ich bei der Pr�fung jedes einzelnen Falles gesehen habe, wirft Fragen nicht nur �ber die Unschuld der zum Tode Verurteilten, sondern auch �ber die Fairness der Todesstrafe an sich auf�, sagte Ryan, dessen Amtszeit an diesem Montag zu Ende geht.

 ï¿½Durch unser System spuken die Fehlerd�monen: sowohl bei der Feststellung der Schuld als auch bei der Entscheidung, wer zum Tode verurteilt werden soll. ... Ich will mit der Todesmaschinerie nicht mehr herumpfuschen.�

 Staatsanwalt will Entscheidung pr�fen

 Ankl�ger und Vertreter von Opferverb�nden waren emp�rt. �F�r uns gilt die Todesstrafe jeden Tag, weil wir innerlich ermordet werden�, sagte Dawn Pueschel, deren Bruder und Schw�gerin 1983 ermordet worden waren. Der mutma�liche T�ter war unter den Begnadigten. �Der Gouverneur hat das ganze Strafjustizsystem schwer besch�digt�, sagte der Chicagoer Staatsanwalt Richard Devine. Er wollte pr�fen, ob Ryans Entscheidung anfechtbar ist. �Ryan wischt seine dreckigen Schuhe im Gesicht der Opfer ab und benutzt sie als T�rvorleger auf dem Weg aus dem Amt�, sagte der Staatsanwalt von Peoria County, Kevin Lyons. Die meisten Verurteilten h�tten die Verbrechen zugegeben. Den Opfern werde damit Unrecht getan. Auch Ryans Nachfolger im Amt, Rod Blagojevich, kritisierte den Schritt. �Es handelt sich um verurteilte M�rder, das ist ein schwerer Fehler.�

 Ryan trat Amt als Bef�rworter der Todesstrafe an

 Professor Hugo Bedau von der Tufts-Universit�t nannte Ryans Schritt die bemerkenswerteste politische Aktion eines Gouverneurs gegen die Todesstrafe in der US-Geschichte. �Ich wei� nicht, wie lange wir solche Revolutionen erleben m�ssen, bis wir zu dem Schluss kommen, dass Menschen solche unwiderrufbaren Entscheidungen nicht treffen k�nnen�, sagte Richard Dieter, Direktor des �Informationszentrums Todesstrafe�, das seit Jahren gegen die Todesstrafe k�mpft.

Ryan, der sein Amt vor drei Jahren als Bef�rworter der Todesstrafe angetreten hatte, war durch Journalistikstudenten und eine Kampagne der Lokalpresse auf die Missst�nde hingewiesen worden. Die Studenten hatten zusammen mit einem Professor und einem Privatdetektiv die Unschuld eines Todeskandidaten nachgewiesen.

 Bei einer �berpr�fung wurden 13 Todesurteile aufgehoben. Ryan verk�ndete als erster US-Gouverneur ein Moratorium auf die Vollstreckung der Todesstrafe. Eine von ihm eingesetzte Kommission kam im Herbst zu dem Ergebnis, dass Todesurteile drei Mal so h�ufig waren, wenn die Mordopfer wei� waren. Dabei werden in den USA etwa gleich viele Wei�e wie Schwarze ermordet.

13.01.2003

Alle Todesurteile in Illinois aufgehoben

Verf�gung zum Amtsende von Gouverneur Ryan

 Los Angeles, 12. Januar

Der scheidende Gouverneur von Illinois, George Ryan, hat am Samstag alle Todesurteile aufgehoben. Er begr�ndete seine Entscheidung mit der hohen Zahl von Justizirrt�mern und der �unfairen� Anwendung der Todesstrafe. 156 Gefangene sitzen derzeit im Todestrakt; ein weiterer H�ftling war k�rzlich zum Tode verurteilt, aber noch nicht in eine Todeszelle eingewiesen worden. Die meisten Todesurteile wurden in lebenslange Haftstrafen ohne M�glichkeit einer vorzeitigen Entlassung umgewandelt. Drei Gefangene erhielten k�rzere Haftstrafen und k�nnten in einigen Jahren auf freien Fuss gesetzt werden. Von der Verf�gung sind 12 weitere H�ftlinge betroffen, die zum Tode verurteilt worden waren, aber nach richterlichem Beschluss auf eine Anh�rung zur Festsetzung eines neuen Strafmasses warten.

Begnadigte unter den Zuh�rern

Das System der Todesstrafe sei �willk�rlich und deshalb unmoralisch�, erkl�rte Ryan w�hrend einer einst�ndigen Rede an der juristischen Fakult�t der Northwestern University. Er war nach monatelangen Anh�rungen und intensivem Studium der Prozessakten zu seiner Entscheidung gelangt. Die Anh�rungen hatten vor dem �Prisoner Review Board� stattgefunden, das anschliessend vertrauliche Empfehlungen ausgesprochen hatte, an die Ryan jedoch nicht gebunden war. Der Gouverneur ist berechtigt, unabh�ngig von Justiz und Parlament weitreichende Begnadigungen zu erlassen. Eine Reihe von Gouverneuren haben Todesurteile aufgehoben, aber keiner kam an die Tragweite von Ryans Beschluss heran. 1915 hatte der scheidende Gouverneur von Oklahoma, Lee Cruce, 22 Todeskandidaten begnadigt. Governor Winthrop Rockefeller wandelte 1970 in Arkansas 15 Todesurteile in lebenslange Haft um. Der Gouverneur von New Mexico, Toney Anaya, verf�gte 1986 f�r 5 zum Tode verurteilte Straft�ter lebenslange Haft.

Ryan hatte bereits am Freitag 4 Todeskandidaten begnadigt, die behaupten, unter Gewaltanwendung der Polizei falsche Gest�ndnisse abgelegt zu haben. Drei der M�nner waren sofort freigelassen worden. Sie sassen am Samstagnachmittag im Auditorium in der Lincoln Hall und folgten seiner Rede. Unter den Zuh�rern waren Anw�lte, Aktivisten und Angeh�rige von zum Tode Verurteilten, die enthusiastisch seine Entscheidung feierten. Ryan spielte darauf an, dass er ein eher ungew�hnlicher Kritiker der Todesstrafe sei. Der 67-J�hrige ist ein konservativer Republikaner und ehemals vehementer Verfechter der Todesstrafe. In den siebziger Jahren hatte er als Abgeordneter f�r die Wiedereinf�hrung der Todesstrafe in Illinois gestimmt.

Die Aufhebung aller Todesurteile ist der spektakul�re H�hepunkt seiner dreij�hrigen Kampagne f�r eine Reformierung der Todesstrafe, die mit der Verk�ndung eines Moratoriums begonnen hatte. Anfang 2000 ordnete er die unbefristete Aussetzung aller Hinrichtungen an, nachdem mehrere unschuldig Verurteilte unter anderem aufgrund von DNA-Analysen aus den Todeszellen befreit worden waren. Seit 1977 sind 12 Gefangene hingerichtet worden; im selben Zeitraum wurden die Todesurteile gegen inzwischen 17 unschuldig Verurteilte aufgehoben. Ryans Initiative setzte eine landesweite Bewegung f�r ein Moratorium in Gang, der sich Dutzende von US-St�dten, unter ihnen San Francisco, Philadelphia und Detroit, angeschlossen haben. Maryland ist bisher der einzige Gliedstaat, der ebenfalls ein Moratorium verk�ndet hat.

Zuk�nftiger Friedensnobelpreistr�ger?

Ryan berief sich in seiner Rede auf Pers�nlichkeiten wie Desmond Tutu, Abraham Lincoln und Mahatma Gandhi. Zu seinen �ffentlichen Unterst�tzern geh�ren Politiker wie Nelson Mandela und der mexikanische Pr�sident Vicente Fox. Einige Anw�lte haben angek�ndigt, dass sie Ryan f�r den Friedensnobelpreis vorschlagen wollen. Heftig kritisiert wird er dagegen von Staatsanw�lten und Angeh�rigen der Mordopfer. Einige werfen ihm vor, dass er mit seiner Initiative von einem Bestechungsskandal ablenken wolle, in den er verwickelt sei. Bisher ist jedoch keine Anklage gegen Ryan erhoben worden. Auf eine Bewerbung zur Wiederwahl hat er allerdings verzichtet.

Gegner der Todesstrafe hoffen, dass die Aufhebung aller Todesurteile in Illinois eine Signalwirkung hat. Anw�lte vergleichen die Bedeutung der Verf�gung mit der Entscheidung des Obersten Gerichtshofs in Washington von 1972, die Todesstrafe f�r verfassungswidrig zu erkl�ren. Hunderte von Todesurteilen wurden damals in lebenslange Haft umgewandelt. Dass Gouverneure anderer Gliedstaaten Ryans Beispiel folgen werden, ist jedoch eher unwahrscheinlich. Sein demokratischer Nachfolger, Rod Blagojevich, h�lt die generelle Aufhebung aller Todesurteile f�r �einen Fehler�. Der republikanische Gouverneur von Maryland will sich daf�r einsetzen, dass das Moratorium wieder abgeschafft wird. Ryans Entscheidung wird jedoch die �ffentliche Diskussion um die Todesstrafe weiter verst�rken. Nach Meinungsumfragen favorisieren zwar nach wie vor zwei Drittel der Amerikaner die Todesstrafe; aber eine knappe Mehrheit zweifelt an ihrer �fairen� Anwendung und bef�rwortet ein Moratorium.