FORMER ILLINOIS GOVERNOR CALLS FOR WORLDWIDE MORATORIUM

the former governor was the first in the United States in January 2000 to impose a moratorium on executions after the number of people exonerated from the Midwestern state’s death row, 13, exceeded the number of people put to death there since the re-introduction of the death penalty in 1977.
In a press conference in Rome organised by Hands Off Cain and the Rome-based September 11 association, Ryan recalled episodes of innocence, in particular Anthony Porter’s case, that led him to impose this moratorium. Porter, a mentally-retarded man on death row for 16 years, had come within 48 hours of execution when journalism students from Illinois’ North-Western University uncovered enough evidence for his exoneration.
Ryan said his ever-increasing doubts about the death penalty system were confirmed by a Herald Tribune investigation in November 1999 that revealed irregularities in the justice system leading to the review of hundreds of cases.
Moreover: “Thirty-three death row inmates had been represented by attorneys subsequently struck off the Bar register, 35 black inmates had been convicted by all-white juries, and 46 had been condemned on the basis of testimony by jailhouse snitches,” Ryan said.
Ryan set up an ad hoc commission to study the death penalty system in Illinois. The commission came up with 85 recommendations “which still didn’t guarantee that no innocent would end up on death row, even if they had been passed into law.” The Republican Senate however refused to act on legislation proposed by Ryan, himself a Republican, on the basis of these recommendations.
“That is why on January 10th this year I decided to commute the death sentences of 167 people on death row,” Ryan said.
Despite the blanket commutation that won him the admiration of abolitionists everywhere, Ryan is not yet an abolitionist. Questioned whether he was against the death penalty in all cases or if he was still in favour in cases of clear guilt, Ryan responded:
“I still argue that question with myself, right till this moment, whether I’m for abolition or not. I still have doubts. I’m pretty close to abolition but there may be cases that I may be for the death penalty. Then again I see how bad the system is.”
Ryan argued that the American public is for a fair, honest and just death penalty system, and the study conducted on the Illinois system showed that this was not so. And that also prompted the moratorium in Illinois, confirmed by Ryan’s successor, Democrat Rod Blagojevich, in a move described by Ryan as “good political opportunism as he would not have had to face the issue for 14 years due to the length of the appeals system. However by retaining the moratorium he is sending out a strong message to other US states.”
Ryan believes that the way towards more moratoria in the US is through convincing state governors. He also pronounced himself strongly in favour of moratoria worldwide.
“Here today I appeal to all countries worldwide to impose a moratorium on the death penalty and study their system and better it, or better still abolish it. What have we got to loose? Time out, let’s study that system and see where that takes us.”
Ryan gave his full support to Hands Off Cain’s campaign for a worldwide moratorium through a UN resolution, relaunched to the media today by Hands Off Cain honorary president and former EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Emma Bonino.
“I’d be delighted to appear before the UN to testify for a moratorium, but I don’t think the US would invite me!” Ryan said.
Italian Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Mario Baccini highlighted the need to convert strong international public opinion against the death penalty into support for a moratorium on executions in international fora such as the United Nations General Assembly.
“The choice of life over death is a choice that governments should make in realization of their duty to make their citizens’ lives better,” Baccini said.