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Governor's  Press Release

Commission's Report (video)

Ryan's US Senate  Testimony (video)

About  the Nobel Peace Prize

Here are links to the on-going press coverage of our campaign.

• Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. April 21, 1997: Why I Support The Illinois Death Penalty Moratorium Campaign
• BBC Story Featuring Governor Ryan: December 16, 2001
• New York Times December 16 2002: Appeals Process in Illinois Includes the Exonerated
• The Chicago Sun-Times December 21, 2002: Clemency petitions show deep flaws in death penalty
• Michael Sneed: December 24, 2002 in the Chicago Sun-Times
• CNN.com December 24, 2002: Illinois Gov. Ryan weighs death row decisions
• CNN.com December 30, 2002: Law professors say blanket clemency okay
• CBS 2 Chicago December 30, 2002: Ryan Still Undecided on Clemency
• STLToday.com December 30, 2002: Blanket clemency for death row inmates is valid, law professors tell Ryan
• WCCO.com December 30, 2002: Spare Death Row Lives, Say Experts
• The Nando Times December 31, 2002: Illinois review board to recommend clemency for few death row inmates, sources say
• CNN.com January 1, 2003: Clemency urged for fewer than 10 Illinois inmates
• SJ-R.com January 1, 2003: Ryan to be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
• Chicago Tribune January 1, 2003: Jackson asks total clemency
• Chicago Tribune January 1, 2003: Clemency suggested for a few prisoners
• Los Angeles Times January 1, 2003: Scholars Advise Illinois Governor on Issuing Blanket Clemency
• Quad-Cities Online January 1, 2003: U of I professor to nominate Ryan for Nobel Peace Prize
• CBS 2 Chicago January 2, 2003: Law Professor May Nominate Gov. Ryan for Nobel Peace Prize
• Suntimes News January 2, 2002: Professor nominating Gov. Ryan for Nobel Peace Prize
• Week.com January 2, 2003: Clemency Question Coming To A Head
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch January 2, 2003: Blanket clemency for death row inmates is valid, law professors tell Ryan
• Pantagraph.com January 4, 2003: A Nobel for George Ryan?
• The Journal News January 5, 2003: Families rap death row clemency
• Quad-Cities Online January 6, 2003: Ryan’s Nobel nomination sparks outrage, agreement
• The Associated Press January 7, 2003: Law professor plans to nominate Illinois Gov. Ryan for Nobel Peace Prize
• KFTS-12.com January 7, 2003: Illinois Governor Could Be Nobel Prize Nominee
• Newsday.com January 7, 2003: Gov. Ryan May Get Nobel Nomination
• Pantagraph.com January 7, 2003: Governor planning big announcement Friday
• SJ-R.com January 7, 2003: Ryan already deserves Nobel, says nominator --  Doesn’t have to commute sentences
• Suntimes News January 8, 2003: Clemency announcement could come later this week
• The Associated Press January 9, 2003: Opponents of Death Penalty Express Hope
• Chicago Tribune January 9, 2003: Ryan plan hints at clemency
• Chicago Tribune January 9, 2003: Ryan's sincerity hard to doubt if you do the math
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch January 9, 2003: Death penalty foes think Ryan won't disappoint their hopes
• The Associated Press January 10, 2003: Gov. to Pardon 4 on Death Row
• The Chicago Tribune January 10, 2003: Final appeal for clemency made
• CNN.com January 10, 2003: Illinois governor to pardon 4 death row inmates
• Guardian Unlimited January 10, 2003: US governor to rule whether 160 must die
• The New York Times January 10, 2003: Illinois Expected to Free 4 Inmates on Death Row
• The Chicago Tribune January 11, 2003: EXCERPTS FROM GOV. RYAN'S SPEECH
• The Chicago Tribune January 11, 2003: 'The system has failed' -- Ryan condemns injustice, pardons 6; paves the way for sweeping clemency
• CNN.com January 11, 2003: 'Remember the other innocents'
• The Southern Illinoisan January 11, 2003: RYAN: LIFE OVER DEATH: OVER PROTESTS OF VICTIMS' FAMILIES, GOVERNOR COMMUTES ALL SENTENCES
• ABCNews.com January 12, 2003: Amnesty Urges Bush 'Moral Stand' on Death Penalty
• The Associated Press January 12, 2003: Illinois governor empties death row
• The Chicago Tribune January 12, 2003: After years of soul searching, Ryan decides not to `play God'
• The Chicago Tribune January 12, 2003: Clemency for all -- Ryan commutes 164 death sentences to life in prison without parole. `There is no honorable way to kill,' he says.
• CNN.com January 12, 2003: Reactions to death row commutations
• Irish Examiner.com January 12, 2003: Governor commutes 167 death sentences
• Chicago Sun-Times January 12, 2003: Gov. Ryan empties Death Row of all 167
• U.S. National - AP January 12, 2003: Ill. Gov. Commutes 167 Death Sentences 
• The New York Times January 12, 2003: When Death Row Is Emptied
• Suburban Chicago News January 12, 2003: State's attorneys angry but helpless
• The Telegraph.com January 12, 2003: Haine enraged by governor’s move
• Amnesty International January 13, 2003: Historic Illinois decision must be a first step towards abolition of the death penalty
• The Christian Science Monitor January 13, 2003: Big setback, and new ire, on death penalty
• CNN.com January 13, 2003: 'Blanket commutation' empties Illinois death row
• The New York Times January 13, 2003: Clearing of Illinois Death Row Is Greeted With Global Cheers
• NewsHour January 13, 2003: JUSTICE RECONSIDERED
• smh.com.au January 13, 2003: When 'justice' threatens to murder the innocent, you've got to choose life
• WCAX.com January 14, 2003: Outgoing Illinois governor to pardon four death row inmates
• The New York Times January 14, 2003: Clearing of Illinois Death Row Is Greeted With Global Cheers
• The New York Times January 14, 2003: Illinois Prosecutors Assess Death Penalty's New Era
• The New Zealand Herald January 14, 2003: Constitutional row may follow Illinois death-row rethink
• News24.com January 14, 2003: Scrap death penalty - Mandela
• Pacific News Service January 14, 2003: 100 Years Apart, Two Governors Dared to Attack Death Penalty
• The Stanford Daily January 15, 2003: United States should revisit the death penalty
• The Battalion January 15, 2003: Illinois governor takes aim at death penalty 
• St. Petersburg Times January 15, 2003: Attitude shift in death penalty
• CBS News January 15, 2003: Fragile Wins For Death Penalty Foes
• Edwardsville Intelligencer January 15, 2003: George Ryan won't go away
• SJ-R.com January 15, 2003: Clemencies under fire 
• San Francisco Chronicle January 15, 2003: Death penalty foes get a lift California activists heartened by Illinois governor's decision
• Chicago Tribune January 15, 2003: Ryan defends Death Row decisions on Winfrey show
• Chicago Tribune January 15, 2003: Devine disputes clemency for 10
• Chicago Tribune January 15, 2003: Obstruction of justice
• The Lebanon Daily News January 15, 2003: Vote of conscience
• San Francisco Bay View January 15, 2003: Death penalty as unjust in California as in Illinois
• SJ-R.com January 15, 2003: Death row decision hard to gauge
• The Southern Illinoisan January 15, 2003: VOICE OF THE SOUTHERN: RYAN DELIVERED ON THREAT; NOW OTHERS MUST ACT
• The American Prospect January 16, 2003: Real Conviction -- George Ryan of Illinois has shown he has it. Who else will enter the fray on death penalty reform?
• Capital News 9 January 16, 2003: Legal Eagle -- Death Penalty
• Chicago Tribune January 16, 2003: Ryan's answers on clemency are deficient
• The Christian Science Monitor January 16, 2003: After Illinois: capital punishment and prison reform at a crossroads
• The Lebanon Daily News January 16, 2003: No vengeance, no violence -- justice
• The Nation January 16, 2003: Ryan's Courage
• The Sentinel January 16, 2003: Ryan will be counted a hero
• U.S. National - AP January 16, 2003: Bill Would Restrict Ill. Commutations
• WISHTV8 January 16, 2003: Death Penalty Change Unlikely
• BBC News January 16, 2003: Death penalty opponents struggle on
• The Chicago Sun-Times January 17, 2003: House bill would end executions
• Counterpunch January 17, 2003: Governor Ryan Nominated for Nobel Prize
• The Cranberry Press January 17, 2003: Death penalty needs to be scrapped
• The Palm Beach Post January 17, 2003: Verdict on death penalty also applies to Florida
• USA Today January 17, 2003: Why didn't governor just let them die?
• WISHTV8 January 17, 2003: Ohio law students call for moratorium on executions
• The New York Times January 17, 2003: Leaving Death Row Is Blessing and Curse
• The New York Times January 17, 2003: Clemency Without Clarity
• AJC.com January 17, 2003: Growing civilized means ending death penalty
• LincolnCourier.com January 17 2003: Bill would ban blanket clemency (editor's comment: This Bill should be called the Sore Loser's Bill)
• The Indianapolis Star January 17, 2003: Death penalty reform sought
• Washington Post January 18 2003: Foreign Leaders Laud Move On Death Penalty in Illinois
• Chicago Sun-Times January 18, 2003: Is death penalty moral?
• Counterpunch January 18, 2003: How the Great Victory Was Won -- Death Row Shut Down in Illinois
• Freelancestar.com January 18, 2003: His own reputation on Death Row, governor truckles to the elite
• TheSpectrum.com January 18, 2003: Governor brave to commute sentences
• SanMateoCountyTimes.com January 18, 2003: Off Death Row, into a rougher place
• The Plain Dealer January 18, 2003: Students urge Ohio death-penalty freeze
• AP World - General News January 18, 2003: EU welcomes former Illinois governor's decision to commute death sentences
• al.com January 19, 2003: Death Row most crowded by state's size
• The Boston Globe January 19, 2003: After 19 years on death row, hope beckons
• The Catholic New World January 19, 2003: Death penalty clemency praised -- Catholic leaders call it consistent with teachings
• The Catholic New World January 19, 2003: Ryan’s decision: A moment of mercy, a legacy of death
• Houston Chronicle January 19, 2003: Texas undeterred by Illinois' ripple effect
• The New York Times January 19, 2003: Absolutely, Positively for Capital Punishment
• Pantagraph.com January 19, 2003: Execution opponents intensify lobbying
• The Richmond Times-Dispatch January 19, 2003: Is 'the innocence list' an appropriate name?
• Washingtonpost.com January 19, 2003: Unhealable Wounds
• The Age January 20, 2003: Mandela, Tutu 'influenced' death-row decision
• CNN.com January 20, 2003: Illinois governor leaves a legacy
• Daily Herald January 20, 2003: You sound off on Ryan's blanket clemency
• The New York Post January 20, 2003: Post Opinion Letters -- GOV. RYAN REACHES TOO FAR
• PJStar.com January 20, 2003: Illinois Commentary
• Yahoo! News January 20, 2003: Mexico to Ask Court to Stop U.S. Executing Mexicans
• The Daily Texan January 21, 2003: Conference focuses on death penalty
• The Palm Beach Post January 21, 2003: Letters to the Editor: Gov. Bush should follow lead of Ryan, review death penalty
• FinalCall.com January 22, 2003: 'The system has failed'
• The Illinois Leader January 23, 2003: Six Murderers Remain in Solitary Confinement
• PJStar.com January 23, 2003: Court wants death penalty cases reviewed
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch January 23, 2003: Leading Illinois lawmakers want to end death penalty
• WSWS.org January 23, 2003: Commutation of death sentences in Illinois deals blow to capital punishment
• WSWS.org January 23, 2003: Law and order in Illinois—frame-up, torture and legal murder
• MySanAntonio.com January 24, 2003: NEW: Perry slams Illinois' ex-governor for emptying death row
• The National Catholic Reporter January 24, 2003: The only way to ‘fix’ death penalty system is to end it
• The Oregonian January 24, 2003: Innocent put at risk
• South Bend Tribune January 24, 2003: Slaying victim's daughter fights death penalty
• The Boston Globe January 25, 2003: Kerry Max Cook spent 20 years on death row. His message is clear: 'Being innocent is not enough to save you.'
• CBSNews.com January 25, 2003: Death Penalty Is Different
• The Charlotte Observer, January 25, 2003: Death penalty: It's time for us to stop dodging -- Ryan is no saint, but it doesn't take a saint to move us forward
• Guardian Unlimited January 25, 2003: Prisoners Set to Leave Death Row
• St. Petersburg Times January 25, 2003: Freed after years on death row
• The Daily Camera January 26, 2003: Death-penalty professor accuses system
• The Aberdeen News January 27, 2003: Terrorists test anti-death penalty viewpoint
• The Daily Illini January 27, 2003: Clemency stirs conflict
• PJStar.com January 27, 2003: Prisoners prepare for move
• UIC today January 27, 2003: Governor Ryan's final mistake
• Amnesty International January 28, 2003: USA: Clemency authorities and legislators must act to prevent executions of child offenders
• St. Petersburg Times January 28, 2003: Delays in death row case irk governor
• WTVW.com January 30, 2003: Ryan nominated for Nobel Prize
• The Associated Press January 31, 2003: Nobel Peace Prize nominations stream into Oslo
• MSNBC News January 31, 2003: U.S. governor up for peace prize
• The Daily Herald February 1, 2003: Man convicted of bilking disabled man unable to get pardon
• Pantagraph.com February 1, 2003: A message to Ryan
• PJStar.com February 1, 2003: Ryan granted clemency to 643 -- Including death row commutations, records show about 1 in 3 pardoned
• ABCNews.com February 2, 2003: Ex-Gov. Ryan Issued Hundreds of Pardons -- Former Gov. Ryan's Generosity on Clemency Reached Well Beyond Illinois' Death Row
• Chicago Sun-Times February 2, 2003: Finding drama in 'Exonerated' inmates
• The Boston Globe February 3, 2003: See here, Ruggiero a talent
• The Southern Illinoisan February 3, 2003: THE LAST STRAW: RETIRED PRISON WORKER CAN'T BELIEVE RYAN LET OFF DEATH ROW INMATES
• Chicago Sun-Times February 4, 2003: Illinois may have killed innocent person: Ryan
• Tallahassee Democrat February 5, 2003: Using private lawyers will slow down Death Row appeals
• Chicago Tribune February 6, 2003: Birkett sues over clemencies -- Ryan overstepped authority, he says
• NewsOk.com February 6, 2003: Governors' Pardon Role Essential
• United Press International February 6, 2003: Feature: Ryan clemencies challenged
• The New York Times February 7, 2003: After Sweeping Clemency Order, Ex-Gov. Ryan Is a Celebrity
• Reuters February 7, 2003: Hollywood Fights Death Penalty at Berlin Film Fest
• CNN.com February 8, 2003: Lawyers group urges new defense rules
• St. Petersburg Times February 12, 2003: Holton case shows it's time to bring the death penalty to justice
• Albuquerque Tribune February 15, 2003: What can one man do? Be haunted by the death penalty
• Yahoo! News February 19, 2003: Bono Named As Possible Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
• Albuquerque Tribune February 18, 2003: Pondering the death penalty -- one governor's choice
• The Christian Science Monitor February 20, 2003: Florida fights over death-row lawyers
• Chicago Sun-Times February 21, 2003: THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE / ZERO STARS (R)
• Daily Journal February 23, 2003: Petka: If Ryan wins Nobel, he should forfeit cash
• The Washington Post February 23, 2003: Dead Men Walking
• AP World February 23, 2003: Nobel Peace Prize committee elects new chairman
• Daily Herald February 26, 2003: Next death penalty case carefully watched in wake of clemency cases
• Edwardsville Intelligencer February 28, 2003: OurOpinion / Jury brings back question
• The Star Online February 28, 2003: Record 165 names in the running for Nobel Peace Prize
• Suburban Chicago News March 1, 2003: Execution reforms are advancing
• saukvalley.com March 5, 2003: Senate committee approves death penalty safeguards
• Sun-Sentinel March 6, 2003: Illinois House Panel Nixes Death Penalty
• Chicago Tribune March 7, 2003: Death penalty debate gets forum in House
• Journal Gazette & Times-Courier March 7, 2003: Ferguson unsure if death penalty abolishment would include Mertz
• statesman.com March 7, 2003: Ex-Inmate Speaks Against Death Penalty
• Suburban Chicago News March 7, 2003: House panel advances death penalty abolition
• Chicago Tribune March 9, 2003: Death penalty's price too high, and there's proof
• SFGate.com March 11, 2003: Killing The Innocent
• Essay by Richard Rossi, AZ Death Row March 2003: Greatness
• law.com March 23, 2003:California Prosecutors Blast Execution Moratoriums
• cnn.com March 17, 2003: Former Illinois governor calls death penalty 'barbaric'
• wifr.com March 17, 2003: Former Governor Speaks Out
• ILLINOIS: Clemency changes approved by House---Measure ensures notice to public
• House Votes To Restrict Governor's Clemency Power
• THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 1, 2003: Death penalty reform - one step at a time
• The Times Picayune - April 1, 2003 Loyola honors execution reformer Ex-Illinois governor emptied death row
• Chicago Tribune-April 3, 2003 Execution foes end push for abolition >Chief opponent in House cites lack of support
• April 5, 2003 - By Kurt Erickson Top court to hear arguments against Ryan commutations
• April 24, 2003: CHICAGO (Reuters):Illinois Governor Unlikely to Resume Executions
• April 24, 2003:  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS - Illinois Keeps a Moratorium on Executions
• May 5, 2003:  Hands of Cain - Against the Death Penalty in the World
• March 2003:  by Richard Rossi. Florence, AZ - Death Row - Greatness
• July 9, 2003:  By Cinque Muhammad - Former death row inmate files federal suit
• July 26, 2003:  By The Associated PressGovernor expected to sign sweeping death penalty reforms
• 2003 EUbusiness Ltd:  Campaign for UN moratorium on death penalty launched in Paris
• September 27, 2003:  The Capital Times - Editorial: Right, wrong on executing
• September 28, 2003: By Associated Press - Death row reborn, but sentences decline
• September 29, 2003, 6:01 PM CDT: Doug Mellgren Associated Press Writer - Former Gov. Ryan mentioned as possible finalist for Nobel Peace Prize
• October 5, 2003: By Michele Steinbacher -  Reverend seeks death-penalty abolition 
• October 5, 2003: BY STEPHEN J. LYONS - How Turow came to reject the death penalty
• October 4, 2003:  BY MIKE RAMSEY Ryan says Nobel would be great
• October 9, 2003:  By Kurt Erickson - Worthy of the Prize?
• October 9, 2003: Dave McKinney Sun-Times Springfield bureau - Oddsmaker puts Ryan at 12-1 for winning Nobel
• October 10 2003:  Alister Doyle - Fearless lawyer scoops Nobel Peace Prize
• November 15 2003:   AMY DAVIS - Colorado, Illinois governors debate capital punishment
• April 9 2004: George Ryan says death penalty will never be fixed