FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 14, 2005
GOVERNOR
GEORGE RYAN HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR THE 2005 NOBEL PEACE
PRIZE
On
Monday, January 17, 2005 the United States of America
will celebrate the annual National Holiday in honor of
the late, great and martyred civil rights leader Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
To
mark this occasion, University of Illinois College of
Law Professor Francis A. Boyle has nominated former
Illinois Governor George Ryan for the 2005 Nobel Peace
Prize because of his courageous and heroic opposition to
the racist death penalty system in America, which
differentially targets African Americans. 42% of
America's death row population are African Americans. Of
those defendants executed in the United States since
1976, 34% were African Americans. Of the 167 persons
whom George Ryan liberated from Illinois' racist death
row two years ago, about 60% were African Americans.
Illinois
proudly boasts that it is "The Land of
Lincoln": President Abraham Lincoln, a resident of
Illinois, freed the slaves. In the tradition of Lincoln,
Governor Ryan freed over 100 descendants of slaves from
Illinois' racist death row. As Dr. King's associate the
Reverend Jesse Jackson has persuasively argued, today
the administration of the Death Penalty in America is
nothing more than a system of "Legal Lynching"
(1996) against African Americans and other People of
Color. The time has long passed for America to eliminate
this racist and barbaric measure of state terrorism
directed against African Americans, other People of
Color, and poor Whites. Toward that end, George Ryan has
performed more effective work against the racist death
penalty system in America than the entire American
Abolitionist Movement combined. For that reason, he
richly deserves to win the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. Just
as the elimination of slavery in America emanated from
"The Land of Lincoln," so too the final
elimination of the death penalty from America shall be
traced back to George Ryan and the State of Illinois.
Professor Boyle may be contacted for comments or
interviews at the following:
Francis
A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954 (voice)
217-244-1478 (fax)
fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
Website: http://www.stopcapitalpunishment.org
Ohio: Dianne Abshire – Phone: 419-523-5816 Fax 1-419-538-7273
Germany:Britta Slopianka – Phone: 4193-888-359 . Fax:
4193-888-617
Norway: Sissel Egeland – Phone 47 98622499. Fax: 1-813-354-4809
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- December
16, 2003
GEORGE
H. RYAN TO BE NOMINATED FOR THE 2004 NOBEL
PEACE PRIZE
As the deadline approaches for the 2004 Nobel
Peace Prize nominations, Francis Boyle,
Professor of International Law and Human
Rights at the University of Illinois, has
decided to re-nominate ex Governor George H.
Ryan of Illinois. Professor Boyle nominated
Ryan last year and explains his decision to
nominate him again as follows.
"Since
retiring as Illinois Governor, George Ryan has
launched a one-man crusade all over the world
against the death penalty. He has probably done
more effective work against the death penalty
than all the rest of the American Abolitionists
put together" states Professor Boyle.
After
three years of thorough review of all capital
cases in his State, George Ryan declared the
capital punishment system in Illinois
"broken", and commuted the sentences
of all 167 inmates sitting on Death Row in
Illinois jails on January 11th, 2003.
Since
then he has been actively campaigning in the
United States and in Europe in an attempt to
bring the use of the death penalty in the USA to
an end. The Death Penalty is a system, which
cannot be fixed. It is broken and flawed. Human
justice will never be infallible.
Ryan
has been appointing Honorary Chairman of the
European activist group, Hands off Cain. In this
capacity he lead the campaign to have the
European Parliament petition the United Nations
to pass a resolution demanding that the US stop
using Capital Punishment.
Capital
Punishment is contrary to all International
Human Rights codes and the USA is the only
Western Liberal Democracy still practicing this
Human Rights violation.
The USA kills more of their own
citizens in the name of justice than any other
country in the world with the exception of China
and Iran.
That
fact notwithstanding, the task of bringing this
practice to an end in USA is enormous. The
Campaign to Support George Ryan for the Nobel
Peace Prize believes that international support
would be an important aid to help Ryan continue
his fight to end the Death Penalty.
George
Ryan has shown courage and strength in his
continuing struggle. It is commonly rumored that
he was among the top hand full of finalists for
the 2003 award, which was won by Shirin Ebadi of
Iran.
With
our support we trust that 2004 will be the year
that George Ryan wins the Nobel Peace Prize. And
the USA is given one more message that the rest
of the democratic world abhors capital
punishment.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954(voice)
217-244-1478(fax)
fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
You can also contact us at committee@stopcapitalpunishment.org.
To download this English Language press release in
MS Word format,
please click here.
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 7, 2003
Nobel Nominee George Ryan active in Europe
George Ryan who is a candidate for the Nobel Peace
Prize to be awarded on Friday Oct 10 2003 has been
active recently in Europe assisting the abolitionist
activist group known as Hands Off Cain to support and
promote a resolution to the United Nations calling for a
worldwide moratorium on the use of the Death Penalty.
Here is the information from the Hands Off Cain (HOC)
web site:
September 30, 2003: the European mission conducted by
former governor of Illinois and current Hands Off Cain
Honorary President George Ryan, together with Leroy
Orange, ex death row inmate who is alive thanks to the
moratorium on executions introduced by the governor in
his state, came to an end on Monday in Brussels.
In the morning an HOC delegation consisting of
President Marco Pannella, Secretary Sergio D’Elia,
Treasurer Elisabetta Zamparutti, Board Member Anna
Zammit, together with Ryan and Orange, met with Italian
Foreign Minister Franco Frattini just before the
commencement of the EU General Affairs Council meeting
he was to preside over. On the agenda was the European
Parliament and Italian Presidency’s proposal of
presenting, at the ongoing UN General Assembly, a
resolution in favour of a universal moratorium on
capital executions.
The HOC delegation later met the President of the
European Commission Romano Prodi, who gave his support
towards Hands Off Cain’s campaign.
“Putting an end to the death penalty is not only an
act of prudence, but also one of wisdom,” Prodi said at
the end of the meeting.
In the evening Ryan and Orange participated at a
conference held at the European Parliament which saw the
presentation of the English edition of Hands Off Cain’s
2003 Report: The Death Penalty Worldwide, and the launch
of an online signature campaign, aimed at EU
Parliamentarians, for a universal moratorium on capital
executions.
Both initiatives were sponsored by the European
Union.
More information is available on the HOC web site at
http://www.handsoffcain.org/. For local information or
interviews contact Prof Francis A. Boyle at:
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954(voice)
217-244-1478(fax)
fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
You can also contact us at committee@stopcapitalpunishment.org.
To download this English Language press release in PDF format,
please click here.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 2, 2003
Former Gov. Ryan mentioned as possible finalist
for Nobel Peace Prize
An Associated Press story out of Oslo Norway
reports the following:
“Nobel watchers say there is no clear favorite for
this year's prize, but some names bandied about include
Pope John Paul II, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula
da Silva and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Another is
former Illinois Gov. George Ryan for emptying his
state's death row of 167 inmates.”
George H. Ryan was nominated by Professor Francis
Boyle for this years Nobel Peace prize.
The Campaign to support the nomination of George H.
Ryan for the Nobel peace prize has collected over 1000
signatures of support from Americans and people around
the world on their web site. This document has been
filed with the Nobel Peace Prize committee. The list of
supporters and their comments are available at
http://www.stopcapitalpunishment.org/supporters.html.
This weekend at an NAACP conference in Chicago,
former Gov. George Ryan of Illinois will receive the
prestigious NAACP Humanitarian Award.
Ex Governor Ryan has just returned from a human
rights tour of Europe with Hands Off Cain, an
abolitionist and human rights action group. Leroy
Orange, an innocent man whose confession obtained by
torture put him on death row, has been accompanying
Ryan. Orange was one of the four inmates set free by
Ryan. Ryan and the group held talks with European
leaders and the UN who are seeking to have the USA and
Japan establish moratorium against the death penalty.
Ryan has travelled and done extensive public speaking
since he left office, which has continued to focus
attention of the problems with the death Penalty in the
US.
Dr. Francis A. Boyle, Professor of International Law
and a member of the committee to support Ryan’s Nobel
peace Prize nomination is available for comments or
interviews. He can be reached at:
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954(voice)
217-244-1478(fax)
fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
You can also contact us at committee@stopcapitalpunishment.org.
To download this English Language press release in PDF format,
please click here.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 17, 2003 BY THE
CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT THE NOMINATION OF GOVERNOR GEORGE H.
RYAN FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
Ryan's Nobel Nomination Completed and Filed
January 16, 2003: It is official: George Ryan is now
a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. Francis A. Boyle announced
"I have today filed the Nomination by fax with the
Nobel Peace Prize Committee in Norway.
StopCapitalPunishment.org will now focus its efforts on
promoting and lobbying on behalf of Governor Ryan to be
awarded the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize."
Francis A. Boyle, Professor of Law, University of
Illinois College of Law in Champaign, a member of the
Campaign to nominate George H. Ryan for the Nobel Peace
Prize made good on his promise by completing and filing
the nomination papers recommending ex Governor Ryan of
Illinois for the Nobel Peace Prize late yesterday.
Professor Boyle noted that "By exposing the
inhumanity of capital punishment in the United States,
George H. Ryan has, in the words of Alfred Nobel,
"conferred the greatest benefit on
mankind.""
The reasons to which Boyle referred are well
documented and many. The highlights are the moratorium
on the death penalty that Ryan declared in 2000,
culminating with his courageous and historic
exonerations of January 10th and the commutation of all
the remaining Illinois death row prisoner's sentences on
January 11th, just two days before he officially left
office.
Ryan's actions have been the subject of both praise
and bitter attack. But one thing is certain; the future
of the Death Penalty in the United States has been
irrevocably changed. George W. Bush who presided over
the execution of more people in Texas than any other
Governor in history - 156 souls by actual count - was
rarely questioned about this in his run for the
Presidency. In the aftermath of George Ryan's
groundbreaking action it is hard to imagine this ever
happening again.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954(voice)
217-244-1478(fax)
fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
Sissel Egeland
Norway
Phone: 47- 51587350 ( Norway )
Fax: 1-813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from Europe
Fax : 813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from US
denmark@online.no
Katie Williams
2 Boiceville Rd
Brooktondale, NY 14817
Phone: 607-539-7537
kaw34@CORNELL.EDU
Rick Halperin
Human Rights; History Professor, Southern Methodist University, Dallas,
Texas; Board of Directors, Amnesty International USA (1989-1995, Board
Chair, 1992-93); President, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death
Penalty (2000-present)
SMU PO Box 750172
Dallas, Texas 75275
Phone: 214-768-3284
Fax: 214-768-3475
rhalperi@mail.smu.edu
Bob Wakfer
105 Greenbrier Drive
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada
Phone: 519-746-1607
Fax : 519-746-7566
bob@compar.com
You can also contact us at committee@stopcapitalpunishment.org.
To download this English Language press release in PDF format,
please click here.
To download a French Language version in PDF format,
please click
here.
To download a German Language version in PDF format,
please click
here.
To download an Italian Language version in PDF format,
please click
here.
To download a Swedish Language version in PDF format,
please click
here.
7
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 14, 2003
BY THE CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT THE NOMINATION OF GOVERNOR
GEORGE H. RYAN FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
Ryan
Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize - The Canadian
Connection
On December 19 the decision was made by Francis A.
Boyle, Professor of Law, University of Illinois to
nominate the then Governor of Illinois, George H. Ryan
for the Nobel peace Prize in recognition of his
courageous and ground breaking work on the death
penalty. Governor Ryan was scheduled to leave office on
January 13, 2003. There was much speculation about
whether or not he would exercise his constitutional
prerogative and exonerate or commute the sentences of
any of the inmates on death row in Illinois.
While the decision had been made to nominate Ryan for
the Nobel Peace Prize regardless of what he did upon
leaving office it was hoped that the campaign would
support and encouragement for him to issue a blanket
clemency order.
The question was how could the campaign have any impact
in such a short time period? The answer appeared to be
electronically via the Internet. Bob Wakfer, a human
rights activist and life long abolitionist and president
of Computer Partners, a Waterloo Ontario web design and
web hosting company had the solution. With the
assistance of his web master, Marcel Penton a web site
was created between 1:00 and 5:00 pm on Christmas Eve.
An ad hoc team of volunteer from around the world was
assembled with strong representation from Norway,
France, Germany and Italy. A series of Press Releases
was immediately distributed by email to media outlets
around the world. The first mention of the Campaign and
the pending Nomination of Governor Ryan appeared in the
State Journal Of Springfield Illinois January 1, 2003.
Since then Professor Boyle has given a series of almost
non-stop interviews on radio, TV and to newspaper
reporters.
The web site, which can be found at http://www.stopcapitalpunishment.org
is the heart of this campaign. The press releases have
been translated in German, French and Italian and are
available for download below. A supporter's page was
established, and to date over 600 people from around the
world have signed up to indicate their support for
Governor Ryan and his nomination.
Links to much of the press coverage can be found on
the web site and the full transcript of Ryan's speech in
which he commuted the sentences of 167 Death Row inmates
is available in English, French and German by clicking
here.
This campaign has only been possible thought the use
of the Internet and electronic communication. And this
has all been made possible by the Canadian connection.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954(voice)
217-244-1478(fax)
fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
Sissel Egeland
Norway
Phone: 47- 51587350 ( Norway )
Fax: 1-813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from Europe
Fax : 813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from US
denmark@online.no
Katie Williams
2 Boiceville Rd
Brooktondale, NY 14817
Phone: 607-539-7537
kaw34@CORNELL.EDU
Rick Halperin
Human Rights; History Professor, Southern Methodist University, Dallas,
Texas; Board of Directors, Amnesty International USA (1989-1995, Board
Chair, 1992-93); President, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death
Penalty (2000-present)
SMU PO Box 750172
Dallas, Texas 75275
Phone: 214-768-3284
Fax: 214-768-3475
rhalperi@mail.smu.edu
Bob Wakfer
105 Greenbrier Drive
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada
Phone: 519-746-1607
Fax : 519-746-7566
bob@compar.com
You can also contact us at committee@stopcapitalpunishment.org.
To download this English Language press release in PDF format,
please click here.
To download a German Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
6
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 12, 2003
BY THE CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT THE NOMINATION OF GOVERNOR
GEORGE H. RYAN FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
In
the Land of Lincoln Governor Ryan Is a Nobel Successor!
In
a much-anticipated speech Saturday, Gov. George H. Ryan
today commuted the sentences of all 167 men on Illinois
Death Row.
Despite
much criticism in the United States, the international
media, foreign governments, abolitionists and people
around the world are praising the governor’s action as
historical, ground breaking and above all courageous.
The hope of much of the rest of the world is that
Governor Ryan's speech, may signal the beginning of the
end for the Death Penalty in the United States.
Francis
Boyle, Professor of International Law at the University
of Illinois will nominate Gov. Ryan for the Nobel Peace
Prize. He has discussed the Governor's courage and
commitment to justice in several media interviews over
the past week. Professor Boyle has issued the following
statement:
"As
a long-time abolitionist I must state in all honesty
that during the past three years Illinois Governor
George Ryan has done more effective work against the
death penalty than all of us American abolitionists put
together. That is precisely why I am going to nominate
him for the Nobel Peace Prize as soon as we can put the
nomination papers together."
Francis
A. Boyle
Professor of International Law
Board of Directors, Amnesty International USA (1988-92)
Ryan’s
three years of activism, concluding as it has with the
exoneration and blanket clemency decisions of the last
couple of days places him in a unique and special
category as a fighter for civil and human rights,
justice and equality. We at http://www.StopCapitalPunishment.org
believe that he is an outstanding candidate to be
awarded a Nobel Laureate. It is our intention to promote
him, support him and lobby for him until the 2003 Nobel
Peace Prize is awarded.
We
invite all like-minded people to join us in this
pursuit.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954(voice)
217-244-1478(fax)
fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
Sissel Egeland
Norway
Phone: 47- 51587350 ( Norway )
Fax: 1-813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from Europe
Fax : 813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from US
denmark@online.no
Katie Williams
2 Boiceville Rd
Brooktondale, NY 14817
Phone: 607-539-7537
kaw34@CORNELL.EDU
Rick Halperin
Human Rights; History Professor, Southern Methodist University, Dallas,
Texas; Board of Directors, Amnesty International USA (1989-1995, Board
Chair, 1992-93); President, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death
Penalty (2000-present)
SMU PO Box 750172
Dallas, Texas 75275
Phone: 214-768-3284
Fax: 214-768-3475
rhalperi@mail.smu.edu
Bob Wakfer
105 Greenbrier Drive
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada
Phone: 519-746-1607
Fax : 519-746-7566
bob@compar.com
You can also contact us at committee@stopcapitalpunishment.org.
To download this English Language press release in PDF format,
please click here.
To download a German Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
To download a French Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
5
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 9, 2003
BY THE CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT THE NOMINATION OF GOVERNOR
GEORGE H. RYAN FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
Death Penalty-Fighting Gov Deserves Nobel
New York Newsday, New York, NY
Sheryl McCarthy
Newsday, a major daily of the New York Metro area,
published an article today supporting the nomination
of Gov. George Ryan of Illinois for the Nobel Peace
Prize.
Ms. Sheryl McCarthy of Newsday wrote: "Ryan
caused a nationwide stir in January 2000, when he put
a halt to executions in Illinois until the state could
study how they were being administered. The reason?
Illinois had exonerated more death row inmates in the
23 years since capital punishment became legal again
than it had executed. "Until I can be sure that
everyone sentenced to death in Illinois is truly
guilty, until I can be sure with moral certainty that
no innocent man or woman is facing a lethal injection,
no one will meet that fate," Ryan declared."
Professor Francis Boyle told the author yesterday
(Jan. 8th) that "George Ryan has done more to
stop the death penalty here in the United States in
the last three years than all of us abolitionists put
together. It's Gov. Ryan, a conservative Republican,
who has opened up this debate." A committee
headed by the University of Illinois law professor
says it plans to nominate Illinois Gov. George Ryan
for the Nobel Peace Prize this year because of his
"heroic" and "principled" stand on
the death penalty.
"Until I can be sure that everyone sentenced
to death in Illinois is truly guilty, until I can be
sure with moral certainty that no innocent man or
woman is facing a lethal injection, no one will meet
that fate," Ryan declared in January 2000, when
he declared a moratorium on executions in Illinois.
Ms. McCarthy states: "Gov. Ryan's decision was
gutsy, especially since he doesn't oppose the death
penalty on its face - just the application of it in a
classist, racist way that gives a fair shake only to
those who can afford to hire good lawyers. Illinois'
moratorium made people all over the country take
another look at how the death penalty was being
applied. Whatever he decides, he's already taken a
giant step toward eliminating the death penalty - an
archaic, inhumane and capricious punishment in the
world's most powerful country. Lots of people have won
prizes for doing less."
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954(voice)
217-244-1478(fax)
fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
Sissel Egeland
Norway
Phone: 47- 51587350 ( Norway )
Fax: 1-813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from Europe
Fax : 813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from US
denmark@online.no
Katie Williams
2 Boiceville Rd
Brooktondale, NY 14817
Phone: 607-539-7537
kaw34@CORNELL.EDU
Rick Halperin
Human Rights; History Professor, Southern Methodist University, Dallas,
Texas; Board of Directors, Amnesty International USA (1989-1995, Board
Chair, 1992-93); President, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death
Penalty (2000-present)
SMU PO Box 750172
Dallas, Texas 75275
Phone: 214-768-3284
Fax: 214-768-3475
rhalperi@mail.smu.edu
Bob Wakfer
105 Greenbrier Drive
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada
Phone: 519-746-1607
Fax : 519-746-7566
bob@compar.com
You can also contact us at committee@stopcapitalpunishment.org.
To download this English Language press release in PDF format,
please click here.
To download a French Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
To download a German Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
To download an Italian Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
4
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 9, 2003
BY THE CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT THE NOMINATION OF GOVERNOR
GEORGE H. RYAN FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
Pope issues Plea to Governor Ryan for Blanket
Clemency
Apostolic Nunciature
United States of America
22 August 2002
N. 15997/3424
Dear Governor Ryan,
I am writing to you as the Official Representative of
His Holiness, Pope John Paul II here in the United
States of America. The Holy Father has happily noted
that you have declared a moratorium on the executions of
inmates on death row in the State of Illinois. For this,
He is most grateful and would like to express His
heartfelt support and blessings. The moratorium on the
executions is a very positive step towards a culture of
life and of non-violence. 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 into
life in prison without the possibility of parole within
the State of Illinois. It is my sincere hope that you
will give need to this urgent petition. Before I
conclude, I would like to humbly include my personal
greetings and I assure you of my prayers, for you, for
your family and for the exercise of your important
responsibilities.
Respectfully and truly yours,
[Signed]
Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo
Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954(voice)
217-244-1478(fax)
fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
Sissel Egeland
Norway
Phone: 47- 51587350 ( Norway )
Fax: 1-813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from Europe
Fax : 813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from US
denmark@online.no
Katie Williams
2 Boiceville Rd
Brooktondale, NY 14817
Phone: 607-539-7537
kaw34@CORNELL.EDU
Rick Halperin
Human Rights; History Professor, Southern Methodist University, Dallas,
Texas; Board of Directors, Amnesty International USA (1989-1995, Board
Chair, 1992-93); President, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death
Penalty (2000-present)
SMU PO Box 750172
Dallas, Texas 75275
Phone: 214-768-3284
Fax: 214-768-3475
rhalperi@mail.smu.edu
Bob Wakfer
105 Greenbrier Drive
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada
Phone: 519-746-1607
Fax : 519-746-7566
bob@compar.com
You can also contact us at committee@stopcapitalpunishment.org.
To download this English Language press release in PDF format,
please click here.
To download a French Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
To download a German Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
To download an Italian Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
3
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 6, 2003
Web Site created and launched to support an
International Campaign to Nominate Governor Ryan for
Nobel Peace Prize. See http://www.stopcapitalpunishment.org
On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, December 24, 2002,
a web site was launched as the communication center and
focal point of this worldwide campaign. This campaign
may be unique because to date none of the committee or
volunteers has met face to face. The campaign has been
planned and run exclusively via email and other Internet
technologies. The web site is the voluntary contribution
of Bob Wakfer, a Canadian, and is maintained by Wakfer
and other members of his staff in Waterloo Ontario.
This International Campaign and the Nomination of
Governor George H. Ryan for the Nobel Peace Prize is the
Brain Child of Francis A. Boyle, Professor of Law,
University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign and a
member of the Board of Directors, Amnesty International
USA (1988-92). Professor Boyle conceived the idea upon
attending a speech against the death penalty given by
Governor George H. Ryan on Dec. 19 at his Law School.
The idea for the campaign was presented to a small but
international group of abolitionist volunteers who
started work immediately.
The Campaign's first Press Release was posted on the
web site on December 31. The volunteers emailed copies
of the press release to media outlets in the US and
around the World. The Press Release has been translated
into German, French and Italian and these versions as
well as the original English are available for
electronic download below. Click here
to view. Interviews and news stories started immediately. Links
to the Internet copies of these stories are posted to
the site daily.
In addition a Supporters Sign Up page was placed on
the site. People are invited to show their support for
this campaign by leaving their names and addresses and a
message of support if they wish. People from all over
the World as well as the United States have indicated
their support both for the Campaign and for Blanket
Clemency for the inmates of Death Row in Illinois. There
are supporters from Great Britain and virtually every
European country as well as from Canada and the United
States. One of the more notable supporters to sign up is
Mike Farrell, of M*A*S*H fame. To date more than 200
people have taken the time to indicate their support on
the web site.
After only 12 days the site has had more than 1100
unique visitors from 31 different countries.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954(voice)
217-244-1478(fax)
fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
Sissel Egeland
Norway
Phone: 47- 51587350 ( Norway )
Fax: 1-813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from Europe
Fax : 813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from US
denmark@online.no
Katie Williams
2 Boiceville Rd
Brooktondale, NY 14817
Phone: 607-539-7537
kaw34@CORNELL.EDU
Rick Halperin
Human Rights; History Professor, Southern Methodist University, Dallas,
Texas; Board of Directors, Amnesty International USA (1989-1995, Board
Chair, 1992-93); President, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death
Penalty (2000-present)
SMU PO Box 750172
Dallas, Texas 75275
Phone: 214-768-3284
Fax: 214-768-3475
rhalperi@mail.smu.edu
Bob Wakfer
105 Greenbrier Drive
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada
Phone: 519-746-1607
Fax : 519-746-7566
bob@compar.com
You can also contact us at committee@stopcapitalpunishment.org.
To download this English Language press release in PDF format,
please click here.
To download a French Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
To download a German Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
2
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - DECEMBER 31,
2002
BY THE CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT THE NOMINATION OF GOVERNOR
GEORGE H. RYAN FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
Contact: committee@stopcapitalpunishment.org
George H. Ryan to be nominated by Campaign
Committee Member Francis Boyle, Professor of
International Law at the University of Illinois.
Press conference to be held at the Illinois State
Capitol Press Room on Monday, January 6, 2003, at 1 P.M.
As the January 13, 2003 deadline approaches an
international campaign has begun to nominate Gov. George
Ryan of Illinois for the Nobel Peace Prize. Gov. Ryan
known for his imposition of a moratorium of the death
penalty in Illinois has been lauded for his courage and
public outrage at the number of wrongful capital
convictions in his state.
Francis Boyle, professor of International Law at the
Univ. of Chicago, Champaign, said "As a Professor
of International Law and Human Rights, I will nominate
Illinois Governor George Ryan for the Nobel Peace Prize
because of his principled and courageous opposition to
the racist and class-based death penalty system that we
have here in the State of Illinois, the Land of Abraham
Lincoln. George Ryan is a worthy successor."
Professor Boyle will officially nominate Gov. Ryan
for the prize.
Katie Williams, an American member of the Campaign to
support the Nomination of Governor George H. Ryan for
the Nobel Peace Prize, stresses the courage that it took
to impose the moratorium and the additional commitment
to justice that it will take to commute the sentences of
those on Illinois' death row. "The struggle to
abolish the death penalty in America is a fight that has
been fought for many years and on many fronts. Gov.
Ryan's courage in confronting the inequities in the
imposition of the death penalty and his sincere desire
to see justice done for all in the state of Illinois is
a beacon of hope."
In Norway Sissel Egeland urges Scandinavians to stay
updated about the enormous personal effort Governor Ryan
has made to end the flaws in the death penalty system to
secure that innocent persons will not be executed.
"The moratorium has inspired Americans to end the
inhuman death penalty system and to join the rest of the
world in the care for human rights and justice. A
nomination of Governor Ryan for the Nobel Peace Prize
will send an important message to the international
society that the use of the death penalty shall now be
ancient history and unite Europeans and courageous
Americans to stand up for ethics and human rights in all
international relations."
Prior to the Illinois General Assembly resuming its
work later that afternoon, Professor Boyle will conduct
a Press Conference at the Illinois State Capitol Press
Room on Monday, January 6, 2003, at 1 P.M. to announce
the Nobel Peace Prize Nomination and Campaign for
Governor Ryan. Springfield is the Capital of the State
of Illinois.
The campaign is supported by a very active web site
that can be found at http://www.stopcapitalpunishment.org.
The web site is both a resource to anyone wanting to
know more about Governor Ryan's achievements and a
bulletin board for all the latest developments in the
campaign. Press releases and other resources for the
media and press will be available there. It is
interesting to note that although the site has only been
available on the Internet since late on Christmas Eve
afternoon that at the time of writing -- December 30 at
8:00 pm -- there have already been 100 people who have
voluntarily signed up on the web site as supporters of
the campaign.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954(voice)
217-244-1478(fax)
fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
Sissel Egeland
Norway
Phone: 47- 51587350 ( Norway )
Fax: 1-813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from Europe
Fax : 813-354-4809 ( Florida ) from US
denmark@online.no
Katie Williams
2 Boiceville Rd
Brooktondale, NY 14817
Phone: 607-539-7537
kaw34@CORNELL.EDU
Rick Halperin
Human Rights; History Professor, Southern Methodist University, Dallas,
Texas; Board of Directors, Amnesty International USA (1989-1995, Board
Chair, 1992-93); President, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death
Penalty (2000-present)
SMU PO Box 750172
Dallas, Texas 75275
Phone: 214-768-3284
Fax: 214-768-3475
rhalperi@mail.smu.edu
Bob Wakfer
105 Greenbrier Drive
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada
Phone: 519-746-1607
Fax : 519-746-7566
bob@compar.com
You can also contact us at committee@stopcapitalpunishment.org.
To download this English Language press release in PDF format,
please click here.
To download a French Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
To download a German Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
To download an Italian Language version in PDF format,
please click here.
1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., and families of Inmates on Illinois
Death Row Visit the Pontiac Correctional Center in Pontiac, Illinois
on New Year's Eve
(Chicago, IL, December 30, 2002) Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.,
founder and president of The Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, together with
family members of Death Row Inmates, and a delegation of death
penalty activists will visit inmates convicted under Illinois capital
punishment laws on the last day of the year.
Illinois Governor George Ryan brought heightened awareness to the
issue of disparities in the convictions, sentences, and execution of
the death penalty in America when he set a moratorium on the
implementation of the death penalty within the state. In Illinois, 13
men sentenced to death were found to be wrongfully convicted.
Reverend Jackson and the delegation are calling for Governor Ryan to
grant clemency to all Illinois Death Row inmates prior to leaving
office on January 13, 2002.
"The reality is that the death penalty is a human rights issue," said
Rev. Jackson. "Unlike other less civilized‚ nations, the United
States maintains a system of legal lynching, notwithstanding the
mental condition of the convicted, or the adequacy of legal
representation afforded the accused. America braggadociously boasts
of moral authority, yet a glaring chink in the American armor is the
death penalty."
Joining Reverend Jackson will be Alice Kim and Marlene Martin of the
Campaign to End the Death Penalty and Rob Warden of Northwestern
University's Center on Wrongful Convictions. The delegation will meet
with Illinois Death Row inmates, including the "Death Row 10," a
group of African American men tortured by former Chicago Police
Commander Jon Burge and his detectives.
Reverend Jackson and the delegation will arrive at Pontiac at 11:00
AM. Following the visit, there will be a press conference, outside
the front gate of the Correctional Center, beginning at 12:30 PM.
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