Last June, I had the opportunity to watch "Twelve Angry Men", a famous 1957 film by Sidney Lumet; a film I had heard of, but I had never watched before. That film really stirred me, I must say, and I thought: "Well, I think it should be compulsory, all over the world, for lay people who have been called to jury duty, to watch that film before going to be jurors."
And guess what happened the very next day? I got a letter signed by the mayor of my "commune" letting me know that I have been chosen to represent my district when drawing up the annual list of potential jurors! It does not mean that I'm sure to be a member of a jury, but I can likely be one of them when a blood crime is judged. Even if France, the country that invented the guillotine, has abolished death penalty, I should be very careful in my approach of the issue. No film this time... But real life and somebody who may be guilty... or not.
Troy Davis
So, when I learnt what is happening to Troy Davis in Georgia (USA), I was really shocked. Troy Davis, who was sentenced to death in 1991 for the murder of a police officer, is due to have a clemency hearing tomorrow. According to the result of that hearing, he can be executed or not. "The case against Troy Davis primarily rested on witness testimony. Since his 1991 trial, seven of nine key witnesses have recanted or changed their testimony, some alleging police coercion. Since Troy Davis has been on death row, more than 90 prisoners have been released from death rows around the USA on grounds of innocence. In each case, at trial the defendant had been found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
If you are a Citizen of the World, you should check what Amnesty International says about it and make up your own mind.
Would Troy Davis be executed next week, I believe it would certainly be a defeat for Democracy and Mankind. Georgia is not Iran or Syria, so let us hope that things are changing there too...
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