Abolition in New Mexico hailed around the world


2009/3/19

New Mexico's governor Bill Richardson signed the repeal of the death 
penalty in to law on March 18, 2009, attracting praise from the 
global abolitionist community.

The legislation is the result of a bi-partisan initiative in the 
state's legislature and means that New Mexico became the 15th US 
state to abolish the death penalty.

Richardson described the move as “the most difficult decision in 
[his] political career”. He said: “I do not have confidence in the 
criminal justice system as it currently operates to be the final 
arbiter when it comes to who lives and who dies for their crime.”
US-based World Coalition member organisation Death Penalty Focus 
immediately congratulated the New Mexican authorities. “Governor Bill 
Richardson is a courageous and thoughtful leader who has recognized 
that the death penalty is an ineffective and costly response to 
violent crime”, said its executive director, Lance Lindsey.

The Community of Sant'Egidio, another World Coalition member based in 
Italy, invited Richardson to a special ceremony in Rome with the 
city's mayor, Gianni Alemanno, during which the Colosseum will be 
illuminated to celebrate abolition in New Mexico.
“New Mexico will have a very special impact far beyond the United 
States by taking a courageous decision that has a universal, 
positive, and contagious value”, Sant'Egidio's spokersperson Mario 
Marazziti wrote in a letter to Richardson.

More than 7,000 submissions in favour of repeal

Anti-death penalty activists, both in formal organisations and as 
individual citizens, had a key input in the governor's decision. His 
office reported that 9,413 New Mexicans had called, emailed or walked 
in to give their opinion on the proposed legislation. Of those, 7,169 
supported repeal of the death penalty. Many murder victims' families 
also testified in favour of ending capital punishment.

Attention will now focus to other US states, 10 of which have 
considered similar measures in the pas year.
Since New Jersey abolished the death penalty in 2007, far-reaching 
commissions have recommended a similar course of action in California 
and Maryland. Parliamentarians are considering an abolition bill in 
Montana, where the World Coalition have been urging the governor and 
the Canadian authorities to prevent the execution a Canadian national 
on death row for more than 25 years.

http://www.worldcoalition.org/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=332