EU Policy On The Death Penalty
STATE OF TENNESSEE
OFFICE OF THE POST-CONVICTION DEFENDER
530 CHURCH STREET, SUITE 600
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 37243
(615) 741-9331
April 19, 2002
The Honorable Javir Rupérez
Ambassador of Spain
Presidency of the European Union
To the Presidency and Delegates of the European Union:
We write to express our heartfelt gratitude for the extraordinary
gesture that the European Union has made on behalf of our client,
Mr. Abu-Ali Abdur'Rabman, in recommending clemency to the Governor of Tennessee.
We express the sincere thanks of Mr. Abdur'Rahman, his entire defense team, and
the countless citizens who have struggled to prevent his execution.
As you know, Mr. Abdur'Rahman is a mentally ill, economically
deprived man who was abandoned by his original trial lawyers. Even though be has
faced severe obstacles and adversity, he has managed to reach out to help others,
and he has lived his life with dignity and meaning. His death would be a loss
to our human community. Therefore, the sensitivity of the European Union to this
human rights tragedy is tremendously important.
Sadly, we must report that Governor Don Sundquist denied clemency
for Mr. Abdur'Rahxnan at about the same instant as the appeal from the European
Union was delivered. Fortunately, the United States Supreme Court has temporarily
stayed the execution, and we have hopes that the Court will grant an appeal.
We look forward to the day when the United States honors its international
treaties and agreements to stop human rights abuses such as the execution of the
mentally ill. Until that happens, our defense community depends heavily on the
vigilance and support of the European Union in helping slow or prevent these miscarriages
of justice. You are the example that leads the rest of the world. Thank you.
Respectfully yours,
Jefferson T. Dorsey, for
Bradley MacLean, Counsel for Abu-Ali Abdur'Rabman
William Redick, Counsel for Abu-Ali Abdur'Rahman
Tennessee Post-Conviction Defender Office
Federal Public Defender Office for the Middle District, Tennessee
Clemency Committee for Abu-Ali
2003 Letter to Tennessee
Governor
2003 Letter to Tennessee
Board of Pardon and Parole
