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Biden Fails a Death Penalty Abolitionist’s Most Important Test

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The mystery of Joe Biden’s views about capital punishment has finally been solved. His decision to grant clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row shows the depth of his opposition to the death penalty. And his decision to leave three of America’s most notorious killers to be executed by a future administration shows the limits of his abolitionist commitment. The three men excluded from Biden’s mass clemency—Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers—would no doubt pose a severe test of anyone’s resolve to end the death penalty. Biden failed that test.
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Denmark bans Marmite but not Danish execution drugs

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In response to reports that the Danish Government has banned Marmite, legal action charity Reprieve is calling for them to take real action against a Danish pharmaceutical company which is providing lethal injection drugs to the US.

Pentobarbital (also known as Nembutal) supplied by Copenhagen-headquartered firm Lundbeck has so far been used in 11 executions. This number will grow as more states turn to the Danish company’s drugs in order to carry out executions.

Reprieve has asked both the Danish Government and Lundbeck to act to prevent the use of their drugs in lethal injections, but so far neither has taken effective action to put a stop to this.

Reprieve Investigator Maya Foa said:

“It seems incredible that the Danish Government is capable of banning a harmless spread, but not of taking real action to stop a Danish firm’s drugs being used to deliberately kill people.
“Denmark must put real pressure on Lundbeck, or risk a Danish firm becoming the US executioner in chief.”


1. For further information please contact Donald Campbell in Reprieve's press office on +44 (0)20 7427 1082 / 07791 755 415

2. Reprieve has suggested a range of possible courses of action to Lundbeck to put a stop to the use of its drugs in executions – a briefing on the issue can be found here: http://www.reprieve.org.uk/static/downloads/2011_05_12_PUB_NEMBUTAL_DISTRIBUTION_BRIEFING.pdf

3. So far, Lundbeck’s drugs have been used in 11 executions across 6 US states, as follows:

Alabama: Jason Williams
Mississippi: Benny Stevens, Rodney Gray
Oklahoma: John David Duty, Billy Don Alverson, Jeffrey Matthews
Ohio: Johnnie Baston, Clarence Carter, Daniel Bedford
South Carolina: Jeffrey Motts
Texas: Cary Kerr

These numbers are set to grow as more and more states are turning to Lundbeck’s drugs following shortages of the previously-used anaesthetic sodium thiopental.

4. Danish pension fund Unipension recently sold their shares in Lundbeck, citing concerns over their use in executions and the company’s unwillingness to engage with investors on the issue. Unipension told the Associated Press: "It has not been possible for Unipension to get a detailed report regarding Lundbeck's efforts to ensure that its products are not used in an unwanted manner […] It has been our impression that Lundbeck did not want to engage in a genuine dialogue with us as an investor."


Reprieve, a legal action charity, uses the law to enforce the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantánamo Bay. Reprieve investigates, litigates and educates, working on the frontline, to provide legal support to prisoners unable to pay for it themselves. Reprieve promotes the rule of law around the world, securing each person’s right to a fair trial and saving lives. Clive Stafford Smith is the founder of Reprieve and has spent 27 years working on behalf of people facing the death penalty in the USA.

Reprieve
PO Box 52742
London EC4P 4WS
Tel: 020 7353 4640
Fax: 020 7353 4641
Website: www.reprieve.org.uk

Source: Reprieve, May 25, 2011


Happy 3rd anniversary as Lundbeck CEO, Mr. Wiinberg!
STOP selling pentobarbital for US executions!

On June 1, 2008, Ulf Wiinberg took up his current position as president and CEO of Lundbeck. For the past 3 years, Mr. Wiinberg has been dedicated to saving lives. Sadly, he failed but we, together, can help him succeed.

Already 11 human beings have been executed with Lundbeck’s Pentobarbital.

Mr. Wiinberg needs our strong encouragements to take all urgent and necessary steps to stop Lundbeck’s contribution to the death trade.

Won’t you send him a message on his 3rd anniversary as Lundbeck CEO? Be civil and courteous, insults and angry messages would be counterproductive and damaging. There are many ways to communicate the urgency of the situation while remaining polite and positive. With the right words, you can convince Mr. Wiinberg to do the right thing.

Click here to send Mr. Wiinberg a message.
_________________________
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