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Communist Vietnam's secret death penalty conveyor belt: How country trails only China and Iran for 'astonishing' number of executions

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Prisoners are dragged from their cells at 4am without warning to be given a lethal injection Vietnam's use of the death penalty has been thrust into the spotlight after a real estate tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to be executed in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's history. Truong My Lan, a businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022.

Parole Board to meet on Gissendaner execution

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Kelly Gissendaner
Kelly Gissendaner
ATLANTA -- Georgia's State Board of Pardons and Paroles will meet eight hours before the scheduled execution of Kelly Gissendaner to decide on her request for clemency.

The Board will determine whether to let stand their February 25, 2015 decision to deny clemency. The meeting to receive and consider supplemental information from Gissendaner's attorneys will be closed to the public.

Earlier Tuesday, a federal judge denied a request to stay the execution of Kelly Gissendaner.

In a 9:30 federal court hearing, Gissendaner's attorneys asked judge Thomas Thrash to reconsider an earlier lawsuit declaring lethal injection as a form of cruel and unusual punishment. Thrash denied the stay. The attorneys tell 11Alive's Valerie Hoff they will now appeal to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Gissendaner was sentenced to death in November 1998 after being convicted of recruiting her boyfriend to kill her husband. The boyfriend, Gregory Bruce Owen, pleaded guilty and testified against her in exchange for a life sentence. He told the jury how the mother of three carefully planned her husband's death. Monday, Doug Gissenaner's family issued a statement urging people to focus on the victim in this case in the hours leading up to the execution.

Gissendaner came close to execution twice already this year. The first time, a February winter storm prevented travel. The second attempt in March was aborted when the lethal drug, pentobarbital, appeared cloudy. Officials first called a pharmacist, and then called off the execution "out of an abundance of caution".

The third execution attempted is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson at 7 p.m.

A rally is support of her is scheduled for 7:00 Monday night at the state capitol.

Act today to help save Kelly Gissendaner's life tomorrow

Source: 11alive.com, Sept. 28, 2015

Report an error, an omission: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com
Location: Georgia, USA
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