Victoria pardons man 86 years after his execution
From the ABC…
Dead man pardoned over 1921 Gun Alley murder
A Victorian man executed for murder 86 years ago, is to receive a pardon.
Twelve year old Alma Tirtschke was raped and murdered in 1921 and her body was left near Melbourne’s Gun Alley.
Colin Campbell Ross was convicted and hanged in 1922 but he always maintained his innocence.
A re-examination of the case has found hairs on a blanket at his home, did not belong to the girl.
Australians Against Capital Punishment believe that there are no circumstances where a state should, in cold blood, execute anyone in the name of justice.
But beyond the moral issue, the case of Colin Ross Campbell again tragically highlights the fact that no legal system is perfect, and no imperfect system should be allowed to take a person’s life, no matter how awful the crime.
Capital punishment worked against the interests of justice twice over in this case. As hard as it is to overturn the wrongful conviction of a living prisoner, it’s unimaginably harder to clear the name of one who has been wrongfully killed by the state.
This case took the better part of a century.
The death penalty guaranteed that the true perpetrator remained at large, while an innocent man was killed.
Colin Ross was less than 30 when he was executed – the Death Penalty stole up to 50 years from him.
We congratulate the Victorian Government on this decision, and wholeheartedly concur with the Attorney General Rob Hulls, that this should serve as another reminder of why the Death Penalty has no place in any justice system.
Public Forum May 29 – Executions in China: Holding a torch up to human rights
Human rights organisations have reported that China has been cracking down even further on dissent in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics. As well as increasing censorship and the use of torture and extra-judicial detention, China continues to execute more prisoners than the rest of the world combined. An estimated four hundred people will be executed in China during the Olympic Games.
Thursday May 29th, 6.30 for a 7pm start
The Irish Club, 175 Elizabeth St
($5 parking in Myer Centre with validation from 4pm onwards)
Speakers include
Helen Gordon – Amnesty International
John Dowie – Representative of the Falun Dafa Association
Ashley Brown – Director of the Australia Tibet Council
Christine and Lee Rush – parents of a young Australian facing the death penalty
For more information, or to RSVP (catering purposes only) call Tina on 0423 709 445 or email: justine.hampson@gmail.com
