STOP KILLING MENTALLY RETARDED
AND MENTALLY ILL

He is 45. He cannot read, barely write and enjoys pictures books. This is one of his latest drawings.

WOULD YOU KILL HIM?



SOME STATES HAVE NO HESITATION

IN MEMORIAM AMONG 35 CASES



OLIVER CRUZ
executed by state of Texas on August 9, 2000

Oliver Cruz had an IQ felling within a range of 64 to 76, but the emotional abilities of a 9 year-old boy. In an interview, a few days before his execution, he said: "Now I can read. A half a page."



RICKY RAY RECTOR
Executed by State of Arkansas on January 24, 1992

Ricky Ray Rector was retarded due to lobotomy. His IQ is unknown, but his retardation must have been profound, as before being executed, he saved his last dessert "for after". Governor Bill Clinton, who was running for Presidency, did fly back to Arkansas to be sure his execution would be carried out.


DALTON PREJEAN
Executed by State of Louisiana on May, 18, 1990

Dalton Prejean had an IQ from 71-76, which is above the "normal" standards. Anyway, he has been diagnosed as a retarded person.


LUIS MATA
Executed by State of Arizona on August, 22, 1996

Mata was born with water on his brain and suffered other brain damage from a severe fall when he was young. His IQ was around 68.

LAW

In Resolution 1989/64, 24 May 1989, The United Nations Economic and Social Council Recommends that Member States take steps to implement the safeguards and strengthen further the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, where applicable, by: Eliminating the death penalty for persons suffering from mental retardation or extremely limited mental competence, whether at the stage of sentence or execution

WE FIRMLY DENOUNCE THE EXECUTION OF THE MENTALLY RETARDED AS A BLATANT VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS.

MENTAL RETARDATION RELATED MATERIAL: Human Rights Watch Focus Pages
Death Penalty and Mental Retardation in the U.S.A
Beyond Reason: The Death Penalty and Offenders with Mental Retardation
Human Rights Watch Report, March 2001
Defendants with Mental Retardation: Their Stories
Human Rights Watch Report, March 2001
Should We Execute Killers With The Mind Of A Child?
Editorial by Jamie Fellner, Published November 9, 2000 in the Chicago Tribune

UPDATE
JOHNNY PAUL PENRY'S THIRD DEATH SENTENCE.
PLEASE, DO NOT THINK HE DOESN'T NEED YOU ANYMORE! YOU CAN HELP HIM: read his story, join our campaign, sign our petitions..

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