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MEDIA ADVISORY FROM FLORIDIANS FOR ALTERNATIVES TO THE DEATH PENALTY (FADP.org)9 January, 2002 Contact: Abe Bonowitz - 800-973-6548
FLORIDA ANGLE TO ILLINOIS PARDONSFrom the CBS News article copied below: "CBS News has been told that the pardoned men may include inmates abused at the hands of Chicago police detectives in the early 1980's. Suspects were systematically tortured until they confessed, but several inmates who profess their innocence have been unable to get relief in the courts." The lead detective in the case mentioned above, John Burge, was fired for his misdeeds and now lives in Florida. Ten Illinois death row prisoners allege that they were tortured into confessions by Burge or those under his command. It appears that several of those ten will receive pardons from Illinois Governor Ryan on Friday, January 10, 2003. See the Chicago Tribune editorial copied below for details on the Burge situation. It might make an interesting story to track down Mr. Burge and get his comment. Just a thought. --abe PS - Please note that a pardon is different than a commutation. The Governor plans only a few pardons -- those men will walk free. The Governor plans to announce commutations of death sentences to life without the possibility of parole to some, or perhaps all, Illinois death row prisoners on Saturday. The reason he is doing this is because his confidence in the criminal justice system has been undermined by too many mistakes, and his recommendations for reform of that system have been rejected by the Illinois legislature. ***** http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/30/national/main534639.shtml
Mass Reprieve For Illinois' Death Row?
CBS News has learned that Illinois Gov. George Ryan, whose term in
office
ends next Monday, is seriously considering pardoning four death row
inmates in a major address Friday at Chicago's DePaul University. The
governor is also considering a mass reprieve for all the state's
death
row inmates, totaling more than 150.
And on Saturday, at Northwestern University, the governor will
release
the results of his case review of the remaining inmates on death row.
Ryan ordered a halt to executions after 13 men on death row were
found to
be innocent. The governor ordered a halt to executions while the
state
reviewed the cases of all its condemned prisoners.
And sources say the governor may announce a large-scale commutation
for
death row inmates during that speech. In fact -- he may commute all
of
the death penalties in the state -- more than 150 of them, reports 60
Minutes Correspondent Mike Wallace.
CBS News has been told that the pardoned men may include inmates
abused
at the hands of Chicago police detectives in the early 1980's.
Suspects
were systematically tortured until they confessed, but several
inmates
who profess their innocence have been unable to get relief in the
courts.
60 Minutes reported on cases of men sentenced to die strictly on the
basis of jailhouse informants. Other inmates were represented by
lawyers
who were later themselves disbarred from practicing law.
The governor is said to be troubled not only by innocent men on death
row, but by the lack of fairness in trials and sentencing procedures
across the state.
Observers say the governor will likely receive fierce opposition from
prosecutors and police agencies across Illinois.
At the same time, the governor has reportedly received phone calls
from
former South African president Nelson Mandela -- and South African
bishop
Desmond Tutu -- as well as a letter from the Vatican -- all urging
him to
commutte the sentences.
(source: CBS News)
****
Chicago Tribune Editorial, April 4, 2002
Clean house of torture claims
At least 66 people claim to have been tortured by former Chicago
Police
Lt. Jon Burge or police officers who were under his command.
All those making the claims were crime suspects, but there's good
reason
to believe most or all are telling the truth. A limited police
department
review concluded in 1990 that abuse under Burge was methodical. A
federal
judge described widespread torture in the early- to mid-1980s as
"common
knowledge."
The alleged torture included suffocation, burns, electric shocks to
the
genitals, heads slammed with phone books and "games" of Russian
roulette.
Some of the suspects were released. Some confessed to crimes they had
committed. Some may have confessed to crimes they did not commit--in
a
desperate bid to stop the abuse.
No one knows for certain what happened under Burge's command. That's
why
it's high time to appoint a special prosecutor to conduct a
comprehensive, independent investigation of torture allegations that
have
been hanging over the Chicago Police Department for decades.
This Friday will mark one year since attorneys went to court seeking
a
special prosecutor. Cook County Chief Criminal Court Judge Paul
Biebel
Jr. has been considering the matter since it was argued before him in
November.
Cook County State's Atty. Dick Devine is fighting the measure with
gusto.
Of course he is. He has much to lose should a full-blown
investigation
substantiate more of those claims.
Devine was first assistant in the state's attorney's office from 1980
to
1983, during which time some of the torture is said to have occurred.
Some of those working for Devine today were closely involved in
taking
statements from individuals who allegedly were tortured; others had a
hand in prosecuting them. Any thorough inquiry may put hard-won
convictions in jeopardy, and might implicate some in a conspiracy of
silence if they knew what was occurring inside Burge's interrogation
rooms.
Devine once appeared in federal court on behalf of Burge, because the
private law firm Devine joined in 1983 as a partner spent years
representing the commander after he was fired.
Devine, however, casually dismisses those obvious conflicts of
interest.
Instead, he is trying to deep-six the appointment of a special
prosecutor
with the argument that the statute of limitations on any offenses has
expired.
But the full picture of torture has yet to emerge. For years, the
alleged
victims had no idea others were making strikingly similar
allegations. It
is, as well, premature to say that the time to bring criminal charges
has
expired--before the exact details of such offenses have been fully
aired.
It is time to clean house. It is time to figure out whether officers
have
been covering up or lying under oath about whether torture occurred.
It
is time to determine the exact extent of the torture, which officers
engaged in abuse, how many confessions were unlawfully obtained and,
most
important, whether any of those confessions turned out to be false.
11 people from whom Burge or his officers extracted confessions are
sitting on death row. Others are serving lengthy sentences for murder
convictions. Most, probably, are guilty. A few, though, may have
credible
claims of innocence. Meanwhile, Burge, who was fired by the Chicago
Police Board in 1993, is retired and living in Florida.
Judge Biebel should appoint a prosecutor now.
(source: Editorial, Chicago Tribune)
SENT BY:
Abraham J. Bonowitz
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP)
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