🧵 A flurry of execution notices have been issued these past few weeks. It is of course horrific every time a notice is delivered to a death row prisoner and their family, but what’s especially troubling in these cases is that all these prisoners are currently party to a joint application to the court, filed even before the first execution notice was issued.
Truong My Lan, a Vietnamese billionaire property developer, was sentenced to death for a massive fraud scheme that funneled $44 billion from the country’s largest bank. She, along with 85 other people, were found guilty in the sprawling trial that was conducted by 10 state prosecutors and about 200 lawyers who summoned 2,700 to testify. Only Truong My Lan received the death penalty. Read more about the case from the BBC.
[The Washington Post]: Missouri executes Brian Dorsey despite pleas from 70 prison guards
Brian Dorsey, convicted in a double murder, was executed after more than 15 years on Missouri death row. Dozens of guards signed a letter seeking clemency.
By Ben Brasch
During remarks this week, #Trump said he wanted to “pay tribute” to a person he very much respected.
Trump thanked #TomHoman, who served as acting director of #ICE during Trump’s admin [Trump loved “acting” posts bc they aren’t subject to congressional confirmation] & has since been a frequent commentator on #FauxNews.
Today in Labor History March 29, 1951: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage. They were executed at Sing Sing in 1953. The Rosenberg’s sons, Michael and Robert Meeropol (adopted by Abel Meeropol, the composer of “Strange Fruit,”), maintained their parents’ innocence. However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, decoded Soviet cables showed that their father had, in fact, collaborated, but that their mother was innocent. They continued to fight for the mother’s pardon, but Obama refused to grant it. The Rosenberg’s sons were among the last students to attend the anarchist Modern School, in Lakewood, New Jersey, before it finally shut its doors in 1958.
“Looking back on it, it’s hard for most people in general, and certainly most TV network executives, to wrap their head around the fact that there may be reasonable doubt.”
Today in Labor History March 4, 1804: Irish convicts rose up against British colonial authority in the Colony of New South Wales in the Castle Hill Rebellion. It was the first major convict uprising in Australian history to be suppressed under martial law. The prisoners escaped from a prison farm with the goal of stealing ships and sailing back to Ireland. With a few days, the authorities suppressed the uprising. They executed nine leaders and punished hundreds of others.
Today in Labor History February 28, 1887: Clément Duval had his death sentence commuted to life in prison. He was a French anarchist and criminal whose ideas influenced the illegalist movement of the 1910s. The most famous illegalist was Jules Bonot, who orchestrated one of the world’s first bank heist utilizing a getaway car. According to Paul Albert, Duval’s story was the basis for the bestseller Papillon, about multiple escape attempts from Devil’s Island. In October 1886, Duval broke into the mansion of a Parisian socialite, stole 15,000 francs, and accidentally setting the house on fire. His trial drew crowds of supporters and ended in chaos when he was dragged from the court, shouting "Long live anarchy!"
Today in Labor History February 27, 1812: Poet Lord Byron gave his first address as a member of the House of Lords. In his speech, he spoke out in support of Luddite violence against industrialism in his home county of Nottinghamshire. He spoke specifically against the Frame Breaking Act, which gave the death penalty to anyone guilty of breaking a machine. The state hanged 60-70 Luddites during the time the law was on the books. However, most of the time, the courts used other laws to convict them.
What Happens When #Prosecutors Offer Opposing Versions of the Truth?
An unusual recent #court decision offered harsh criticism of a behavior that has left dozens of men condemned to death since the 1970s, spotlighting cases where prosecutors offered claims that contradicted what they said elsewhere.
Today in Labor History February 25, 1908: The Washington Post proposed that all anarchists should be executed (whether or not they had been convicted of any crime). This came two days after anarchist Giuseppe Alia shot a Catholic priest, Father Heinrichs, in Denver.
“As shown by our review of Harris County’s history and modern practices, #racism continues to impact the criminal legal system in general—and the administration of the death penalty in particular—in Harris County. This is unacceptable.”
Today in Labor History February 23, 1903: Jean-Baptiste Clement died. Clement was a socialist and Paris Communard, poet, singer and composer of the famous song, “The Time of Cherries.” He was one of the last on the barricades during the Commune. He escaped and fled to England. The French authorities condemned him to death, in absentia. They later granted him amnesty and he returned to France in 1879. He helped found the Revolutionary Socialist Workers Party in 1890. Paris has since named schools and a street after him.