US States Texas and Alabama Press on with Executions Despite UN Plea
The US states of Texas and Alabama are forging ahead with planned executions by lethal injection, defying a plea from the UN to halt all executions. The UN Human Rights Office expressed serious concern over the scheduled executions, highlighting the recent rise in the rate of executions in the country.
In Texas, attention is focused on the case of Robert Roberson, who is set to be the first person in the US to receive a death sentence for a conviction related to shaken baby syndrome. Despite new evidence presented by his defense attorneys, a state parole board rejected his plea for clemency. The only hope now lies with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott granting a 30-day reprieve.
In Alabama, Derrick Dearman, convicted of murdering five people, including an unborn child, in 2016, is also facing execution. Dearman, who blames his actions on drug addiction, has accepted his fate despite initially filing an appeal.
The UN urges the US to join the global consensus towards abolishing the death penalty and imposing a moratorium on executions, citing little to no deterrent effect on crime.