Today, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) sent a letter to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson strongly urging him to immediately stay the scheduled executions of seven death-sentenced prisoners over an 11-day period in order to use a lethal injection drug that is set to expire this month. The unprecedented speed in which Arkansas is rushing to execute these men exalts convenience over justice and is in conflict with the principles of justice and equality that are the bedrock of our legal system. The expedited schedule denies these men the right to counsel and the opportunity to seek clemency, and imposes tremendous stress on prison staff that substantially increases the risk of mishandling the executions.
Read the full letter here.
