Please note, this is a text only version for the web site, the original letter appeared on letterhead and was signed. Mr. Walter S. Ray, Chair
Dear Mr. Ray, The International Network on Juvenile Justice (INJJ) wishes to express its grave concern relating to the case of Alex Williams, who awaits the death penalty. INJJ is a programme of Defence for Children International (DCI), a non-governmental organisation whose aims are to ensure international action directed at promoting and protecting the rights of the child. The INJJ has 260 partners worldwide who are all involved in juvenile justice issues. Amongst others, the Network monitors the implementation of international standards and works closely with United Nation bodies in Geneva. The INJJ is appealing for clemency in Alex's case. However, this appeal is not seeking to excuse the crime or to minimize the pain and suffering it caused the family and friends of Ms. Bunch. It is understood that Alexander E. Williams was 17 years old at the time of the offence. Executing juvenile offenders runs counter to basic American standards of decency and fairness and is contrary to international law and fundamental standards of human rights. Indeed, such executions have all but ended around the world. In the last three years the number of nations that execute juvenile offenders has dropped significantly to only three: Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the United States. The death penalty for juvenile offenders is expressly prohibited by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the American Convention on Human Rights and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It is further understood that Alex suffers from mental illness that manifested itself before the crime. He has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder with bipolar features. Schizophrenia is a profound psychotic disorder that affects the processing of thoughts and beliefs and nearly every level of functioning. Alex was also victim of severe ongoing physical, sexual and emotional abuse. In 1990 his sister wrote in an affidavit that: "My mother made him strip naked, and she whipped him with extension cords or fan belts over and over again.... Once she got mad at Alex and she called him downstairs. She had a hammer in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. She made [Alex] stand still and she pounded the screwdriver into his toes with the hammer." Their mother also frequently made Alex strip naked and locked him outside the house at night as punishment. Alex Williams' attorney, O.L. Collins, undertook no investigation in his case and put on the merest pretence of a defence at trial. He made no effort to investigate the details of Alex's life, abuse, and mental illness, nor did he present even one mitigating fact to the sentencing jury. His entire sentencing presentation lasted less than 15 minutes. Five of the eight living jurors have signed affidavits that they would have sentenced Alex to life imprisonment had they know his history of abuse and mental illness. Given these facts the INJJ appeals to you to take immediate action to ensure that Alex William's sentence is commuted to life imprisonment. Yours sincerely, Johanna Hoeffken International Network on Juvenile Justice-DCI |