International Campaign to Save Troy Davis Highlights Death Penalty Racial Bias

Troy Davis, a Black man convicted in 1991 of killing an off-duty Savannah police officer, came within hours of execution in September 2007 when the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay. Seven of nine non-police witnesses had recanted or contradicted their trial testimony. His case became an international cause célèbre, with Amnesty International, Pope Benedict XVI, former President Jimmy Carter, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu calling for clemency. He was ultimately executed in 2011.