PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
GARY GRAHAM AND THE DEATH PENALTY (19 April 1993)

That this House is appalled by the scheduled execution on 29th April in Texas, USA, of Gary Graham, a black juvenile offender whose guilt is questionable; notes that the execution of juvenile offenders is explicitly prohibited by international human rights law and that the USA has executed more juveniles in the past decade than any other nation, apart from Iran and Iraq; notes the racial disparities in the application of the death sentence in the USA, especially in Harris County, Texas, where Graham was convicted; is concerned that rigid time limits in the Texas legal procedure have prohibited the submission of new alibi evidence that might prove Graham's innocence; and calls upon the US President Bill Clinton to intervene and press for an immediate stay of execution and a retrial for Gray Graham.

Sponsored by:
Sir Gerald Kaufman (Labour)