(Washington, DC) – Maryland on May 2, 2013, became the sixth US state in six years to abolish the death penalty, continuing a trend to end this inherently
cruel punishment in the
United States. Maryland’s governor should commute the sentences of the five men who remain on the state’s death row.
Gov. Martin O’Malley on May 2 signed a bill abolishing the state’s death penalty and replacing it with the sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, the law does not directly affect the five inmates in the state awaiting execution. O'Malley has said he will determine on a case-by-case basis whether to commute their sentences.
“By repealing the death penalty, Maryland joins a growing group of states in rejecting a cruel and inherently unjust practice,” said
Alba Morales, US criminal justice researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Governor O’Malley should build on his tremendous leadership on this issue by commuting the death sentences of the five men still on death row.”