Georgia won't let the media talk to death row inmate Troy Davis

Last week, my former Amnesty International colleague Ben Jealous, who is now the president and CEO of the NAACP, met with Troy Davis on Georgia's death row. Troy is awaiting an execution date for a murder that he probably did not commit.

Troy's original trial was flawed, and most of the witnesses have since recanted or contradicted their stories. There is no physical evidence linking him to the crime, and his conviction was based solely on that questionable testimony by witnesses.

But the state of Georgia apparently doesn't care about the fact that it might execute an innocent man.

And, last week, Ben learned just how far Georgia will go to avoid scrutiny for this injustice:

"Besides the fact that Troy is facing execution for a crime that he may not have committed, he also told me that he is being denied the right to speak out on his own behalf despite the fact that others in his position are allowed to do so.

"In my meeting with Troy, I discovered that 60 Minutes, Dateline, and the Associated Press have all been denied media access to Troy. When Georgia won't let the media talk to the accused man, it is a flagrant abuse of his First Amendment rights."

Indeed.

How you can help:

Please contact Commissioner Brian Owens of the Georgia Department of Corrections today and demand he give Troy the right to speak.

This is literally a matter of life and death. And justice hangs in the balance.