Home »
News &
Events » News Archive » 2002 Press Releases
ACLU URGES GOVERNOR BUSH TO GRANT CLEMENCY IN CASE OF MENTALLY RETARDED
MAN SCHEDULED FOR EXECUTION
February 4, 2002
MIAMI ? The American Civil Liberties Union today asked Florida Governor Jeb Bush to grant clemency for Linroy Bottoson, a mentally retarded man scheduled for execution on Feb. 5, 2002.
In the two-page letter faxed today, ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon said Bottoson's case raises 'significant questions regarding his mental retardation and the lack of due process.' Simon co-authored the letter along with Diann Rust-Tierney of the organization's Capital Punishment Project in Washington, D.C. and pro-bono attorney Brooke S. Horiuchi.
Last year, the Florida legislature passed a law that bans the execution of the mentally ill. The law, however, is not retroactive and so does not strictly apply to Mr. Bottoson, who suffers from severe brain damage and has been diagnosed as mentally retarded within the definition of the American Psychiatric Association.
"The law reflects the evolving standard of decency regarding the execution of individuals who are mentally retarded," added Simon.
For additional information, contact:
Miami: Howard Simon, Executive Director,
Alessandra Soler, Public Education Director, (305) 576-2337,
ext. 16 Washington, D.C. : Diann Rust-Tierney (202) 675-2321
To read the full text of the ACLU letter urging Gov. Bush to grant clemency for Bottoson, click here.
For more on the ACLU's campaign against the death penalty, click here
