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43 years in solitary confinement: Take action to free Albert Woodfox | ||||||
Dear friends, On Monday night, I heard news almost too incredible to believe: After four decades of hellish isolation, a federal judge ordered that Louisiana prisoner Albert Woodfox finally be unconditionally released and never re-tried by the State of Louisiana. After so many years in solitary confinement, Albert was set to walk free. It marked the most promising development to date in Albert's case. But Albert's nightmare isn't over yet. The Louisiana Attorney General acted quickly to file an emergency stay, keeping Albert behind bars until an appeals court can decide his fate. The court is set to make a decision TOMORROW. Until Albert walks out of prison, our work is not done. Join me in telling the Louisiana authorities to stop standing in the way of justice so that Albert's ordeal can finally end. Albert was first placed in solitary confinement in 1972, shortly after a young white prison guard named Brent Miller was fatally stabbed inside Louisiana State Penitentiary - also known simply as "Angola." Although no physical evidence tied Albert to the crime, he was immediately assumed to be guilty and placed in solitary confinement - isolated in a small cell for 23 hours each day. He has remained in isolation for four decades, despite the fact that his conviction has now been overturned three times. Albert has been fighting to prove his innocence, even as the Louisiana Attorney General has publicly maligned him and vowed to keep him behind bars. It is time for Albert's nightmare to end. The only just and humane action that the state can take is to ensure his release. Will you call on Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to ensure that Albert's cruel and unjust isolation is not his legacy? With hope, Jasmine Heiss Senior Campaigner Amnesty International USA | ||||||
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» US LOUISIANA Act quickly: Albert Woodfox’s fate could be decided TOMORROW
