“State-sanctioned killing” – Newsom commutes nearly 550 death sentences to prison sentences

The US state of California commutes a total of 548 death sentences to life imprisonment. Outgoing Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday that he was exercising his constitutional right to clemency. Newsom is responding to a call from Amnesty International and other organizations to take a stand against the death penalty before the end of his term in office at the beginning of January.

California has not carried out the death penalty for 20 years, so the move is considered symbolic. However, Newsom's decision is also a political signal to President Donald Trump, who is an advocate of the death penalty. The 59-year-old Newsom is considered a possible candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.

In a letter “to all Californians,” Newsom wrote, “My decision today comes after nearly three decades of openly opposing state-sanctioned executions as an elected official.” He is convinced that a society without “state-sanctioned killing” is stronger. The prisoners affected therefore have no opportunity to appeal against their prison sentences.

The case of death row inmate Christa Pike recently caused discussions in the USA. The 50-year-old survived two lethal injections in Nashville, Tennessee, at the end of September - the first prisoner in recent US history. Pike was sentenced to death in 1995 for the murder of a classmate.

The debate was fueled in the meantime by Defense Minister Pete Hegseth's announcement that the execution of the assassin Nidal Hasan by firing squad would be broadcast live in December. However, after massive public outrage, Trump canceled the live broadcast.