Category: Mike Lambrix

REVIEW OF "TELL THE WORLD ABOUT US": AN INSIGHTFUL PHOTO EXHIBITION ABOUT PRISONERS AROUND THE WORLD AND ON DEATH ROW IN THE USA

9/21/2018

Through the bars of his solitary confinement cell in a detention centre for political prisoners, a prisoner pushed a piece of paper into the hand of photographer Rune Eraker. There was just one sentence written on it:
"Tell the world about us"
This was in 2001. A decade and a half later, Rune Eraker embarked on a four year project in which he sought out forgotten prisoners and others who had had their freedom snatched away. He says:

This exhibition is about them,
those who are imprisoned, isolated, tortured, steam rollered and sentenced - in the worst cases, to death. Some for what they believe in.Others are victims of unjust laws, prejudice, politics, regimes, violence, religion of the devastation of war.
But the exhibition is also about strength. About courage, the capacity to suffer and endure.

Along famous people such as Edward Snowden and the Dalai Lama, the exhibition casts also light on unknown prisoners, such as prisoners on death row in the United States from the Save Innocents campaign, who have been fighting to obtain justice for decades. Those are Michael Lambrix in Florida (executed in October 2017), Charles Mamou and Tony Medina in Texas. So many more could be brought to light.

Mike Lambrix, Charles Mamou and Tony Medina

Some fight to prove their innocence, some have died already. All fight to preserve their dignity and determination, and need our help.

If you ask me to chose between my state and my voice,
I would be rather without state than without voice.
Edward Snowden

The Nobel Peace Center calls on "everyone who visits this exhibition not to forget, but to see, talk about and protest against injustice" and leave the last words to Norwegian writer Arnulf Overland in his poem from 1937 ("You must not sleep"):

"You must not sit tucked away at home and say:
"So sad, poor them!", and turn your face away.
You must not tolerate without a care
Injustice that you never had to bear!
I challenge you with all the breath I've left:
How dare you walk on past and just forget!"

The exhibition is open to the public from 14 September 2018 until 15 January 2019. It is subsequently due to be shown at Tromsø kunstforening and the Portuguese Center of Photography. A book has also been edited in support of the exhibition.

This exhibition will be shortly followed up by a new web show including the contributions of other prisoners in the USA. Please contact us for any further detail.

Is this how medical personnel conceal their identity WHEN PARTICIPATING TO EXECUTIONS IN FLORIDA?

11/19/2017

In the recent weeks, we have commented on Mike Lambrix's execution process that involved medical personnel who were concealing their identity -- something which is legal under the current Florida law. We believe this law should be changed, as it is outdated and no longer reflects the standards of a "dignified death process".
As Mike Lambrix's funeral just ended (on November 17th, 2017), we are releasing here an article he wrote back in 2010, discussing further his experience with another prisoner on death row who went through the same process.

Typical Personal Protective Equipment for Preventing Exposure to Ebola Virus
(Independent picture, featured here for the purpose of illustration and debate).

At the time Mike Lambrix had been transferred temporarily to Florida State Prison. This was an opportunity to meet with a fellow inmate, Paul Johnson, who just had received himself a stay of execution. Paul Johnson described to Mike Lambrix the execution preparation procedure that involved of covered up doctors. He wrote:

"So, of course I asked Paul how they do it now. Although it may seem a little morbid for two condemned prisoners to compare notes on how the state intended to kill them, when you’ve lived in the shadow of death for as long as me and Paul have, it is just part of ‘normal’ conversation.

But not even I could not have anticipated the horror that Paul described. Apparently the state is now concerned about reaching that hour of execution only to find that the prisoner’s veins are damaged and then there may be a problem in killing him, as there have been numerous executions, such as that of Angel Diaz, who was slowly and deliberately tortured to death (...) which they claimed was his fault as his veins were damaged from years of drug use.

So now they’ve come up with a new procedure which to my knowledge has never been publicly exposed before, and should certainly shock the conscience of any person of conscience:

Here’s how Paul described it to me ~
about a week after he was moved down to the bottom of Q wing, where Florida’s death house is, suddenly the back door that leads to the actual execution chamber opened.(...)
Through this door walked in at least four,
perhaps even six people who were fully dressed in plastic ~ like suits and a full helmet/mask over their head like we have often seen in the movies ~ such as those who handle nuclear waste.
Slowly they marched single file only to stop in front of Paul’s death watch cell, then facing him they demanded to examine his veins. Paul says that even the small widow in the front of their uniforms was concealed, so that he could not see their faces.

As if he were nothing more than a piece of meat, without showing even the slightest semblance of humanity, this state sanctioned ‘death squad’ coldly examined Paul’s veins on his arms and talked openly among themselves about how his veins seemed to be alright. Paul was ordered to stand there as they took turns examining each arm, agreeing with each other that they would have no problem inserting the lethal chemicals to deliberately put a man to death.

Once they all agreed that Paul’s veins would pose no problems when they were called to kill him, then they turned and filed back through that solid steel door that leads to the execution chamber.

I cannot even imagine this utterly surreal scene that Paul described ~ nor can I imagine how unconscionable such an act is.

Never before, other than the infamous death squads of third world countries, have I heard of a group of deliberately concealed and masked men approach a condemned prisoner and without even a hint of humanity, coldly examine him with the intent to put him to death. This is America, we don’t have masked death squads that serve the government and it shocks me that they would do such a thing. But I have also to wonder- am I the only one who is shocked by the use of death squads in the USA? What does it say about the society we have become that a state government can act in such an unconscionable and inhumane manner? Equally so, what does it say about our so-called civilized society that others are not as equally shocked by this?.

This article from Mikchael Lambrix was published originally in 2010 on
deathrowjournals.blogspot.gr

Did Mike Lambrix enjoy less rights than a dying stray dog at the time of his execution?

11/5/2017

When Mike Lambrix was executed in Florida last October 5, some of his friends were choked by an information he gave them in respect to the medical procedure behind the preparation of his execution, leading to this question:

Did Mike Lambrix enjoy less rights than a dying stray dog?

Under the 2017 Florida Statute 828.058(4)(a): "Euthanasia [of dogs and cats] shall be performed only by a licensed veterinarian or an employee or agent of a public or private agency, animal shelter, or other facility that is operated for the collection and care of stray, neglected, abandoned, or unwanted animals, provided the employee or agent has successfully completed a 16-hour euthanasia technician certification course."

Did the people involved in Mike Lambrix's execution have any such certification at all? We do not know.

As his family is preparing a memorial service for Michael Lambrix, his close friend Geesje offers her reflection on his execution.

Mike Lambrix will be part of an art exhibition "Noble is Man"
at the Center of Nobel Peace in Oslo next September 2018.
He always maintained his innocence.

"Michael Lambrix was executed on October 5, 2017. I've been a friend of his for 14 years and I visited him several times over the years. Michael Lambrix was also a much beloved son, brother, father and a long time friend to many.

I'm deeply troubled by something he wrote a week before his execution":

“And shortly after they removed all my property,
the warden came down with a few people from Medical. I can only assume that it was the “doctor” responsible for carrying out the execution. They went to great lengths to conceal his identity, as although I could tell he was an upper middle aged white man, maybe just a bit shorter than I am, he was dressed from head to toe in a light baby blue hazmat suit, which included a white surgical mask. So all I could see of him was his eyes. He kept his head down — probably some part of him has to be ashamed of making a living putting people to death.

(...) With total detachment, I was ordered to extend my arm through the cell-front bars and this masked man proceeded to touch my veins at the inner elbow, first the left arm and then the right, while whispering to another man standing beside him, and that was that.
Now they were ready to kill me.
Yep, not just a job — it’s an adventure.”
Mike Lambrix

I wonder: Why was he covered from head to toe, with only his eyes visible?
There was absolutely no medical reason for this.

Was he hiding his identity, or was he ashamed of what he was doing?
Why was he not facing Michael, looking him in the eyes, introducing himself, or even speaking to him?

Michael Lambrix was a person, a human being, not a thing that needed to be expelled of. To me, it seems as heartless as giving a kick to a dying stray dog.

I need to understand the reason for, what seems to me, an unreasonable cruelty inflicted upon a defenceless man facing death. I understand the necessity of checking someone's veins before you execute him, after all you don't want any last minute nasty surprises, but surely it doesn't have to be this way?

When asked the warden of Florida State Prison (Warden Barry Reddish) about this, the reply was:

The Florida Department of Corrections supports a dignified death process for those inmates with an active death warrant. The identity of the medical providers involved in the death process is restricted by Florida Statute, thus it’s not open to public disclosure"

I'm struggling with the words: "Dignified death process".
What is dignified or even remotely decent about any of this??

If we have to have the death penalty, there is no need to treat condemned people in their final days like sub-humans, any person facing death should be treated with some dignity and compassion."

FLORIDA EXECUTES MICHAEL LAMBRIX

10/6/2017

Mike Lambrix was executed last night (October 5, 2017), despite the plea of many people around the world, who had respectfully asked the Governor of Florida, Rick Scott,
to grant an exceptional clemency hearing in this case.

In particular, the Nobel Peace Center, which will host an exhibition ("Noble Is Man") with photos of Michael Lambrix next year, had also sent through a solidarity remark on behalf of their staff asking for him to be able to have a clemency hearing.
However, no clemency has been granted in 34 years in Florida.

Let us hope this case will compel the State of Florida to review their clemency process in the future. If clemency is part of a legitimate process, then a fair and full clemency hearing should become a meaningful right.

We want to thank all those, whether respectable organisations or concerned individuals around the world, who, like the Nobel Peace Center, have shown their solidarity and their support throughout this campaign -- Mike Lambrix sent us a message last night to say that his gratitude would remain "eternal".

He had helped us earlier this year to launch our campaign (see here) in an communication effort to help prevent crime and reduce the number of future victims.
This was meaningful to him, as much as it should be meaningful to the Governor of Florida, who refused the clemency hearing of Mike on the ground that his "top concern is always with the families of the victims of these horrible crimes."

Our thoughts now go to the family of Mike Lambrix
(and his community of friends and supporters), who will have to suffer the new and unnecessary burden to cope with the tragic loss of a dear one.
They have now become the innocent victims indeed of an horrible crime.

Thank you.

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REVIEW OF "TELL THE WORLD ABOUT US": AN INSIGHTFUL PHOTO EXHIBITION ABOUT PRISONERS AROUND THE WORLD AND ON DEATH ROW IN THE USA

Is this how medical personnel conceal their identity WHEN PARTICIPATING TO EXECUTIONS IN FLORIDA?

Did Mike Lambrix enjoy less rights than a dying stray dog at the time of his execution?

FLORIDA EXECUTES MICHAEL LAMBRIX

Categories

SAVE INNOCENTS
CAMPAIGN
*(see legal disclaimer)

REVIEW OF "TELL THE WORLD ABOUT US": AN INSIGHTFUL PHOTO EXHIBITION ABOUT PRISONERS AROUND THE WORLD AND ON DEATH ROW IN THE USA

Is this how medical personnel conceal their identity WHEN PARTICIPATING TO EXECUTIONS IN FLORIDA?

Did Mike Lambrix enjoy less rights than a dying stray dog at the time of his execution?

FLORIDA EXECUTES MICHAEL LAMBRIX

Categories

SAVE ﻿INNOCENTS﻿CAMPAIGN*(see legal disclaimer)

SAVE INNOCENTS
CAMPAIGN
*(see legal disclaimer)