Lincoln, NE- Today ACLU of Nebraska issued the following statement in regards to news reports that Attorney General Doug Peterson has filed paperwork to initiate executions in Nebraska. The statement may be attributed to Danielle Conrad, Executive Director ACLU of Nebraska:
“The ACLU condemns Governor Ricketts and Attorney General Peterson's rush towards an execution with a four drug cocktail that has never been utilized in executions, while hiding the source of these drugs in open defiance of our states strong open records laws and failing to account for its apparent failure to follow federal law and DEA regulations. There are multiple pending court and administrative actions on these issues. This process needs to play itself out before Nebraska executes a single person.
While we respect Mr. Moore's decision to stop fighting at this juncture, it is precisely because he is not fighting that our institutions bear extra responsibility to check themselves by ensuring that the laws are followed and that an unlawful and potentially cruel and unusual execution does not take place. Holding a lawless execution would greatly diminish our state.
Further, the issues are bigger than any one person or execution. We will never stop fighting, and stand with fiscal conservatives, faith leaders and a diverse coalition of Nebraskans that know the death penalty is broken beyond repair. A lawless government that undermines the values and institutions we hold dear as Nebraskans and Americans simply cannot be entrusted with the power to administer the death penalty.”
For more information on Nebraska’s troubled death penalty history:
