A victory, of sorts, for justice

Well done and thank you to all Amnesty's members and supporters locally, who have helped through the years to keep up the pressure in the case of Scot, Kenny Richey, who has just been released from death row in Ohio after 21 years in jail.

Particular congratulations to the Belfast AI Group which has taken a special interest in the case.

In the world of human rights campaigning, it sometimes feels that victories for justice are few and far between. Tonight we witness a welcome but overdue victory for justice. Yet, we never forget that the terrible death of two year-old Cynthia Collins started this tragic tale. Nor Kenny Richey's wasted decades. Nor the Ohio State prosecutors efforts to save face and keep him in jail well past the point when it was clear that the conviction was unsafe.

Anyway, good luck to Kenny in his new life; I hope things work out for him, although the days ahead will undoubtedly be strange and challenging for a man who has spent the second half of his life in an institution. Ask the surviving members of the Birmingham Six or the Guildford Four.

Meanwhile, Amnesty's efforts for other death row prisoners and against the death penalty in the US and worldwide, goes on.