Mr Richey, who has a Scottish mother and grew up in Edinburgh, will have his appeal heard by the 6th Circuit Federal Court of Appeal in Cincinatti on Wednesday 7 May. This will be attended by Ms Lambe as well as other international legal experts.

Amnesty International, which campaigns for the abolition of the death penalty in all cases, is especially concerned at this case. The human rights organisation has long described it as 'one of the most compelling cases of innocence human rights campaigners have ever seen.'

Amnesty International is helping to draw attention to serious questions about the fairness of 39-year-old Kenny Richey's trial and the safeness of his conviction. He was convicted of arson and murder in 1987 and has been on death row since then.

New evidence has since emerged casting serious doubt on the question of Mr Richey's guilt. This new evidence appears to have been accepted by the state, which nevertheless intends to press ahead with the execution process.

The 7 May appeal is one of the last available appeals open to Kenny Richey.

The case has attracted substantial public and media attention in Europe as well as appeals on his behalf from Pope John Paul II and the former Archbishop of Canterbury. In a resolution passed in June 1992 the European Parliament expressed its doubt concerning the validity of the sentence.

Relevant information

Further information about our campaign against the Death Penalty is available online.