Though the matter is still before the Supreme Court and other decision-making bodies, Governor Perry is being asked to call upon the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to reconsider its recent rejection of clemency.

Napoleon Beazley, set to die by lethal injection today at 6pm Texas time (midnight, GMT), was 17 at the time of the crime. His execution will flout international law, binding on the USA and on Texas, forbidding Paterson said:

'We are a whisker away from a world where the USA is the only country prepared to execute juvenile offenders'

'With time running out, we implore Governor Perry to show leadership, prevent Napoleon Beazley's death and help steer the USA away from this ghastly practice'.

Amnesty International's urgent petition also stresses a range of serious concerns about Napolean Beazley's case including evidence of racial bias, acceptance of damning false testimony, inappropriate involvement of the victim's son in the trial proceedings and potential damage to community confidence in impartial justice in Napoleon Beazley's hometown of Grapeland.