Mailing to AIUSA Groups from the National Campaign staff at the Urgent Action Program Office. The mailing says in the last monthly mailing, we promised we would send you a special mailing containing an action to prevent the execution of the Sharpeville 6; we now give you the attached Urgent Action and ask that you get out as many letters as your group can on it; in mid-August, we will know whether our letters have led to a commutation of their sentence. The mailing says on Monday 13 June 1988 Mr. Justice W.J. Human turned down the defense lawyers' application for a reopening of the trial in the case of the Sharpeville Six; the defense lawyers had requested a reopening of the trial on a number...
Mailing to AIUSA Groups from the National Campaign staff at the Urgent Action Program Office. The mailing says in the last monthly mailing, we promised we would send you a special mailing containing an action to prevent the execution of the Sharpeville 6; we now give you the attached Urgent Action and ask that you get out as many letters as your group can on it; in mid-August, we will know whether our letters have led to a commutation of their sentence. The mailing says on Monday 13 June 1988 Mr. Justice W.J. Human turned down the defense lawyers' application for a reopening of the trial in the case of the Sharpeville Six; the defense lawyers had requested a reopening of the trial on a number of grounds, in particular claiming that a key state witness in the original trial, Joseph Manete, had given false testimony; the judge said in his ruling that he had placed no reliance, in the original trial on Joseph Manete's evidence and that it would be 'frivolous and absurd' to reopen the case; the defense team then applied for leave to appeal against the judge's ruling, but this application was also turned down. The mailing says however, the judge granted the defense team leave to petition the Chief Justice, who has the power to grant the appeal court leave to re-examine the defense case in spite of the ruling made in court; Mr. Justice Human granted a stay of execution until 19 July while this legal process takes place; during the same five-week period the six prisoners under sentence of death may petition the State President, PW Botha, once again, either for a review of their convictions or for mercy; however, an earlier petition for mercy by the six was rejected by the State President in March 1988; if these procedures are not completed by 19 July, there can be an application for a further extension of time. The mailing asks people to send telexes, telegrams, express letters, or airmail letters to President P.W. Botha and Minister of Justice H.J. Coetsee. The mailing asks that copies be sent to the National Association of Law Societies, the Bar Council of South Africa, the South African Press Association, The Sowetan, The Star, Die Vaderland, The Weekly Mail and Ambassador Piet G.J. Koornhof at the Embassy of South Africa in Washington, DC. The mailing discuses the death penalty, Mojalefa Reginald Sefatsa, Oupa Moses Diniso, Reid Malebo Mokoena, Theresa Ramashamole, Duma Joshua Khumalo, and Francis Don Mokgesi.
