Troy Davis is set to be executed on Sept. 23 for a murder for which there may not be any real evidence that he committed. Last month, a federal circuit court of appeals denied the Death Row inmate a new trial despite the fact that seven of the nine prosecution witnesses have recanted their claims, and two of the convicting jurors say the execution should be stayed. An international coalition has since coalesced around Davis as he makes a final attempt to have his case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Davis was convicted of murdering a Savannah, GA police officer in 1989. He admits that he was at the scene of the crime, but that allegations made by an acquaintance implicating him as the shooter are false. In his 1991 trial, the jury made their decision almost entirely on eyewitness testimony, much of which turned out to be coerced. There was no physical evidence linking Davis to the crime, and the murder weapon has never been recovered. Yet, appeals courts have refused to hear the case due in part to the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, supported by a Gingrich-led Congress in 1996, that binds the hands of courts when it comes to appeals from Death Row.

Amnesty International USA has spearheaded a massive advocacy campaign on Davis’s behalf, and have organized a Global Day of Action for Troy Davis on May 19. They are calling on Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue (R) to take executive action to stay the execution, at least until Davis is given another opportunity to present his case in court. World leaders like former President Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI, Nobel Peace Prize-winner Desmond Tutu, and civil rights leader Al Sharpton have all come out in support of Davis.