Death-row inmate Troy Davis loses clemency appeal

Georgia death-row inmate Troy Davis has lost his final appeal and will face the death sentence on Wednesday, human rights groups said Tuesday morning.

Davis was convicted of murdering Georgia police officer Mark MacPhail in 1989. Since his conviction, seven of the nine people who testified against him have recanted or changed their testimonies.

"I am utterly shocked and disappointed at the failure of our justice system at all levels to correct a miscarriage of justice," Brian Kammer, an attorney for Davis, said following the decision.

Davis, 42, has repeatedly claimed his innocence and his supporters say the evidence supports that. No murder weapon was ever found, no DNA evidence or fingerprints tie Davis to the crime, and other witnesses have since said the murder was committed by another man -- a witness who testified against Davis.

Supporters say close to one million people worldwide have signed petitions calling for clemency, with petitions last week delivered to state authorities containing about 650,000 signatures.

The Supreme Court became involved in 2009 and ordered a federal judge in Savannah to convene a hearing to consider new evidence.

In August 2010, however, a U.S. District Court in Georgia ruled that Davis had failed to prove his innocence and denied him a new trial. The top U.S. court turned down a subsequent appeal.

With AFP.