Collaboration

Published in Les Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace
(France) on 4 October 2009
by Jerome Mallien (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Tonya Bryant. Edited by Adair Fincher.
Romell Broom, sentenced to death for the kidnapping, rape and murder of an adolescent in 1984 in Cleveland, still lives. On Sept 15, the scheduled date of Broom’s execution, the Ohioan executioners failed at their job. For two hours with syringes at hand, they were unable to find the vein in which to inject the lethal shot. Upon the governor’s request, they sent Broom back to his cell, until at least Nov 30.

We [les Dernieres Nouvelles d’Alsace] will not ramble on about Broom’s criminal profile, nor on the legitimacy of the death penalty, which the United States remains one of the last occidental countries to apply it. More intriguing is Broom’s account of the two hours of his faulty execution, which he declared this week under oath. From the beginning to the end, it is appalling. But most appalling of all are the prison director’s actions. First off, he entered Broom’s cell where for 2 hours Broom saw his own death in deferment. Before his entry, the director already received the governor’s call agreeing to Broom’s execution grace period. Then, in front of Broom, the director praised “the professionalism of his equipment.” Finally he said to Broom, the one whose death is in limbo, that he deeply appreciated his collaboration in the defective execution.

When the executioners thank their victim for sharing the blunder, we can be sure that they have, if not tender hearts, at least a sense of consensus.


Collaboration
Romell Broom, condamné à mort pour l'enlèvement, le viol et le meurtre d'une adolescente en 1984 à Cleveland, n'est lui-même pas mort. A ce jour. Dans l'Etat de l'Ohio, les exécuteurs ont mal fait leur travail : n'arrivant pas le 15 septembre dernier, deux heures durant et seringues à la main, à trouver la veine dans laquelle ils auraient pu injecter le liquide léthal, ils ont renvoyé, sur décision du gouverneur de l'Etat, le condamné dans sa cellule -au moins jusqu'au 30 novembre.
On ne glosera pas ici sur le profil du condamné, ni sur la légitimité de la peine de mort, que les Etats-Unis restent un des derniers pays occidentaux à appliquer. Mais Rommel Broom a cette semaine, dans une déclaration sous serment, raconté les deux heures de cette exécution manquée. C'est d'un bout à l'autre épouvantable.
Mais le plus épouvantable est là : lorsque le directeur de la prison, ayant reçu l'appel du gouverneur lui accordant ce délai de grâce, fait son entrée dans la cellule où depuis deux heures le condamné vit sa mort en différé ; lorsqu'il loue, d'après Broom, « le professionnalisme de son équipe » ; et lorsqu'il lui dit, à lui le mort en sursis, qu'il a aussi vivement apprécié sa collaboration.
Quand les bourreaux remercient leur victime d'y avoir mis du leur, on peut être sûr qu'ils ont, sinon le coeur tendre, du moins le sens du consensus.

Jérôme Mallien
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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