Thousands of appeals from all over the world, prayer vigils, the mobilisation of politicians, entertainers and civil society, and the reconsideration of many of the jurors who had sentenced Melissa Lucio to death in 2007 - but who had subsequently expressed strong doubts about the sentence - have led the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to intervene, suspending her execution and demanding a new trial.
The woman, a mother of 14 children, remains on death row, but there is now hope that the accidental death of her daughter Mariah, which in the past had been attributed to violence by the mother but which she has always denied, will be established.
Thanks to all those who have mobilised on her behalf and to the thousands of people who have signed the appeal on these pages. We continue to hope and pray for a new and fair trial. The fight against the death penalty remains a stronghold of civilisation, which we will continue to pursue with determination and the certainty that there can never be justice without life.
