Amanda Knox Appeal: Petitions, Extradition, Double Jeopardy, and Who Hit the Panic Button

February 4, 2014

It seems the recent guilty verdict by the Italian court made more than a few people panic. This was compounded by the news stories circulating about how Amanda would be extradited to Italy. So called experts and international lawyers were saying how Knox was now in a very bad position. And I was buying into this nonsense also.

Now that the smoke is clearing a bit, and after doing a little research on extradition and also on petitions, I think some people including myself jumped the gun on this. First I want to clear a few things up. About the petition I originally mentioned a few days ago- I was referring to a 'long term' petition. I found out after writing that post that 2 petitions were started the day before my post at the white house site- We the People.
This type of petition has a 30 day time limit with a threshold of 100,000 signatures required to get a response from the White House. Now I don't know who started these petitions at the government site, but I'm sure their heart is in the right place. But the problem with these type of petitions is the time limit- 30 days- it actually ends on March 1, 2014. Even if these petitions made the required threshold for White House response- all the government would say is: Hey, Italy did not ask for us to extradite Amanda Knox. And that's all they would have to say about that.

If the Italian Supreme Court upholds the guilty verdict they may ask for Knox to be extradited. There are also reasons they may not ask. So these current white house petitions are not going to block an extradition that is not even on the table. On the other hand- these petitions are certainly not harming anything either. It should be pointed out however that the majority of Knox supporters will probably not sign a petition where there is no present threat to Amanda. Without realizing they were quick 30 day petitions I sign them myself. No harm done, and I'm not sorry I did. It does show support for the cause, but other than showing support they have no practical value. This type of petition will have value if Italy ever asks the U S to turn over Amanda Knox.

Now about extradition. A few news/online blogs are stating that the U S would have to turn over Knox if Italy requested it. THAT IS NOT CORRECT.
The U S does not HAVE to extradite Knox and common sense dictates that they probably will not. Just because there is a treaty between the U S and Italy does not mean we hand over people blindly. There are clauses in most treaties- and one of the most common is: that 'probable cause to believe' that the person asked for committed the offense. These trials in Italy against Knox and Sollecito have been internationally condemned by a great many people including law makers and forensic scientists. Also, the guilty 26 years....not guilty you can go..........guilty 28.5 years verdicts do not set well with the American people or the U S Constitution. Add to this the facts that Knox had no legal rep, was assulted during interrogation, and was hoodwinked into making false statements- and I think the U S has a dozen reasons to say NO to Italy if they ever come calling. To put it simply- this is no average case where the U S would feel compelled to comply with extradition. This case is an exception to the rule and that's putting it mildly.

As far as double jeopardy (to be tried more than once/ sentenced more than once for the same crime) in this country it is forbidden by the U S Constitution. But the trials were held in Italy under Italian law, so it is not as simple as it sounds. Even the law experts are divided as to whether this constitutes double jeopardy. Whether the State Dept thinks so or not is not the last resort to saving Amanda from extradition. This case was tainted from the very beginning- and that's not a secret. I can not see the Secretary of State handing over an obviously innocent person to be jailed overseas simply because there is a treaty. Bottom line is- this case does not meet the conditions necessary for the U S to approve extradition.

As for that panic button- I think I hit it myself after I heard the recent verdict- I'm better now.

Amanda Knox Appeal: New Petition Started To Protect Amanda Knox

February 2, 2014

The U S Government is being petitioned to block the possible extradition of Amanda Knox to Italy. It is believed that if the new guilty verdict is upheld by the Italian Supreme Court a formal request from Italy asking the U S to turn over Amanda Knox will be forthcoming. To block the extradition of Knox to Italy a petition has been started at the White House/gov petition site asking the Obama administration/U S State Dept. not to extradite Amanda Knox.

The petition which was started a couple days ago, has about 1,000 signatures so far, but many more people are needed to sign the petition in order to make a favorable impression on the White House. Most people are not yet aware there is a petition to protect Amanda so people need to spread the word around. The petition can be signed online at the White House.gov /We the People page. I will provide a link to click on which will take you directly to the Amanda Knox Petition page.

Now I want to take a minute to tell you how you go about signing the petition. It's really fast and easy. When you get to the page. You will see the others who signed but not by name- only initials are visible. The first thing you do is click on the register/account button and you type in your name and e-mail address, and the zip code is optional (if you don't want your city and state known). You will get an e-mail to confirm your address and a link to click on which will bring you back to the wh.gov site. Then you just click on the 'sign the petition' button. That's all there is to it. It's really fast. You can either click on the link I provided below or google the white house.gov site and then scroll through to find the Amanda Knox petition. The link I provide below however will bring you right to the petition page. Here is the link:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/protect-amanda-knox-extradition/3vdzDmLN

Signing this petition is the most important thing you can do for Amanda Knox. If you believe that Amanda has been unjustly convicted of this crime, don't just get mad, do something about it- sign the petition that shows the White House that Amanda does not stand alone. Get your family and friends to sign the petition also if they feel the need to stop this injustice. I am not certain when the petition ends but it has a date on it of March 1, 2014 and seems to need 99,000 signatures by then. In the 2 days it has been up there are about 1,000 people who have signed but many more are needed. It stands to reason that the more people who sign, the more the White House will pay attention to this important issue. I signed it last night and I feel better already : ) Here is the link again:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/protect-amanda-knox-extradition/3vdzDmLN

UPDATE: There are 2 petitions for Amanda Knox at the same place but different pages- you might as well sign both. This other petition actually has more signatures than the one above. Here is the link for the other petition against extradition:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/dont-extradite-amanda-knox-double-jeopardy/bfscL0yK

Amanda Knox Appeal: It's Time For A Petition Against Extradition

UPDATE: SIGN THE PETITION TO THE WHITE HOUSE- In less than 48 hours there have been almost 1,000 signatures. If you believe Amanda Knox should not be extradited to Italy click the link below to bring you to the Amanda Knox petition on the White house site:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/protect-amanda-knox-extradition/3vdzDmLN

February 1, 2014
There has been a lot of talk since Friday's guilty verdict of Amanda Knox. There is also a lot of confusion as to what happens next. For those who are not aware of what is going on, I'm going to illuminate the terrain.

The next stop for this case is the final appeal to the Italian Supreme Court where the guilty verdict will be either upheld or overturned. Is this good news? In my opinion- no. Why? Because I think the Supreme court has shown it's colors, and those colors do not have Amanda's name on it. It was the Supreme court that threw out the not guilty verdict of the first appeals trial, and now it goes right back to them to either approve or overturn the new guilty verdict. So what do you think they are going to do- throw out the guilty verdict also??? That court got exactly what it wanted, in a bizarre over-reach of it's own authority; a...We don't like that take, let's do it again... mentality. In short, I fear the Italian Supreme court is going to uphold the guilty verdict- and then comes the business of the extradition of Amanda Knox to Italy to serve the 28.5 years she has been sentenced. And here is where the plot thickens.

There is an extradition treaty between the U S and Italy, but it's not as simple as it sounds. The US does not HAVE to extradite Knox. That is a State Dept. a la Obama decision. But of course the U S would need grounds in order to refuse extradition. There are certainly ground to refuse, but the question is- Will they refuse to extradite. No one seems to know what the State Dept thinks, they are not talking.  I know they are not clueless, they're just being........ diplomatic.

In fact- Italy may not even make a formal request for Knox's extradition. Italy does have something to lose by making such a request. I don't think Italy would like the U S legal system to hold this circus up to a magnifying glass, as Amanda has the right to fight extradition in a court of law- a U S court that is. And I think you can take it to the bank, a U S court would have a field day with this case and run the U S constitution up the flag pole.

I think it's pretty clear there are a lot of question marks as to what can happen. However, I do have a suggestion. I think Amanda's family should start a petition against extradition (yes, that rhymes). A petition collecting signatures of Americans who believe Knox should not be extradited due to a flawed case and an unjust verdict. Now what this will do is put pressure on the State Dept. Politicians hate to go against the will of a large group of people. And this will show this is not the whining of a few malcontents, but rather the will of a large mass of American citizens demanding justice.

Now I know the Knox's lawyer Ted Simon said on Thursday that people should not talk about extradition yet as there is another appeal coming. Well sorry Ted, but since that appeal is to the Italian Supreme court, I think it's time to scrap the optimism, and take up the fight. It's going to take time to gather a large amount of names on a petition- wait too long and it won't get done. This is doing something constructive rather than waiting around. I appeal to the Knox family to consider the idea. I'll sign it myself and know plenty of others who will. I believe the one big asset Amanda has is the support of the American people- why waste that opportunity. Anyone can start a petition, but I think it has more validity coming from Amanda's home base. Unfortunately, something like this is of no use to Raffaele Sollecito- he's trapped in Italy with no passport. God help him.

UPDATE: A petition has been start on the White House petition site. I do not know who started it but it is off to a great start. This petition it attached to the government site whitehouse.gov  I have included a link at the beginning of this post that will bring you right to the Amanda Knox petition page. This is how you as an American citizen can help bring this to the attention of the State Dept and President Obama. Please sign the petition.

No Justice For Knox in Italy: Sentenced to 28 years

January 30, 2014
The Amanda Knox trial, number 3, has ended today with a shocking verdict of guilty. She has been sentenced by the Florence court to 28 years, with Raffaele Sollecito receiving a 25 year sentence.

Amanda Knox is safe in Seattle, WA. and did not go to Italy for the trial, however, Raffaele Sollecito was at the court today- and he, at the moment, is in harm's way. While the Italian court can not simply pluck Amanda out of the U.S., Sollecito will have his passport taken away at the very least, as ordered by the court. His arrest is also possible, although the court did not officially order it.

Last year the Italian supreme court overturned the innocent verdict which freed the two, and round 3 of this never ending nightmare was kicked up in Florence and ended with a ridiculous verdict of guilty today. Knox's lawyer delivered the news to her via telephone and stated that she was  "petrified" by the verdict. How Sollecito took the news is not as important as what he plans to do about it (I know what I'd do if I were in his shoes). He showed great faith in getting justice from the court, and it blew-up in his face. Did he have a plan B? Amanda on the other hand, had the good sense to stay the hell home, but as she well knows- her safety is not guaranteed. There is still the possibility of extradition to Italy to serve her sentence. And, at the moment, she stands a convicted murderer. With that said, one must keep in mind that conviction does not automatically correlate with justice- and justice in Italy seems to be in the eye of the beholder- or which judge and jury is pulling duty- or maybe even which way the wind is blowing. However, one thing seems certain, justice in this case seems to have nothing to do with proving guilt or innocence. How two judges and six members of the jury can find Knox and Sollecito guilty with no evidence or convincing proof is completely surreal. It's damn scary.