FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OHIOANS ACROSS THE STATE TO PROTEST EXECUTION OF ROBERT VAN HOOK
COLUMBUS, OH — July 17, 2018 — Ohio is set to execute death row inmate and honorably discharged U.S. Army veteran Robert Van Hook at 10am on July 18, 2018. Ohioans to Stop Executions (OTSE) will be gathering at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville as well as in Columbus (in front of the Ohio Statehouse by the McKinley Statue on High Street). Other groups will gather across the state in Cleveland, Dayton, Euclid, Mansfield and Toledo. Several events also take place this evening. The groups are expected to start gathering by 9:30am. A full list of events can be found on OTSE’s calendar.
“Our thoughts are with the family of David Self, the family of Robert Van Hook, and those tasked with carrying out another state-sanctioned execution,” says Executive Director of OTSE Kevin Werner. Ohioans to Stop Executions represents the millions of Ohioans who oppose the death penalty, including dozens of partner organizations such as the NAACP, the Ohio Council of Churches, the Ohio Catholic Conference, and many other faith and secular organizations concerned about effective public policy.
Issues relating to Van Hook’s horrific upbringing, mental illness, and drug addiction were presented at a clemency hearing in June but the Ohio Parole Board voted against clemency, which Gov. Kasich later affirmed. More information about Van Hook’s case can be found here.
Contact: Abe Bonowitz
Abe@otse.org, 561-371-5204