Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

U. Texas student awarded for anti-death penalty work
Ash Bell And Emily Gerson
The Austin Student (Multiple Texas Campuses)
11/07/2005

(U-WIRE) AUSTIN, Texas — Hooman Hedayati first became involved in the anti-death penalty movement as something interesting and worthwhile to do over spring break.Since then he has very active in the campaign to end the death penalty, and on Oct. 29 his efforts were rewarded.

Hedayati was presented the "Youth Service Award" by the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty at the organization's 2005 national conference in Austin.

"Hooman has worked in Texas to pass moratorium resolutions and spread the anti-death penalty movement to colleges and high schools throughout the state," said a spokesman for the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

Hedayati, freshman computer science major at the University of Texas at Austin, originally took part in a program called Alternative Spring Break. Alternative Spring Breaks are designed to give students something more meaningful to do during their week off, rather than just spending time goofing off. The Alternative Spring Break program brings students to Austin for five days of anti-death penalty activism and education.

After completing this program, Hedayati founded Texas Students Against the Death Penalty, which currently has 12 chapters. He is currently the president of the University of Texas student organization Longhorns Against the Death Penalty and a board member of the Texas Moratorium Network.

As a spokesman for the NCADP stated, "Hooman is a true example of leadership in action and the power of the youth generation." NDACP's conference was here in Austin from October 27-30. This was their first time to convene in Austin. The group felt as though it was very important to come to Texas' capitol.

"Texas continues to operate a system that fundamentally lacks fairness," said Diann Rust-Tierney, NCADP executive director. "Four times in the last two years, the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Texas death sentences. Texas continues to seek the execution of people with severe mental retardation, mental illness and people who may well be factually innocent. NCADP looks forward to highlighting the many problems in Texas and discussing solutions." The NCADP began in 1976, and according to their web page, is the only fully staffed national organization exclusively devoted to abolishing capital punishment. NCADP provides information, advocates for public policy, and mobilizes and supports individuals and institutions that share our unconditional rejection of capital punishment.

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