Clive Stafford Smith Joins Newham Bookshop To Raise Funds For Reprieve

An advance notice for your diaries: on Sunday 30 September, the founder and Director of Reprieve, Clive Stafford Smith, will sign copies of his new book at Newham Bookshop's stall at Goldsmiths Row Book Market. The event aims to help raise funds for Reprieve, the campaigning charity that provides legal support for prisoners accused of the most extreme crimes, such as acts of murder or terrorism, which are exactly the kind of cases where human rights are most likely to be jettisoned or eroded.

"Injustice: Life and Death in the Courtrooms of America" tells the story of Kris Maharaj, a British businessman living in Miami, who was arrested in 1986 for the brutal murder of two ex-business associates. His lawyer did not present a strong alibi; Kris was found guilty and sentenced to death in the electric chair.

Since Clive Stafford Smith took on his case, strong evidence has began to emerge that the state of Florida had got the wrong man on Death Row. However, as Stafford Smith argues, the American justice system is actually designed to ignore innocence. Twenty-six years later, Maharaj is still in jail. The book, which I've heard reads like a detective novel, untangles the Maharaj case and the system that makes injustices like this inevitable.

For those who haven't made it down to Goldmsiths Row Book Market, it's well worth a visit. It started only recently and is situated at the end of Goldsmith Row that meets Hackney Road. Sellers include Pages of Hackney, Brick Lane Books, Newham Books and 20 other traders.

Sunday 30 September 2012, 1pm at Newham Bookshop Stall, Goldmith's Row Book Market, London E2 8QA


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