The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Attorney General William Barr and other federal officials demanding that they delay the federal execution of death row prisoner Wesley Purkey in order to protect the health of his Buddhist priest during the pandemic.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Buddhist priest Reverend Seigen Hartkemeyer, who had ministered Purkey for eleven years. Hartkemeyer is religiously obligated to attend Purkey’s execution, which is scheduled for July 15, but argues that by doing so, he would put in at risk of contracting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
