Troy Davis may be dead , but his execution Thursday in the American state of Georgia has made him the poster boy for the global movement to end the death penalty . World figures , including Pope Benedict XVI and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter , human rights groups and commentators urged the execution to be halted -- but to no avail . On Wednesday Davis was put to death by lethal injection for the 1989 killing of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail despite doubts being raised over the conviction . The execution sparked angry reactions and protests in European capitals -- as well as outrage on social media . `` We strongly deplore that the numerous appeals for clemency were not heeded , '' the French foreign ministry said . `` There are still serious doubts about his guilt , '' said Germany 's junior minister for human rights Markus Loening . `` An execution is irreversible -- a judicial error can never be repaired . '' The European Union expressed `` deep regret '' over the execution and repeated its call for a universal moratorium on capital punishment . EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the bloc had learnt `` with deep regret that Mr Troy Davis was executed , '' her spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told Agence-France Presse . ' '' The EU opposes the use of capital punishment in all circumstances and calls for a universal moratorium , '' she said . `` The abolition of that penalty is essential to protect human dignity . '' Amnesty International condemned the execution in a statement . `` The U.S. justice system was shaken to its core as Georgia executed a person who may well be innocent . Killing a man under this enormous cloud of doubt is horrific and amounts to a catastrophic failure of the justice system , '' Amnesty said . In Britain 's Guardian newspaper , Ed Pilkington , reporting from Jackson , Georgia , before the execution took place , gave 10 reasons why he believed the death sentence for `` a man who is very possibly innocent '' should be commuted . Most of his argument concerned doubts about the conviction -- seven of the nine key witnesses to the murder of MacPhail later recanted their evidence -- but his final reason concerned the manner in which Davis was put to death . `` Even if you set aside the issue of Davis 's innocence or guilt , the manner of his execution tonight is cruel and unnatural , '' Jackson wrote . `` If the execution goes ahead as expected , it would be the fourth scheduled execution date for this prisoner . In 2008 he was given a stay just 90 minutes before he was set to die . Experts in death row say such multiple experiences with imminent death is tantamount to torture . '' In the right-of-center Daily Telegraph , Tom Chivers said the death penalty was `` barbaric '' and far more likely to be used against black people than white . But the main thrust of his argument was that there were serious doubts over the conviction . `` If you are pro-death penalty , you should be shouting twice as loud as the rest of us about the imminent murder of Troy Davis , '' Chivers wrote . `` Otherwise , you ca n't claim to be supporting a stark but necessary act of justice . You 're just a fan of killing people in general . There are words for people like that . None of them are nice . '' On social media , many users predicted the execution would encourage a new civil rights movement to spring up . American novelist Hari Kunzru commented that on the issue of capital punishment the U.S. was isolated from much of the rest of the world `` So I wake up to hear they executed Troy Davis . Wonder if most Americans realize how far out of step they are with international norms . '' And entertainer Vincent Tucker remarked that campaigners should continue their campaign despite Davis 's death . `` It 's one thing to fight for Troy Davis when he was alive but the key question now is will you STILL fight for his cause after his death ? ''
Execution of Troy Davis in U.S. sparks protests around world . The execution was condemned by the United Nations and other international bodies as a violation of human rights and an affront to justice. EU , French and German governments expressed `` deep regret '' Social media users predicted execution would encourage new civil rights movement .