Troy Anthony Davis, who was convicted in 1989 of killing off-duty white police officer Mark MacPhail, was executed by the state of Georgia yesterday. Killed by lethal injection, Davis was pronounced dead on Wednesday at 11:08pm ET.

And yet there were significant doubts about his guilt. Davis’ execution was delayed for approximately four hours while the US Supreme Court considered an appeal, but ultimately the Court denied a last-minute stay of execution. Davis, an African-American who was convicted when he was only twenty, maintained his innocence until the end, and in the moments before his death he told the family of MacPhail he had nothing to do with the police officer’s murder.

Democracy Now! broadcast live from the prison grounds in Jackson, Georgia in the hours leading up to Davis’ execution, speaking with some of the hundreds of supporters who gathered there to hold an all-day vigil for Davis. You can learn more about Davis’ story and the anti-death penalty protests that have been spurred by the execution of a man who was very possibly innocent at Democracy Now!.

Here are some other links of interest I found during the week:

• The Islamic Centre near Ground Zero (dubbed the ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ by opponents) just opened to the public.

• The Palestinians are taking their bid to be recognised as a state by the UN on Friday. +972 Magazine uploaded a podcast exploring the pros and cons of the Palestinian UN bid. In conversation are +972 bloggers Dahlia Scheindlin, Dimi Reider, Joseph Dana and Larry Derfner.

• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave an interview with Nicholas Kristof from the New York Times. They spoke about Iran’s nuclear program and human rights in Iran, and Kristof posted the full transcript of the interview online.

• Guy Rundle writes in Crikey on the release of Julian Assange’s unauthorised biography. Assange has denounced the book’s publication, but it is already on sale in the UK. The Independent has also published a couple of ‘exclusive extracts’ from the book.

• Larvartus Prodeo looks at Tony Abbott’s misrepresentation of the facts in the carbon tax debate.

• Over at New Matilda, Martin C. Jones explains how the government’s Clean Energy Future package will work. New Matilda is also still looking for financial supporters.

• Lastly, Overland editor Jeff Sparrow has written an essay in the latest Meanjin on Osama bin Laden’s death and how violence is used to foster public unity in the US.