Amanda Knox

Have you ever been in a foreign country? If so, did you feel safe? Did you feel as though the authorities would protect you, though you were not a citizen? I lived in Bolivia for part of one summer in college to work with an orphanage and translate for a missionary. It was eye-opening. I remember watching the news one night, and a piece came on the news revealing what was going on in the local prisons. It was very corrupt, with the felons (as we would label them) being able to pay a fee to be able to have a weapon in prison. What? Seriously? Yes.

Imagine being in a country like that, and being an American young woman, alone most of the time, and still learning the language. What would you fear? Being harmed? Being robbed? Being kidnapped? What if you lived there long enough to be comfortable and let your guard down a little bit?

Amanda Knox is someone that most people are familiar with— at least they know that she is “the American who killed her roommate in Italy.” Going deeper into the story, you will learn that the authorities in the town of Perugia arrested her based more on their feelings of how she “looked guilty” than any evidence actually pointing towards her. But, still, she and her boyfriend were convicted of murder four years ago.

For the past year, she has been fighting the conviction, with a long appeal process. There has been quite a media frenzy, a Lifetime Movie (mostly painting her as guilty), and a parade of opinions on the social media circuit (#AmandaKnox has approximately 1 tweet per 3 seconds). A large number of citizens worldwide are weighing in their thoughts. “@piersmorgan: Whatever the verdict later, the celebrification of #AmandaKnox is an ongoing distress to #MeridithKercher family.” “@Hoopsdips: ‘@RyAnnCaitlin- What will the verdict be? #amandaknox’. She’s guilty but her appeal will be upheld and she’ll get a way with it.”

“I am not what they say I am. I am not a promiscuous vamp. Violence isn’t in me. I have not killed, I have not raped. I wasn’t there.” These are the words of Amanda Knox as she plead with the jury at her appeal trial earlier today. It was reported that her pleadings moved a few jurors to tears. But, emotion shouldn’t be any part of her release. Emotion was one of the biggest reasons that she was convicted at all. If she is released, it should be because there was never enough evidence to convict her in the first place.

What do you think? Do you think other countries have such a different value system that they convict innocent people? Or, do you think Americans are just trying to protect their own? Weigh in.