LOCAL Assembly Member Joyce Watson is backing a campaign to posthumously pardon a Welsh miner hanged nearly 200 years ago.
Richard Lewis, better known as Dic Penderyn, was executed for his involvement in the Merthyr Rising of 1831.
He was arrested for stabbing a soldier with a bayonet in a riot. The people of Merthyr Tydfil doubted his guilt with more than 11,000 signing a petition for his release.
Penderyn was found guilty and hanged in Cardiff on August 13, 1831. His case has been cited as a grave miscarriage of justice.
Jane Hall, a descendant of Penderyn who lives in St Dogmaels, appealed to Joyce Watson to support a petition calling on UK Secretary of State for Justice, Michael Gove, to grant a full pardon.
So far, 17 members from the four political parties represented in the Assembly have signed the pledge.
Usually a pardon is only granted if new evidence comes to light which demonstrates conclusively the individual is innocent.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here