In this excerpt from her conversation with writer Victoria Law, Valerie Seeley expresses her commitment to helping other women criminalized for survival and asking Cuomo to grant more clemencies. Valerie Seeley is a survivor of domestic violence. In 1998 Valerie was sentenced to 19 years to life for killing her abusive partner while defending herself from a violent attack. In 2017, Valerie was granted clemency and released from Bedford Hills Correctional Facility after serving 17 years in prison.

Governor Cuomo, like all state governors, has the power to grant clemency through commutations & pardons to people who have been convicted under state law. Valerie is the ONLY domestic violence survivor granted clemency by Governor Cuomo, and only the 3rd survivor to be granted clemency in the state’s history.

This video was recorded at Free Them All: A Mass Commutations event organized by Survived and Punished NYC on April 14, 2018, co-hosted by the Barnard Center for Research on Women. Video created by Hope Dector in collaboration with Mariame Kaba. Video text by Victoria Law from thenation.com/article/why-it-matters-that-an-imprisoned-domestic-violence-survivor-was-granted-clemency/

Join us in urging Cuomo to grant clemency to abuse survivors. Learn more at freethemny.com and survivedandpunished.org

#FreeThemNY #CuomoMIA