Johnny Depp appeared in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Friday, to lend his support to protesters opposing executions in the state.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor spoke at the Rally to Stop the Arkansas Executions, which drew hundreds, according to CBS affiliate THV 11.
Standing in front of a sign reading “Thou Shalt Not Kill,” the actor told the crowd, “Arkansas almost put an innocent man to death. I don’t believe that possibility should ever happen again,” THV 11’s Erika Fernando tweeted.
Johnny Depp: “Arkansas almost put an innocent man to death. I don’t believe that possibility should ever happen again.” pic.twitter.com/8YTbBuHU1p
— Erika Ferrando THV11 (@ErikaFerrandoTV) April 14, 2017
The actor also told the assemblage, “There’s a wrong thing to do and the right thing to do.”
Depp has a deep connection to the topic. The actor was a vocal supporter of the West Memphis Three, a trio of men who, as teenagers, were convicted of the murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, but eventually freed.
Damien Echols, a West Memphis Three member who was condemned to death row before being freed, was also at the rally.
Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson has drawn criticism for deciding to put seven prisoners to death over an 11-day period, which is set to begin Monday.
Hutchinson put the execution spree into play because one of the drugs used for executions, Midazolam, is set to expire at the end of April, the BBC reports.
Midazolam, one of three drugs used in a lethal injection “cocktail.” has been criticized for contributing to botched executions in other states.