7 Black men who were executed in 1951 for the rape of a white woman have been granted posthumous pardons

Gov. Ralph Northam granted posthumous pardons to seven Black men who were executed in 1951 for the rape of a white woman, the Associated Press reported.

The governor announced the pardons Tuesday. He had met with "dozens" of descendants of the men – known as the "Martinsville Seven" – and their advocates, according to the AP.

Advocates did not contest the convictions but instead argued that the trials were unfair and that the death penalty was unjustly applied to the Black men. On Tuesday, Northam said that the death penalty was nearly always applied to only Black people, according to the AP.

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