D.Walters / OWC / J.Mackler u.a.: Wichtiger Durchbruch in den Verteidigungsbemühungen für Mumia!

Donnerstag, 20. Januar 2000

Von: dwalters@lanset.com

Wir fassen im Folgenden nur den ersten Teil des englischsprachigen Textes zusammen und fügen anschließend das Original an. Wir bitten Englisch-ÜbersetzerInnen, evt. die unten wiedergegebene neue juristische Situation für Mumia genauer zu übersetzen und uns zur Veröffentlichung zuzuschicken. (LabourNet-Austria).

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Am 13. Jänner änderte sich diese Situation aber dramatisch. Der Richter erklärte beiden Parteien, dass er ab jetzt die Dokumente und Argumente akzeptieren werde, die die Richtigkeit von Sabos Faktenfindungen bezweifeln (!!!).

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Das ist ein Riesendurchbruch im Mumia-Fall! Das Zusammenspiel ist schlagend: Am 12. Jänner war die Internationale Delegation im Justizministerium, am Donnerstag den 13. Jänner erschien in der Philadelphia Daily News ein Artikel darüber und am selben Tag rief der Richter den Anwalt Weinglass an, am nächsten Tag zum Gericht zu kommen! Unglücklicherweise deckt der Fond nicht die Kosten der internationalen Delegation – mit minus $2150.-, die wir bald zahlen müssen. Viele haben schon gespendet und wir danken ihnen. Bitte füllt die Liste unten aus und spendet an :

.OWC, c/o San Francisco

Labor Council, 1188 Franklin St. #203, San Francisco, CA 94109. Please make

checks payable to „WHC-Mumia Delegation“.)

(Send your filled-out coupon to < owc@igc.org >. Note: All funds should be sent

by mail to the OWC office address listed immediately above.)

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Thema: Important Breakthrough in Mumia Defense Effort: Urgent Request for Funds

the actor, and comedian Dick Gregory.

 

At the news conference, the group played a tape recording of

Abu-Jamal greeting his supporters. The tape was made clandestinely

over the weekend at the maximum security prison near Waynesburg in

Greene County, Pennsylvania, and featured a confident-sounding

Abu-Jamal criticizing the disproportionate number of poor and

minority prisoners on Death Row.

 

„Death Row, it seems, is the prerogative of the poor,“ he said.

– 30 –

 

Important Breakthrough in Mumia Defense Effort: Urgent Request for Funds

 

OWC CAMPAIGN NEWS – distributed by the Open World Conference in

Defense of Trade Union Independence & Democratic Rights, c/o S.F. Labor

Council, 1188 Franklin St., #203, San Francisco, CA 94109.

Visit out website at: http://www.geocities.com/owc_2000 .

IN THIS MESSAGE:

1) Report on Repercussions of the Jan. 12 Delegation for Mumia and Urgent Appeal for Funds

2) Coupon: Fund Appeal for January 12 International Delegation

3) Letter from Jeff Mackler, co-coordinator of the Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, to Jerry Gordon, secretary of the International Delegation

4) Article on delegation in Toledo Blade (Jan. 13)

Dear Friends,

We have sent you two reports on the important International Delegation on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal that was received on January 12 by high-ranking officials at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C.

We just received word from Jerry Gordon, secretary of the International Delegation, that (1) this effort was reported in some of the mainstream press and, more important (2) the delegation itself appears to have contributed to an important breakthrough in the legal efforts pursued by Leonard Weinglass, Mumia’s lead attorney.

„There has been a major development on the legal front in the fight to save the life of Mumia Abu-Jamal. I talked with Abu-Jamal’s lead attorney, Leonard Weinglass. Here is the situation:

„Here’s an example of how that was working in Mumia’s case. As we know, witnesses who testified against him at the trial at which he was convicted came forward later and recanted their testimony. They testified before Judge Albert Sabo, who presided at the original trial, in a hearing on a motion for a new trial that they had been intimidated and threatened by police into giving false testimony against Mumia. Judge Sabo, in a finding of fact, decided these witnesses at the hearing on the motion for a new trial were not credible witnesses. In the federal proceeding on the petition for a writ of habeas corpus, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys argued that the federal judge, William Yohn, was bound by that finding, as well as the other Sabo findings of fact. Until Friday, January 14, the federal judge agreed, meaning he would not review the entire record of the case.

The judge informed attorneys on both sides that he will now accept papers and hear arguments challenging the correctness of Sabo’s findings of fact.

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This means he will review the entire record of the case, something the Mumia attorneys had been arguing from the beginning that he should do (which he can do since presumptions in the law can be overcome with strong evidence). This is a major breakthrough in the case!

„The timing of all this is striking. On Wednesday, January 12, the International Delegation met with three Deputy Assistant Attorneys General at the Justice Department. On Thursday, January 13, an article about the International Delegation appeared in the Philadelphia Daily news. On that same day, the federal judge called Weinglass and directed him to appear in court the following day.“

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There can be no doubt that the International Delegation contributed to this important breakthrough on the legal front. It is extraordinary for a judge to summon a lawyer in this way with no notice.

Alan Benjamin,

on behalf of the Planning Committee of the

International Delegation of January 12

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY

STATE

ZIP

TEL

EMAIL

[ ] I will forward a contribution of $ ____ to help defray the cost of organizing

this delegation. (Funds for this effort should be sent to: OWC, c/o San Francisco

Labor Council, 1188 Franklin St. #203, San Francisco, CA 94109. Please make

checks payable to „WHC-Mumia Delegation“.)

(Send your filled-out coupon to <owc@igc.org>. Note: All funds should be sent

by mail to the OWC office address listed immediately above.)

3) Letter from Jeff Mackler

Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal

3425 Cesar Chavez, San Francisco, CA. 94110

415-695-7745 Fax: 415-821-0166

Dear Jerry,

Congratulations on a job well done in the service of justice and for Mumia’s freedom. Please convey our thanks to all those involved.

In the short time you had, you mobilized an impressive group of prominent human rights supporters from several countries… with an equally impressive result.

The presentations before the Justice Department officials were first rate as were the materials Jim and Clark prepared for the meeting.

I will present your report to this Saturday’s Mobilization meeting in San Francisco and otherwise help to publicize your effort.

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Thanks again for your fine work and let’s continue our collaboration in this historic fight..

Jeff Mackler, Co-Coordinator

4) Article on International Delegation in January 13 Toledo Blade

January 13, 2000

BY KAREN MacPHERSON

BLADE NATIONAL BUREAU

Led by Baldemar Velasquez, head of the Toledo-based Farm Labor Organizing Committee, coalition members met with attorneys at the U.S. Department of Justice. In the hourlong session, Mr. Velasquez urged the attorneys to recommend a federal inquiry into alleged civil-rights violations during Abu-Jamal’s arrest and trial.

The meeting with Justice Department officials was set up hastily late Tuesday, after Mr. Velasquez publicly announced that his group planned to commit acts of civil disobedience in front of the White House to protest the refusal of administration officials to meet with them about Abu-Jamal’s case.

Abu-Jamal, who is on Pennsylvania’s Death Row, was scheduled to be executed last month. But he was granted a stay while a federal judge decides whether to grant him a new trial.

Opponents, among them Maureen Faulkner, wife of the slain police officer, contend that Abu-Jamal is a cold-blooded killer who has manipulated the media and others into believing he is a political prisoner.

Before meeting with Justice Department officials, Mr. Velasquez and a dozen other union members and activists from several countries held a news conference on Abu-Jamal’s case. Among those present were Mr. Davis, the actor, and comedian Dick Gregory.

At the news conference, the group played a tape recording of Abu-Jamal greeting his supporters. The tape was made clandestinely over the weekend at the maximum security prison near Waynesburg in Greene County, Pennsylvania, and featured a confident-sounding Abu-Jamal criticizing the disproportionate number of poor and minority prisoners on Death Row.