Mumia Abu Jamal and the Death Penalty, GRANMA

– 30. Oktober 2008Eingestellt unter: Infos über Mumia und die Solibewegung von 1999 bis 7. Dezember 2011
Von: „MUMIA ABU-JAMAL“ <>
Betreff: !*GRANMA: Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Death Penalty
Datum: Freitag, 31. Oktober 2008 03:23
 
 via: Walter Lippmann
——————————-
 
„Right now we’re at a crossroads in the case. His life is at stake,“
says Robert Bryan the primary lawyer of the renowned African-American
journalist.
 
DEISY FRANCIS MEXIDOR
Francis_mexidor@granma.cip.cu
 
Death row in Pennsylvania has twice as many black people as whites,
something that doesn’t reflect the demographic composition of that US
state. The 228 convicts spend 23 hours a day in small solitary cells.
They must wear shackles outside their cells, even in the showers.
Philadelphia is the leader of the death penalty business.
 
African-American journalist Mumia Abu Jamal, perhaps the most well
known prisoner of the 3,500 sentenced to death and languishing in US
jails notes, „Many cases that would be considered third degree or even
volunteer manslaughter, or not guilty in other counties, become first
degree murder or death penalty cases in Philly.“ He says that this is
so because the entire political system of the city was constituted
around the death penalty.
 
His defense seeks to get the US Supreme Court to annul the murder
conviction ruled in 1982. It has been clearly demonstrated that the
projectiles that killed police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981 didn’t
come from Abu Jamal’s weapon. He was accused because of the color of
his skin and with the manipulation of facts.
 
In 2001, the Judge revoked the death sentence. His ruling was backed
by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in March this year. However, an
announcement has been made that the District Attorney’s Office managed
to re-impose the death penalty on Mumia. Another ingredient added to
the long list of irregularities and arbitrariness committed in the case.
 
A few days ago, Mumia’s defense lawyer, Robert R. Bryan, wrote a legal
update that was published on the Internet. „More activism and support
is needed in the campaign to free Mumia from the death penalty and
prison. It is an affront to civilized standards and international law
that he remains in prison and on death row. We must have hope and
fight for justice,“ he said.
 
The defense has until December 19 to present its arguments in
opposition to the current decision.
 
Mumia, for his part, explains that „It’s profoundly unfair at its very
foundation. If you pick a jury that is fundamentally unfair, you can
only get a fundamentally unfair result.“ He also alerts: „There are
many people who — because of what they read in the paper — firmly
believe I am no longer on death row. I have read articles to that
effect. Unfortunately, those articles are misleading. I have never
left death row for one day. I am on death row.“
 
That’s justice, made in the USA.
 
=========================================
WALTER LIPPMANN
Los Angeles, California
Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
„Cuba – Un Paraíso bajo el bloqueo“
=========================================
 
The Power of Truth is Final — Free Mumia!
 
Audio of most of Mumia’s essays are at: http://www.prisonradio.org
 
PLEASE CONTACT:
International Concerned Family & Friends of MAJ
P.O. Box 19709
Philadelphia, PA 19143
Phone – 215-476-8812/ Fax – 215-476-6180
E-mail – icffmaj@aol.com
Web – www.freemumia.com
AND OFFER YOUR SERVICES!
 
Send our brotha some LOVE and LIGHT at:
Mumia Abu-Jamal
AM 8335
SCI-Greene
175 Progress Drive
Waynesburg, PA 15370
 
WE WHO BELIEVE IN FREEDOM CAN *NOT* REST!!
 
Subscribe: mumiacolumns-subscribe@topica.com
Read: http://topica.com/lists/mumiacolumns/read
Subscribe ICFFMAJ email updates list by e-mailing
icffmaj@aol.com!
 
[Check out Mumia’s latest: *WE WANT FREEDOM:
A Life in the Black Panther Party*, from South
End Press ( http://www.southendpress.org ); Ph.
#1-800-533-8478.]