[907] in peace2
Mumia Abu Jamal URGENT PRESS RELEASE
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Francis Doughty)
Mon Aug 13 13:54:06 2001
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2001 13:53:31 -0400 (EDT)
Message-Id: <200108131753.NAA12819@eecs-ath-10.mit.edu>
From: Francis Doughty <doughty@MIT.EDU>
To: peace-list@mit.edu
------- Start of forwarded message -------
From: <RJPMcD@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2001 08:33:06 EDT
Subject: Fwd: [IAC] URGENT PRESS RELEASE
To: doughty@mit.edu
In a message dated 8/9/01 11:18:25 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
actioncenter@iacenter.org writes:
<< INTERNATIONAL ACTION CENTER
39 W. 14TH St. Room 206
New York City, NY 10011
Phone: 212-633-6646 Fax: 212-633-2889
website: www.iacenter.org
For immediate release: August 8, 2001
Contact: Monica Moorehead/Kelly Morrison 212-633-664
Attention: Assignment Editor
ACTIVISTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY WILL DESCEND UPON
PHILADELPHIA ON AUGUST 17TH TO SUPPORT MUMIA
ABU-JAMAL'S FIRST COURT APPEARANCE IN FIVE YEARS
ACTOR OSSIE DAVIS, HIP HOP ARTIST MOS DEF AND OTHERS WILL
HELP PACK THE COURTROOM ; FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL,
RAMSEY CLARK, TENTATIVELY PLANNING TO ATTEND
Thousands of activists including celebrities will be
traveling to Philadelphia on Friday, August 17th to stand
with African American journalist, Mumia Abu-Jamal who is
scheduled to appear before a Commons Pleas judge in the
Criminal Justice Court at 9 am. Abu-Jamal is the most well-
known death row inmate in the world.
Activists will be mobilizing from New York City; Newark, New
Jersey; Washington, DC; Boston; Chicago; Baltimore; Buffalo;
Rochester; Providence and as far away as San Francisco to
march and rally at City Hall during an important status
hearing for Abu-Jamal that could eventually determine
whether he will be granted a new post conviction relief act
hearing.
Abu-Jamal was falsely convicted on July 3, 1982 for the
killing of Daniel Faulkner, a Philadelphia white policeman.
The judge during the original trial was
“hanging” Judge Albert Sabo, a member of the
Fraternal Order of Police, who helped to cover up vital
evidence proving that Abu-Jamal was innocent. Abu-Jamal has
been awaiting execution ever since and has survived two
death warrants, one signed in 1995 and the other in 1999.
Abu-Jamal's new attorneys, Marlene Kamish, Eliot
Grossman and Nick Brown, submitted a legal brief on May 4,
2001 that includes important affidavits making a strong
claim of innocence on Abu-Jamal's behalf. One of
these affidavits includes a confession made by Arnold
Beverly, who confessed to be the killer of Faulkner. Other
affidavits were signed by Abu-Jamal, his brother, William
Cook and other eyewitnesses who testified under oath that
Abu-Jamal did kill not Faulkner. A claim of innocence was
not submitted during the 1996 post conviction hearing.
This could very well be the last hearing for Abu-Jamal. On
July 19th, Federal District Judge William Yohn turned down a
request made by Abu-Jamal's lawyers to have the
Beverly affidavit added on to a writ of habeas corpus
originally filed with Yohn's court on October 15,
1999. This writ was filed in an effort to win an
evidentiary hearing for Mumia. Yohn turned down the Beverly
affidavit citing the “statute of limitations” in
the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.
This act, signed by Clinton, severely guts the writ of
habeas corpus on behalf of death row inmates who are seeking
to have their state convictions overturned. Federal judges
are not obligated to review the state rulings even if there
is clear evidence proving one's innocence or
constitutional violations that occurred during the original
trial.
Larry Holmes, a co-director of the IAC, states,” We
cannot predict or control what is going to happen in the
Common Pleas court on August 17th. As activists, we see
August 17th as a golden opportunity for the progressive
movement to unite and strengthen the demand to free our
brother, Mumia, who has come to symbolize resistance against
racist repression especially the racist death penalty and
police brutality."
The IAC and other forces condemn the most recent reports in
the Philadelphia press and elsewhere that accuse
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia
Abu-Jamal of illegally raising legal funds for Mumia. Why
are these false allegations being made now when Mumia is
going to be in court? Why is the big business press willing
to print negative things about Mumia especially since he is
so beloved by millions here and worldwide? These media
attacks are meant to divert attention from Mumia's
case and attempt to drive a wedge between him, his
supporters and the general public.
Holmes went on to say, "The media does not want the public
to know that Mumia is facing execution because he is a
victim of police misconduct and also is outspoken on a
number of social issues. Just as this government and its
police want to break up the dynamic anti-globalization
movement, they also want to intimidate the Free Mumia
movement but we will never allow that to happen.”
The IAC will be organizing buses from all over the country
to go to Philadelphia. For bus information in NYC as well
as leaflet and poster pick-ups, call the IAC at
212-633-6646. The August 17th coalition is also organizing
buses with the 1199 Health and Hospital Union. Call
212-330-8029 for more information.
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