[Ppnews] Release them! - Coalition to free the Angola 3

[Political Prisoner News]

July 09, 2008




Conviction Overturned After 36 Years in Solitary For "Angola 3" 
Member Albert Woodfox

COALITION TO FREE THE ANGOLA THREE
July 8, 2008

Conviction Overturned After 36 Years in Solitary For "Angola 3" 
Member Albert Woodfox
Federal Judge Rules Flawed Trial Lead to Wrongful Conviction in Case 
of Prison Guard's Murder
Lawyers Call on Prosecutors to Forgo Retrial, Release Men Immediately

In response to a Federal judge's decision overturning the conviction 
of Albert Woodfox, one of the two "Angola 3" members who remain in 
prison, lawyers for the men called on the State Attorney General's 
office to drop any further appeals and release the men immediately. 
Woodfox and fellow inmate Herman Wallace have been imprisoned since 
1972 for the murder of prison guard Brent Miller. They spent 36 years 
of that time in solitary confinement.

In response to a Federal judge's decision overturning the conviction 
of Albert Woodfox, one of the two "Angola 3" members who remain in 
prison, lawyers for the men called on the State Attorney General's 
office to drop any further appeals and release the men immediately. 
Woodfox and fellow inmate Herman Wallace have been imprisoned since 
1972 for the murder of prison guard Brent Miller. They spent 36 years 
of that time in solitary confinement.

"Herman and Albert were convicted of a crime based on false evidence. 
Now, a judge has overturned that conviction. They must be released 
immediately. They are men in their 60s who've spent the last 36 years 
of their lives in prison for a crime they did not commit. No further 
legal delay should rob them of even another day of their lives," said 
Chris Aberle, a lawyer for Woodfox.

"The state has already stolen nearly four decades of Albert Woodfox's 
life. The injustice in this case is unfathomable. How can Louisiana 
continue to imprison a 61 year old man after a federal judge has 
ruled that he shouldn't have been convicted in the first place? This 
case calls up the brutality and racism of an older Louisiana. The 
state needs to move forward. Albert must be released," said Nick 
Trenticosta, also a lawyer for the men.

The third member of the Angola 3, Robert King, was released in 2001 
after a judge overturned his conviction. King had spent 29 years in 
solitary confinement for a separate crime.

www.Angola3.org




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