<html>
<body>
<font size=3>
<a href="http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_5479.shtml" eudora="autourl">
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_5479.shtml</a><br><br>
National News<br><br>
Renewed effort to execute Mumia Abu-Jamal? <br><br>
By Saeed Shabazz<br>
Staff Writer<br>
Updated Dec 22, 2008, 03:58 pm<br><br>
PHILADELPHIA (FinalCall.com) - "These people are pushing for Mumia’s
death, despite his innocence. We need to organize like we never have
before,” declared Pam Africa of the International Concerned Family and
Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal in the call for a Dec. 6 rally in support of
the death row inmate in the “City of Brotherly Love." <br><br>
The 27th anniversary of Mumia’s imprisonment and detention on death-row
was marked Dec. 9. The former Black Panther and community journalist was
convicted in 1981 in the death of Philadelphia police officer Daniel
Faulkner.<br><br>
District Attorney Lynne Abraham is calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to
reinstate Mr. Abu-Jamal’s death sentence. If her petition is granted it
would mean his execution without a new hearing or a new trial, according
to his supporters.<br><br>
The district attorney is appealing the Third Circuit Court’s affirmation
of U.S. District Court Judge William Yohn’s 2001 decision which
overturned the death penalty. Judge Yohn ruled that if the district
attorney wanted to reinstate it, she had to hold a new penalty-phase jury
trial. It was unclear whether a new petition had been filed.<br><br>
“The judiciary system has collaborated with the D.A., the Fraternal Order
of Police, and their allies to assure Mumia never leaves prison, and
preferably, that he be executed and permanently silenced,” Ms. Africa
told The Final Call.<br><br>
Mr. Abu-Jamal’s attorney, Robert R. Bryan, has said he is appealing to
the Supreme Court regarding the Third Circuit Court’s denial on May 27 of
a new guilt-phase trial; and the denial of a preliminary hearing that,
according to the attorney “could have led to a new guilt-phase trial.”
Mr. Bryan has until Dec. 19 to file his petition.<br><br>
“We have no faith in the courtsthey have made their position knownwe
must make our position known through actions,” said Ramona Africa, sole
adult survivor of the May 13, 1985 massacre of 11 members of the MOVE
organization in a southwest Philadelphia neighborhood.<br><br>
The rally began at city hall. “We say stop the frame up! No to execution!
No to life in prison! Free Mumia Now!” Ms. Africa shouted to the hundreds
gathered at the start of the rally.<br><br>
After a couple hours of speeches and updates on actions for or against
Mr. Abu-Jamal, the gathering marched to 13th and Locust Streets, the
scene of the shooting of Officer Faulkner and where Mr. Abu-Jamal was
shot on the scene by police. Journalists for Mumia passed out a flyer to
accompany their crime scene presentation.<br><br>
The flyer shows photos taken at the crime scene by freelance press
photographer Pedro Polakoff, which are featured in the 2006 book “Race
Against Death” by German author Dr. Michael Schiffmann of the University
of Heidelberg. According to Journalists for Mumia, there are 26 photos of
the crime scene, taken by the photographer 12 minutes after the shootings
and 10 minutes before police Mobile Crime Scene investigators
arrived.<br><br>
The journalists told the protestors the photos “raise significant
reasonable doubt about the basic scenario of the officer’s deatha
scenario that prosecutors constructed to argue for Mumia’s guilt.” They
also argue that a key procedural point is that the photos were offered to
police and prosecutors in 1981, but never made it to the evidentiary
record.<br><br>
Mr. Polakoff’s photos are featured in the new British documentary film
“In Prison My Whole Life,” which was aired on Dec. 8 on the Sundance
Channel. “Mumia’s case and the issues surrounding it are highly important
and need to be analyzed,” said filmmaker William Francone.<br><br>
Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International in the United Kingdom, said
in a statement: “It’s shocking that the U.S. justice system has
repeatedly failed to address the appalling violation of Mumia Abu-Jamal’s
fundamental fair trial rights. We hope that the film’s viewers will back
our call for a fair retrial.”<br><br>
“I don’t think anyone is saying that this is an easy fight,” attorney
Lynn Stewart told The Final Call. “Mumia’s only hope for an appeal now is
in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court,” she added.<br><br>
“We are here today in Philadelphia to keep before the justice system and
the public our call for justice for Mumia,” stated Ashanti Alston of the
Jericho Movement, a national coalition of organizations that fight for
the rights of U.S. political prisoners.<br><br>
Supporters say Mr. Abu-Jamal was targeted because of his political
activism, abused in police custody and did not receive a fair trial
because the jury and judge were racist.<br><br>
Other demonstrations in support of Mr. Abu-Jamal were held in Germany,
with a march to the U.S. embassy in Berlin and marches to American
embassy in Mexico City. Solidarity events were held in St. Denis and
Paris, France. Events in support of Mr. Abu-Jamal were also held in
Portland, San Diego, Baltimore and Detroit. <br><br>
<br><br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<font size=3 color="#FF0000">Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#008000">415 863-9977<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#0000FF">
<a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.Freedomarchives.org</a></font><font size=3> </font></body>
</html>