[Pnews] Support letters needed ASAP for parole appeal of Mohaman Koti

[Prisoner News]

Mohaman Koti Wins Article 78 Appeal. *Support letters needed ASAP*


New York State political prisoner Mohaman Koti won his Article 78 appeal 
of his May 2013 parole denial, which was a split decision.

He will have a de novo hearing, but was informed by Ms. Papaleo at 
Mohawk that the hearing will be in 10 days. We feel this is a deliberate 
attempt by DOCCS to have him go to the hearing without having time for 
people to write letters of support for him.

We will be visiting Mr. Koti on Saturday, June 28th. We have been in 
touch with his lawyer, Susan Tipograph, to see if this de novo hearing 
can be postponed.

Start writing those parole support letters now.

Address them to:

Tina M. Stanford, Chair
New York State Parole Board
New York State Division of Parole
1220 Washington Ave, Building 2
Albany, New York 12226-2050

Copied below is a brief bio of Mr. Koti that you can use to write your 
letters.

Make sure to keep a copy of your letter. Good idea to send them priority 
mail, because you have a tracking number.

BACKGROUND:

*Mohamman Geuka Koti*
Born on October 11, 1926, in Charleston, South Carolina, Mohaman Koti 
grew up in a very talented and skillful family, which consisted of 
carpenters, intellectuals, and business owners. With these accomplished 
people around, one would expect him to have had an easy upbringing, but 
this was not the case. Because of the ever increasing racial conflicts, 
injustices and class struggles that were prevalent during his time, 
Mohaman Koti, like other social reformers during his time, forfeited the 
opportunity to enjoy an established life by joining a liberation 
movement that would help the poor and disenfranchised advance socially, 
politically, and economically. His decision to help struggling people 
improve the quality of their lives resulted in his initial and current 
incarceration, and subsequently rendered him a political prisoner after 
his 1978 arrest; his name appears on the Jericho list of Political 
Prisoners.
In 1978, the police arrested Mr. Koti after a shooting incident that 
occurred in Manhattan. The factual circumstances surrounding the 
incident are not very clear, but what is clear is that during a physical 
confrontation with the police, where shots were fired, an officer was 
inadvertently injured. Fearing that police would kill him, he took 
refuge in a woman’s apartment where he arranged his surrender after 
telephone calls with FBI agents and his lawyer, Susan V. Tipograph.
During court proceedings, he turned down a plea offer which would have 
given him a prison sentence of 7 1/2 to 15 years in state prison. 
Instead, he proceeded to trial and received a sentence of 25 years to 
life. Currently, Mohaman Koti is 88 years old, and has been in prison 
for 36 years. He is the oldest person serving time in the New York State 
prison system.
*Medical History*
At 88 years of age, and after 36 years in prison, Mr. Koti’s health is 
failing him, and each day his life fades away; he suffers from a variety 
of physical difficulties and diseases that threaten his existence. He 
suffers from a disease called Myasthenia gravis, also known as MG. This 
disease, chronic in nature, causes his immune system to react against 
his own tissues. Moreover, it renders his voluntary muscles weaker than 
normal, and causes him to tire more frequently than healthier people his 
age. Because of Myasthenia gravis, the muscles that control his arms and 
legs are affected, as are the muscles that regulate his breathing. Other 
symptoms include double vision, trouble swallowing, drooping head, poor 
posture, difficulty chewing and problems with talking. In addition, 
weakness and paralysis tends to worsen when Mohaman Koti exerts himself, 
while his muscle function tends to improve with rest.
There is no cure for Myasthenia gravis, and 10% of people with the 
disease die. Having this disease increases Mohaman Koti’s potential for 
fatality, because he also suffers from asthma, prostate cancer, 
diabetes, and heart disease, which he takes 20 different types of 
medication to control. He is regularly in the prison hospital for these 
ailments, and frequently goes to outside hospitals for treatment. In the 
previous year, he spent five months in the hospital for a stomach virus, 
and three more months after surgery to remove a hernia; he lost 
approximately 30 pounds during these hospitalizations.
Despite his old age, his 36 years of incarceration, and his physical 
ailments and medical complications, Mohaman Koti uses what little 
strength he has left in his ever-weakening body to keep pushing forward. 
Despite repeated parole denials and the tremendous pain and suffering 
each denial inflicts upon him, he continues to meet each day with a 
smile. In all honesty, he has not allowed the fatal punches of prison to 
beat him in the ground. However, without family support, due to 
abandonment and death, the following questions about his life arise: How 
much more life does he have left in his soul? How much more physical and 
mental strength does he have left to effectively fight against the 
crippling conditions of prison? How much longer will he be around?
These questions are more likely to produce negative rather than positive 
responses, and they are the reasons why we are reaching out to you, 
asking for your support in obtaining Mohaman Koti’s release from prison 
through medical clemency. Moreover, with the approval of medical 
clemency, we would like to arrange an assisted living situation for him, 
where supervision concerns and medical care would be facilitated. Given 
his age and serious medical conditions, it serves no benefit to society 
or correctional administrators to keep Mohaman Koti in prison by denying 
him parole. It is illogical to say that a fragile 88-year-old man would 
be a threat to anyone in society. Furthermore, having served 36 years on 
a 25 year to life sentence, along with the services he has given to the 
poor and the disenfranchised before and during his incarceration, 
suffice it to say that he has paid his debt to society. Moreover, to 
keep denying parole because of his political views is a shameful act 
that breathes new life into the corpse of injustice.
In light of all that has been said throughout this bio, we humbly ask 
that you support us in obtaining medical clemency and an assisted living 
situation for Mohaman Koti. With your support, Mr. Koti could live his 
last years in an environment free of stress, hostility, and neglect. So, 
please support us in making Mr. Koti’s life more manageable.
Mr. Koti went up before the parole board for the sixth time in May 2013 
and was once again denied. However, this was a split decision and Mr. 
Koti won a de novo hearing. DOCCS is trying to rush through this hearing 
so that Mr. Koti will not have any supportive parole letters to show to 
the board.


-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org


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