Black activist on Death Row
Justice for Mumia!
Mumia Abu Jamal, a radical Black journalist on Death Row in Pennsylvania whose case Socialist Outlook has previously covered, faces possible execution this year.
His appeal and request for a new trial were unanimously rejected by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on October 29. His lawyer, Leonard Weinglass, estimates that all Mumia’s rights of appeal against this could be exhausted by May 1999.
The State Governor, Thomas Ridge had promised to sign and issue a new death warrant on Mumia as soon as his appeal was denied. There’s nothing like announcing one’s intentions before the outcome of a court case, is there?
If Ridge does not sign, the head of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections can sign the warrant and issue a date for execution and carry it out within 30 days. Once the death warrant is signed, Mumia would immediately be moved back into isolation to await the execution or a new stay.
In waging his life or death campaign, Mumia has maintained the principle of not working with scabs. An American TV company, ABC, was making a documentary of his case, and finally sent a team to speak to the man himself. At this time, though, ABC had locked out its production employees, who had been seeking union recognition for 18 months. When a scab film crew arrived at the prison, Abu-Jamal turned them away.
As he is well aware, Mumia Abu-Jamal is a political prisoner. A former Black Panther and MOVE activist, and an outspoken critic of the Philadelphia police department and criminal justice system, he has spent 17 years on Death Row, since being framed for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer. His execution would be the ultimate punishment for his analysis and criticism of the legal system in his own city and nationally, for being racist and for being financially and politically corrupt.
He has expressed his conviction that the campaign for his freedom and against his execution depends not on the workings of the blatantly racist state and national legal system, but on a political campaign. His supporters need to convince the state that the price of Mumia’s execution is too high to pay, and that it would lead in a loss of credibility for the legal system.
Demonstrations and concerts are being organised in the US. His supporters are seeking to publicise and win people to united action in his defence through labour movement organisations, churches and schools, self-organised black groups, opponents of the death penalty, human rights campaigners and appeals to public opinion.
Activists in other countries are also taking up this issue, for example,by demonstrating outside US embassies.
On December 17 1998, a resolution was passed in the European Parliament calling for the abolition of the death penalty by all the states in the US and around the world, and highlighting the facts of Mumia Abu Jamal’s case.
In London, there are open meetings every Wednesday at 56a Crampton Street, London SE17 (Nearest Tube Elephant and Castle), with the intention of pulling together a UK campaign.
There is a public meeting on Thursday 28 January at 7 pm at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1.
Information about protests and activities can be found on a campaign website at http://www.mumia.org/ ; any activities please inform the campaign as follows:
E-mail [email protected] and/or [email protected] or fax Pam Africa at +1 215-476-7551!
Any supporters who can make it to Washington on April 24 are urged to attend the
Apr. 24
MILLIONS FOR MUMIA! March
Full details on the Mumia web site above.