INTERNATIONAL CONCERNED FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: PAM AFRICA
at 215-476-8812
PRESS CONFERENCE
DATE: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2000 AT 11:00 A.M.
PLACE: FEDERAL COURT HOUSE - 601 MARKET STREET (LOBBY), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Now Made Public For The First Time
In the classic role of amici providing ongoing assistance to the Court, 22 Members of the British Parliament and the For Chicana/Chicano Studies Foundation in a Joint Petition For Writ of Mandamus filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, present documentary evidence and legal authority proving that Mumia Abu-Jamal was deprived of his Constitutional right to represent himself by a phony proceeding that had no legal validity, but instead was an unlawful conspiracy in violation of federal law designed to deprive him of his Constitutional rights and to deceive him into believing that he had exhausted all possible avenues of appeal.
The amici reveal that the conspiracy to defraud him of his rights was apparently masterminded by Judge Sabo. The members of the conspiracy include none other than Supreme Court Justice McDermott, Prosecutor McGill and the court imposed "defense" attorney, Anthony Jackson. On August 7, 2000 with Mumia Abu-Jamal's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus still pending before him in the United States District Court For The Eastern District of Pennsylvania Judge William Yohn, without considering the assistance that the amici were offering, denied all amici leave to file briefs in the case. The Honorable Judge stated that the denial was no reflection on merits of the briefs, but he expressed concern that the complex issues raised by the briefs would be a burden to the court and that worldwide support for Mumia Abu-Jamal might result in a "plethora" of amicus briefs.
Undaunted by the District Court denial of their briefs, two of the amici, 22 Members of the British Parliament and the For Chicana/Chicano Studies Foundation have filed a petition for extra-ordinary relief (mandamus) requesting that the United States Appeals Court For The Third Circuit direct the District Court to consider the briefs on their merits and apply the proper legal tests.
Stunned by the sweeping exclusion of briefs which lay bare structural defects in the trial, mandating under longstanding Supreme Court precedent that the death sentence be vacated, and the conviction overturned, Mumia Abu-Jamal, himself responded to the unprecedented ruling by issuing a statement to his supporters worldwide. He spoke of the counsel for the amici as "skilled and uncompromising lawyers". He invited people to read the briefs, stating "The briefs are more than a procedural or case history. They are history lessons about fundamental human rights that have been violated by the state with impunity. The response has flowed in from all points of the globe.
Lawyers for the amici will be at press conference. Documentary evidence and legal authority will be provided for the media.
--30--
[posted 11/2/00]
Mumia Index | Protests Planned | R&R Main Page
Join Refuse
& Resist!
305 Madison Ave., Suite 1166, New York, NY 10165
Phone: 212-713-5657
email: info@refuseandresist.org