Statement of the League for the Revolutionary Party
Mumia Abu-Jamal is a political prisoner who was falsely convicted of the murder of a Philadelphia cop in 1982. A member of the Black Panther Party in his youth, he became a local radical journalist, responsible for effective exposés on racism and police brutality. He is probably the best-known individual political prisoner in the world today, a symbol of the fight against racism and brutal oppression fostered by American “democracy” at home as well as abroad.
His original trial was a parody of justice. And he has been in isolation on death row ever since, fighting for decades to overturn the original conviction and gain his freedom. The leaders of today’s unions and Black organizations, as well as so-called “progressive” bourgeois politicians, have never wanted to be associated with a radical fighter like Mumia. Since Barack Obama became president, the formerly ascending movement against police brutality and the death penalty in this country has almost evaporated.
On November 9, there will be an important date in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia, where oral arguments will be heard before a three-judge panel. According to a statement by Mumia’s lawyer, Robert R. Bryan, “At stake is whether he will be executed, or granted a new jury trial on the question of the death penalty. We previously won on this issue, but early this year the Supreme Court ordered that the case be again reviewed by the federal court.”
While Bryan has expressed “cautious optimism,” it is also true that a negative decision at this point could pave the way for a quick path to execution. Therefore this is no time to turn away from expressing solidarity with this vital campaign. You can email MumiaLegalDefense@gmail.com regarding donations to help with the enormous costs of mounting this defense. Most importantly, we urge our readers to stay acutely tuned into the developments in this case and check for upcoming activities by visiting www.freemumia.org as well as mumialegal.org.