[Ppnews] Zolo Azania update - death penalty trial starts 10/20

[Political Prisoner News]

Dear friends and comrades:

Greetings. A firm clenched fist salute to you. i Hope these few words 
find you in good health and in spirits as good as humanly possible.

i am feeling well and strong. My mind is alert and focused. i am in 
the process of preparing for jury trial on the sentence in which the 
State prosecutors are seeking a penalty of death for the third time!

i want the world to know what is happening to and against me by the 
agents of repression. My resentencing jury trial is scheduled to 
start on Monday, October 20, 2008 in Allen County Superior Court, 
Fort Wayne, Indiana.

i am seeking help to expose the State of Indiana's unjust criminal 
sanction system. The death penalty law in Indiana is on its last leg, 
but we need more help and support to make the public aware of what's 
happening here.

"Consciousness is the opposite of indifference."  -  George L. Jackson

Zolo Agona Azania  #4969
Indiana State Prison
1 Park Row Street
Michigan City, IN 46360-6597

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<http://www.zoloazania.org/node/100>Zolo to Face a Third Death Penalty Trial

May 15, 2007

Indiana Supreme Court in a 3 to 2 decision allows the State of 
Indiana to seek the death penalty for the third time in the case of 
Zolo Agona Azania.

Indianapolis -- On Thursday, May 10, 2007 the Indiana Supreme Court 
reversed Boone County Superior Court Judge Steve David's ruling that 
barred the state of Indiana from pursuing the death penalty in the 
case of Zolo Azania. Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter appealed 
Judge David's ruling and that resulted in oral arguments before the 
Indiana Supreme Court on June 27th, 2006. Zolo, who was convicted of 
murder in 1982, has spent the last 26 years in Indiana prisons, most 
of that time on death row. Twice the state has had Zolo's death 
penalty verdict overturned by the Indiana Supreme Court due to: 
prosecution's suppression of evidence favorable to the defendant, 
ineffective assistance of counsel, and systematic exclusion of 
African Americans from the jury pool.


Who is Zolo Agona Azania?

Zolo Agona Azania is one of the many Black people who await execution 
as a result of a racially- biased criminal justice system. 
Politically active at the time of his arrest, Zolo remains committed 
to freedom for Black people and to a just world for all. He has 
defended his own rights and the rights of other prisoners during 
these many years in prison. He has won the respect of fellow 
prisoners and jailers alike.

Zolo is a prolific writer and an accomplished artist whose work has 
been exhibited in many places around the country. His writing and his 
art reflect who he is: A man who lives his political convictions. 
Zolo's political commitment dates back over 25 years. In the early 
1980s he was rehabilitating his life and working his way out of a 
childhood imprisoned in extreme poverty and high-crime environments. 
Zolo was involved in the campaign to make Martin Luther King1s 
birthday a national holiday in his hometown of Gary, Indiana and he 
designed the button for the campaign. He was the valedictorian of his 
CETA federal job training class and received a scholarship to Purdue 
University just prior to his arrest.

Zolo spends much of his time researching the law and fighting his 
case. His tireless efforts have exposed the unfair and racist way his 
case has been handled by the authorities. Zolo will turn 50 in December 2004.





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