[Ppnews] Sign Mumia Petition to Eric Holder!

Fri Jun 5 10:51:44 EDT 2009

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION FOR MUMIA DEMANDING A CIVIL RIGHTS 
INVESTIGATION OF THE OUTRAGEOUS 27 YEAR 'LEGAL' PROCESS HE HAS HAD TO ENDURE!

WRITE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, ERIC HOLDER, DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR MUMIA!

SIGN THE LETTER 
AT: 
<http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition/>http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition/

Write to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding that he immediately 
initiate a civil rights investigation addressing a 27-year history 
of  prosecutorial and judicial violations of Mumia Abu-Jamal's 
constitutional and international rights.  If  the Justice Department 
can guarantee justice for Senator Ted Stevens, it should do the same 
for noted journalist and multiple-award recipient, and international 
honoree Mumia Abu-Jamal.  Demand that your elected officials endorse 
this campaign!

Initiated by the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC)

SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION AT 
<http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition>http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition

On April 6, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Mumia's appeal for 
a new trial based on evidence of racist jury selection on the part of 
the prosecutor during the original 1982 trial in Philadelphia. This 
appeal was based on the 1986 U.S. Supreme Court "Batson decision", a 
legal decision that says that prospective jurors cannot be selected 
based on their race.

This issue was considered the strongest basis for overturning Mumia's 
conviction, though certainly not the only one.  According to Amnesty 
International's detailed review of the case, Mumia was denied at his 
trial in 1982 the right to a fair judge and unbiased jury, the right 
to represent himself and the right to adequate resources to prepare 
his defense.  In addition, the prosecution withheld critical evidence 
from the defense, judge and jury; suborned the perjury of its chief 
witness; and intimidated at least one other witness to perjure 
herself.  Since the AI report, more evidence has emerged of an 
ongoing conspiracy by the prosecution and members of the judiciary to 
keep out of the legal record evidence that points to Mumia's 
innocence. At the very least, this evidence indicates serious 
misconduct on the part of the prosecution and judiciary. It was 
precisely this kind of misconduct that led to the overturning, just 
two weeks ago, of the conviction of Senator Ted Stevens.

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals' rejection of Mumia's appeal on 
the basis of the "Batson decision" shocked many legal observers, as 
the court set new and higher standards of appeal in complete 
violation of its own precedents.  One of the members of the 
three-judge panel that arrived at this decision wrote a scathing 
41-page dissent pointing to how Mumia was not granted the same rights 
that previous appellants were given by this very same court.

Please take a few minutes to read, sign and circulate widely the 
important letter below to Attorney General Eric Holder. Send copies 
to other officials demanding that they, too, demand a civil rights 
investigation.  Only a powerful, international campaign can win 
long-overdue freedom for this outspoken, award-winning journalist and 
stop a 27-year-old conspiracy to silence him with legal lynching or 
life in prison without parole. Both options are outrageous violations 
of Mumia's human and constitutional rights, and we will not allow 
them to stand.  Mumia needs our movement and our movement needs Mumia.

SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION AT 
<http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition>http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition

If you wish to send this via regular mail, feel free to use the following:

US Department of Justice

Washington, DC

April 2009

To Eric Holder, US Attorney General:

We write to you with a sense of grave concern and outrage about the 
US Supreme Court's denial of a hearing to Mumia Abu-Jamal on the 
issue of racial bias in jury selection, that is, the "Batson issue". 
Inasmuch as there is no other court to which Abu-Jamal can appeal for 
justice, we turn to you for remedy of a 27- year history of gross 
violations of US constitutional law and international standards of 
justice as documented by Amnesty International and many other legal 
groups around the world.

We call on you and the Justice Department to immediately commence a 
civil rights investigation to examine the many examples of egregious 
and racist prosecutorial and judicial misconduct dating back to the 
original trial in 1982 and continuing through to the current inaction 
of the US Supreme Court. The statute of limitations should not be a 
factor in this case as there is very strong evidence of an ongoing 
conspiracy to deny Abu-Jamal his constitutional rights.

We are aware of the many differences that exist between the case of 
former Senator Ted Stevens and Mumia Abu-Jamal.  Still, we note with 
great interest the actions you have taken with regard to Senator 
Stevens' conviction to assure that he not be denied his 
constitutional rights.  You were specifically outraged by the fact 
that the prosecution withheld information critical to the defense's 
argument for acquittal, a violation clearly committed by the 
prosecution in Abu-Jamal's case.  Mumia Abu-Jamal, though not a US 
senator of great wealth and power, is a Black man revered around the 
world for his courage, clarity, and commitment and deserves no less 
than Senator Stevens.

Cordially,
(Your signature will be appended here based on the contact 
information you enter in the online form)

SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION AT 
<http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition>http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition

International Campaign for Justice for Mumia Abu-Jamal