[Ppnews] New German Statement on Mumia

[Political Prisoner News]

http://de.indymedia.org/2009/10/262563.shtml

Controversy about possible execution of Mumia

By Anton Mestin

In recent weeks a group of neo-con journalists surrounding Mike 
Smerconish from Philaldephia launched a media campaign to warm up the 
american public to the idea of an execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Fully 
aware that this won't go down well they wrote various articles all 
over the US and in Europe, too.

At the same time Anti-Death Penalty activists and Mumia supporters 
start mobilizing against the pending death threat that Mumia is 
under. A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court could come any day now.

The lynch mob swings into action

In Germany e.g., the weekly DER SPIEGEL fell to their propaganda and 
published Smerconish influenced lies on almost 5 pages this summer. 
This article was widely discussed within the german movement to 
support Mumia. Some of the letters and forum contributions can be found here:
[]
  <http://mumia-hoerbuch.de/mumiadeutsch.htm#spiegelhetze>http://mumia-hoerbuch.de/mumiadeutsch.htm#spiegelhetze

Mike Smerconish is involved in media bias against Mumia Abu-Jamal for 
the last 20 years. He published various articles and a book together 
with Maureen Faulkner to increase the pressure for an execution of 
Mumia. The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) - by some described as the 
legal wing of the Clu Clux Clan - paid several million US-$ in the 
past to support this campaign.

Now Smerconish paid a filmmaker, Tigre Hill to produce a new vicious 
attack on reality. They will publish a film about Mumia Abu-Jamal and 
Daniel Faulkner in December 2009. The german author Michael 
Schiffmann had a look at various press releases and wrote the 
following article with the title "The Fantasies of Joe McGill":
[]
  <http://againstthecrimeofsilence.de/material/News/The%20Fantasies%20of%20Joe%20McGill%20Final.pdf/view>http://againstthecrimeofsilence.de/material/News/The%20Fantasies%20of%20Joe%20McGill%20Final.pdf/view 


Since the FOP is very aware of the international solidarity for Mumia 
Abu-Jamal they concentrate on public opinion in France and Germany, 
too. Everyone interested could have a look on upcoming press releases 
in Europe and counteract the attempt of distorting the truth in 
regard to the injust incarceration of Mumia. He has set on 
Pennsylvanian death row for more than 27 years. In April 2009 the 
U.S. Supreme Court denied his last possible attempt to get a new 
trial without any explanation. For this, again, they had to break 
their own constitution. The latest example of the "Mumia exception" 
is the neglection of ten jurors, who were simply excluded from the 
jury in Mumias initial trial in 1981 because they were black. Since 
1986 racist exclusion of jurors always led to completely new trials. 
But for Mumia no court seems to be bound to the US constitution.

Now a decision by the same court is still pending on whether or not 
to re-instate the death penalty against Mumia, as the District 
Attourney of Philadephia demands. This decision could come any day now.

Resistance is growing - preparations are in progress

Supporters of Mumia in many countries call for action on the 3rd day 
after the court's decision, if they decide to re-instate the death 
penalty. In addition, in Germany many organizations call for a 
central demonstration in Berlin towards the US embassy on the last 
Saturday before a possible execution date:
[]
  <http://mumia-soli-muenchen.tk/>http://mumia-soli-muenchen.tk/

Anti-Death Penalty activists noticed that authorities are likely to 
speed up execution procedures if they expect protests. This could be 
seen with the protests around Troy Davis last autumn. By now the 
global Anti-Death Penalty movement saved Toy Davis' life for three 
times already. Recently the US Supreme Court gave in and ordered a 
new trial with clear instructions to listen to all the surpressed 
evidence indicating his innocence.

Therefore supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal started mobilizing and 
preparations against a possible death penalty re-installment already.

In the USA many concentrate on the Obama government. The NAACP and 
others demand a civil rights investigation into the case of Mumia 
Abu-Jamal. They want the Government and "...Attorney General Eric 
Holder to 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..." 
(qoute from the petition itself). To sign this petition online 
everything can be found here:
[]
  <http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition/>http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition/ 


A german version of this petition can be found here:
[]
  <http://mumia-hoerbuch.de/mumiadeutsch.htm#petitionholder>http://mumia-hoerbuch.de/mumiadeutsch.htm#petitionholder

In Greece, Germany and Mexico public actions of civil disobediance 
against US Government institutions are anounced already with new 
calls to action joinning in on a daily basis.

Mumia's life is in great danger. Unlike 1995 and 1999, when hundreds 
of thousands protested against the execution - then set by the 
Pennsylvanian Governor - this time there wouldn't be any legal 
avenues to counter a valid death penalty verdict. It is down to the 
movement to find a political solution to the pending death threat. 
But as with Troy Davis, who was in a similar situation almost a year 
ago, it is possible to save Mumia Abu-Jamal's life yet again.




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