------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Nov. 28, 2002 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
FORMER D.A. ELECTED GOVERNOR: RENDELL THEATENS EXECUTION OF MUMIA By Betsey Piette Philadelphia Now that former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell is governor- elect of Pennsylvania, concern is mounting that he will try to carry out his campaign promise to reinstate the death penalty against political activist and journalist Mumia Abu- Jamal. Rendell, also a former District Attorney in Philadelphia, publicly called for Abu-Jamal's execution. Nearly a year ago, on Dec. 18, 2001, Third Circuit Judge William Yohn overturned the death penalty in the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, but upheld Abu-Jamal's conviction for the 1981 shooting of a Philadelphia police officer--a murder that self-described hit-man Arnold Beverly has now confessed to. Yet despite Yohn's ruling and Beverly's confession, Abu- Jamal has remained on death row, and each step of his appeal process has encountered stiff resistance from a state seemingly bent on executing an innocent person. Two appeals have been filed: one from the prosecution, appealing Yohn's overturning of the death penalty, the other from Abu-Jamal's attorneys appealing the upholding of the conviction. Both appeals are on hold in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, pending a ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on an earlier appeal. Opening briefs in the appeal process were filed over the past few months by Abu-Jamal's attorneys and by the prosecution. Defense attorneys Eliot Grossman and Marlene Kamish have also asked the state court to reconsider a hearing date for oral arguments. The court had initially denied this request before all the written briefs were even received for review. Also awaiting a ruling is a motion by Abu-Jamal's attorneys to disqualify Pennsylvania State Supreme Court Justice Ronald Castille from hearing Mumia's appeal. Castille, when he was Philadelphia County District Attorney, had supervisory responsibility for the "McMahon videotape"--a training tape for prosecutors on how to exclude African Americans from juries. In their motion, Abu-Jamal's attorneys point out that during his trial, African-American jurors were peremptorily challenged by the prosecutor during jury selection because of their race. Because the courts have so far refused to admit into evidence a videotape of Arnold Beverly's confession that he killed Officer Daniel Faulkner, Grossman and Kamish have also requested that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court permit Beverly to appear before them to testify. Beverly's written and videotaped confession, in which he exonerates Abu-Jamal of any participation in the shooting, was previously filed with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. No ruling has been made on this request. Time and again his attorneys have presented the courts with evidence that Abu-Jamal is innocent. Supporters are demanding that the courts hear this evidence, in particular the Beverly confession. An amicus brief on behalf of several labor unions filed by attorney Michael Yamamoto provides an excellent, concise and to-the-point presentation of the evidence. A campaign is underway to get the names of individuals and organizations on Notices of Joinder forms to be filed in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, joining the Yamamoto amicus brief. Information on the joinder campaign is available through International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal at (215) 476-8812, e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
