AP. 17 January 2002. Mumia Abu-Jamal to Appeal Ruling That Tossed Out His Death Sentence.
PHILADELPHIA -- Lawyers for former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal said Thursday that he will ask a federal appeals court to grant him a new trial in the 1981 slaying of a police officer. Last month, U.S. District Judge William Yohn threw out Abu-Jamal's death sentence but upheld his 1982 murder conviction. The judge found errors in the sentencing phase of the trial and ordered Abu-Jamal to be resentenced within 180 days, or face life imprisonment. Prosecutors have also appealed Yohn's ruling to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals will probably take years to resolve, prolonging a case that has been a touchstone in the international debate over the death penalty. Abu-Jamal's writings on the justice system have gained him a worldwide following of celebrities, foreign politicians and death-penalty opponents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews
