THE MOBILIZATION TO FREE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL
298 VALENCIA STREET, SAN FRANCISCO , CA 94103
415-255-1085
12/7/06
MEDIA RELEASE/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VOTES TO CONDEMN INNOCENT DEATH ROW INMATE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL

HOUSE VOTE OF 368-31, WITH EIGHT MEMBERS VOTING NOT PRESENT, ASKS FRENCH GOVERNMENT TO INTERVENE AGAINST CITY OF ST. DENIS (A SUBURB NORTH OF PARIS), TO RETRACT DECISION TO NAME STREET IN HONOR OF INNOCENT DEATH ROW INMATE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL

HOUSE DECISION CONSTITUTES AN UNPRECEDENTED INTERVENTION INTO THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE U.S. CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

SAN FRANCISCO CONGRESSWOMAN NANCY PELOSI JOINS IN VOTE TO CONDEMN ABU-JAMAL

CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE VOTES AGAINST CONDEMNATION

MUMIA SUPPORTERS TO PICKET PELOSI OFFICES IN SAN FRANCISCO

PRESS CONFERENCE AND PICKET, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12
12 NOON
FEDERAL BUILDING , 450 GOLDEN GATE
SAN FRANCISCO

CONTACT PERSON: JEFF MACKLER, CO-COORDINATOR, MOBILIZATION TO FREE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL
O: 415-255-1080
CELL: 510-387-7714
H: 510-268-9429

On December 6, in a non-binding vote, the U.S. House of Representatives intervened in pending FEDERAL litigation in the case of Pennsylvania death row inmate, Mumia Abu-Jamal.

By a non-binding vote of 368-31, a motion introduced by two Philadelphia- area congresspeople was approved demanding that the French government intervene to pressure the Parisian suburb of St. Denis to reverse an earlier decision to name a street Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal, honoring a man who they believe did not receive a fair trial in the United States . The City of St. Denis last week refused to change its decision.

An earlier decision of the City of Paris itself granted Abu-Jamal honorary citizenship, the first such honor bestowed since it was granted to Pablo Picasso in 1967.

French President Jacques Chirac has also added his name to the long list of international and U.S. leaders who have condemned the 1982 frame-up trial of Abu-Jamal.

The decision by the House of Representatives constitutes a direct intervention into the legal proceedings presently underway in the U.S.

Abu-Jamal's case is slated for oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. This court, reversing previous rulings of the Federal District Court , granted Abu-Jamal two additional certificates of appealability to challenge racial bias in his trial and improper instructions to the jury. Abu-Jamal's appeal also includes a challenge to the exclusion of 11 of 14 Black jurors.

The State of Pennsylvania is appealing before the same court, seeking a reinstitution of the death penalty.

Abu-Jamal's lead attorney, Robert R. Bryan, has repeatedly stated that the gross violations of his client's constitutional rights will result in a new trial and freedom for a man whose fight for life and justice is today supported by groups including the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP, the city councils of San Francisco and Detroit, the 1.8 million member California Labor Federation, the European Parliament, the National Conference of Black Elected Officials and other organizations representing hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

"The House action" said Pam Africa, chair of the International Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who just returned from Paris, "is designed to weigh in on and promote an atmosphere in the U.S. judiciary that is prejudicial to Mumia's receiving any form of justice today."

Several leaders in the defense of Mumia Abu-Jamal will be present at the Tuesday, December 12 Federal Building protest against the vote of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.

Issued by: The Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal ~ Jeff Mackler and Laura Herrera, Co-coordinators ~ 12-7-06



"If you live right and conduct yourself properly, you get a lucky break now and then. And when an accident comes your way--a good one--you should grab it and make the most of it."
--James P. Cannon


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