Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Important Mumia Legal News

There is a significant new development regarding
my client, Mumia Abu-Jamal, the journalist and
author who has been on Pennsylvania's death row
for nearly three decades.

Oral argument scheduled, United States Court of
Appeals: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third
Circuit has just granted oral argument in Mumia's
case. (Abu-Jamal v. Beard, No. 01-9014.) The
arguments will be before a three-judge panel on
November 9, 2010, 2:00 pm. This will be in the
Ceremonial Courtroom, U.S. Courthouse, 6th &
Market Streets, Philadelphia.

Mumia & I spoke shortly after the order was
received. He was humbled by the good news. We are
cautiously encouraged that the federal court has
taken this step.

This is significant in the ongoing litigation to
save Mumia's life and win the case. At stake is
whether he will be executed, or granted a new
jury trial on the question of the death penalty.
We previously won on this issue, but early this
year the U.S. Supreme Court vacated that decision
and ordered that the case be again reviewed by
the federal court.

New movie, Justice On Trial: Yesterday Justice On
Trial premiered in Philadelphia. It is by Johanna
Fernandez, a professor at Baruch College, New
York, and Kouross Esmaeli of Big Noise Films. The
release of this superb film comes at a perfect
time since it counters another movie,The Barrel
of a Gun, that was also shown the same day. The
Barrel production is replete with distortions and
wild theories, and is supported by those who wish
to see my client executed including the Fraternal
Order of Police.

Petition to President Barack Obama (Mumia
Abu-Jamal and the Global Abolition of the Death
Penalty): Over 24,000 people from around the
world have signed the petition, including three
Nobel Prize winners. We need many more for this
to benefit Mumia. Some of the signers are:
Desmond Tutu, South Africa (Nobel Peace Prize,
1984); Günter Grass, Germany (Nobel Prize in
Literature, 1999); Elfriede Jelinek, Austria
(Nobel Prize in Literature, 2004); Danielle
Mitterrand, Paris (former First Lady of France);
Fatima Bhutto, Pakistan (writer); Colin Firth
(Academy Award Best-Actor nominee, 2010); Noam
Chomsky, MIT (philosopher and author); Ed Asner
(actor); Mike Farrell (actor); Robert Meeropol
(son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, executed in
1953); Michael Radford (director of the Oscar
winning film Il Postino); members of the European
Parliament; members of the German Bundestag;
European Association of Lawyers for Democracy &
World Human Rights; and Reporters Without Borders, Paris.

How to Help: For information on how to help, both
by signing the Obama petition & donating funds,
please go to Mumia's website
http://www.MumiaLegalDefense.org).
Conclusion: Mumia is in the greatest danger since
being arrested in 1981. We will not stop until he is saved.

Yours very truly,

Robert R. Bryan
Law Offices of Robert R. Bryan
2088 Union Street, Suite 4
San Francisco, California 94123-4117
Lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal"

ANOTHER PETITION, THE ONE ADDRESSED TO ATTORNEY
GENERAL ERIC HOLDER, AND CALLING FOR A CIVIL
RIGHTS INVESTIGATION, HAS GARNERED OVER 40,000
SIGNATURES, INCLUDING THE CENTER FOR CONSTITIONAL
RIGHTS, CORNEL WEST, CONGRESSMAN CHARLES RANGEL,
CYNTHIA MCKINNEY, RUBY DEE, THOUSANDS OF
INTERNATIONAL LABOR LEADERS, JULIAN BOND, NOAM
CHOMSKY, AND PROFESSOR HENRY LOUIS GATES. AN
INTERNATIONAL TRIP IS SCHEDULED REGARDING THE
CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION FOR NOVEMBER. GO TO
www. freemumia.com, SCROLL DOWN TO CIVIL RIGHTS
INVESTIGATION, AND SIGN ON THERE,OR DOWNLOAD
LETTER TO HOLDER FROM WEBSITE AND SEND TO FMAJC,
PO BOX 16, COLLEGE STATION, NEW YORK 10030, NYC, NY.

ALSO, FUNDS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED FOR THE EXCELLENT
FILM JUST PREMIERED LAST NIGHT. INFORMATION FOR
HOW TO CONTRIBUTE TO THAT WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY,
AS MONEY WILL BE NEEDED FOR THE WIDE DISTRIBUTION
IT DESERVES AND COULD MAKE SUCH A DIFFERENCE AT THIS MOMENT.

AND THE ONGOING GRASSROOTS WORK FOR MUMIA NEEDS
FINANCIAL SUPPORT. THE CAMPAIGN FOR A CIVIL
RIGHTS INVESTIGATION; THE WORK FOR OCTOBER 9TH IN
PHILADELPHIA, "WORLD DAY AGAINST THE DEATH
PENALTY", A CRITICAL ISSUE FOR MUMIA, TROY DAVIS
AND MORE THAN 3000 OTHER DEATH ROW RESIDENTS IN
THE US; OCTOBER 7TH IN NYC "INTERNATIONAL
PERSPECTIVES ON POLICE KILLINGS IN THE STREET AND
STATE SANCTIONED MURDER ON DEATH ROW" WITH PAN
AFRICAN SCHOLAR AND ACTIVIST CECIL GUTZMORE, JR,
AND OTHER EXCITING GUESTS, ALL REQUIRE FINANCIAL
HELP. FOR THE GRASSROOTS WORK, FUNDS GET DIVIDED
BETWEEN PAM AFRICA AND THE INTERNATIONAL
CONCERNED FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL
AND THE FREE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL COALITION IN NYC.
YOU CAN SEND THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS TO FMAJC, POX
16, COLLEGE STATION, NEW YORK, NY 10030.
MAKE OUT THE CHECKS TO FMAJC/IFCO.

FINALLY, WE MUST BEGIN TO BUILD FOR THE THIRD
CIRCUIT HEARINGS ON NOVEMBER 9TH IN PHILADELPHIA.
THE TIGRE HILL FILM ALSO PREMIERED LAST NIGHT IN
PHILLY "THE BARREL OF A GUN", IS ABOUT PORTRAYING
MUMIA AS A COLD-BLOODED MURDERER, AND IS PART OF
AN INTENSE CAMPAIGN BY THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF
POLICE, THE PHILADELPHIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY, AND
ALL THOSE WHO FINANCE AND BACK THEM TO KILL
MUMIA. THE FILM PREMIERED ON THE VERY DAY THE
THIRD CIRCUIT COURT DECISION CAME DOWN AND IS
INTENDED TO INFLUENCE AND DETERMINE THE LEGAL
PROCESS, AND TO GET MUMIA EXECUTED. GET THE WORD
OUT. NOVEMBER 9TH IN PHILADELPHIA! ALL OUT TO
STOP THE EXECUTION AND FREE MUMIA!

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, YOUR
CONSISTENCY, AND YOUR COMMITMENT! THE STRUGGLE
CONTINUES AS THE ENEMY HOPES TO WEAR US DOWN
UNTIL WE GIVE UP! WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP! A LUTA CONTINUA AND ONA MOVE!

PLEASE DON'T BE OVERWHELMED! DO WHAT YOU CAN!
SUPPORT WHICH OF THESE MANY IMPORTANT EFFORTS YOU
PREFER TO FUND! IT TAKES ALL OF US TO WORK
TOGETHER AND APPRECIATE EACH OTHER'S CONTRIBUTIONS.

INTERNATIONAL CONCERNED FAMILY & FRIENDS OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL
FREE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL COALITION

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