http://www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com/node/59Mumia Abu-Jamal
An early member of the Black Panther Party, Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia Police Department officer Daniel Faulkner. Originally sentenced to death, Abu-Jamal's sentence, but not his conviction, was overturned in December 2001 by Judge William H. Yohn, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Both the prosecution and the defense have appealed Yohn's ruling. Abu-Jamal is now serving life in prison at the maximum-security SCI-Greene.
Abu-Jamal's case has received international attention. Some of his supporters claim that he is innocent, that his arrest and conviction were politically motivated, and that he is a political prisoner. Others assert that Abu-Jamal is indeed guilty.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumia_Abu-Jamalhttp://www.mumia.org/freedom.now/I'm writing in connection from Turkey newpaper daily EVRENSEL which publish Mumia's columns in Turkey by the week in Turkish for many years.
As Mumia's hearing was at the May 17th, we did organize two different demonstrations in capital city Ankara and also in Istanbul for stand with Mumia. I just want to inform you about that demonstrations that we did announce and invite all Turkey's human right organizations, organizations that oppose to death penalty and also journalist, colomnist and etc. who wanna stand with Mumia.
Here is some details of protests which organized at 17 May for "FREE MUMIA" in Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey.
Regards
Cihan Celik
Foreign News Desk Editor
EVRENSEL Daily
Istanbul/Turkey
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1330Mumia Abu Jamal was catapulted into the public limelight by an event that occurred shortly after 3:55 a.m. on December 9, 1981, when white police officer Daniel Faulkner made a traffic stop of William Cook, Mumia's brother, on a Philadelphia street. Falkner pulled behind Cook's car, radioed for police backup, approached Cook's vehicle, and ordered the driver to get out of his car. While Faulkner handcuffed Cook, Mumia Abu Jamal, who was behind the wheel of a taxi parked across the street, suddenly got out of his vehicle, ran toward Faulkner and shot him in the back. As the policeman fell, he drew his own gun and managed to shoot Abu Jamal in the chest, wounding but not killing him. The gun-wielding cabdriver then fired repeatedly at Faulkner, finally dispatching him from close range with a bullet in the brain. Abu Jamal's presence near the scene of the roadside stop at that particular moment has led to serious speculation that William Cook intentionally led Faulkner into an ambush -- one that had all the earmarks of other Black Panther provocations in places like Newark and Oakland.