The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.60/No.22           June 3, 1996 
 
 
Hundreds In D.C. Demand New Trial For Abu-Jamal  

BY JANICE LYNN

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Hundreds rallied here May 20 to support a new trial for Black rights activist Mumia Abu-Jamal. In a march to the U.S. Justice Department chants of "Free Mumia" and "No Justice, No Peace" filled the streets. Thousands of letters had been gathered over the last several months calling on Attorney General Janet Reno to conduct a civil rights investigation into the violations of Abu-Jamal's civil and human rights since his arrest in 1981. Organizers of the campaign say such action on the part of the Justice Department could lead to a new trial and acquittal.

In 1981 Abu-Jamal was framed up for the shooting death of a Philadelphia police officer. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1982. He has become an international symbol in the fight against the death penalty. Last August 7, just 10 days shy of being put to death, Abu-Jamal was granted an indefinite stay of execution as a result of worldwide protests.

Many young people traveled here from nearby states. "I came here today because I am adamantly opposed to the death penalty," said 22-year-old Montserrat Caballero from Greensboro, North Carolina. "What happened to Mumia happens to people like him every day. The point is Mumia is a fighter and a revolutionary."

"We need more actions like this," commented Jessica Cabrera, 19, from Jersey City, New Jersey, "and a lot more people and a lot more attention to the case."

Buses came from Brooklyn, New York, and Philadelphia and individuals attended from as far away as Tampa, Florida; Bowling Green, Ohio; Berlin, Germany; and Paris, France, where 4,000 petitions signatures in defense of Abu-Jamal were collected and delivered.

In a message to the demonstration, Abu-Jamal said, "These many letters are expressions and appeals for that which is most fundamental in man: for justice."  
 
 
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