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| Court to Hear Abu-Jamal Appeal |
| By Reuters |
| Published: 12/09/2005 |
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A U.S. appeals court has agreed to consider the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a journalist and Black Panther convicted 23 years ago for murder, who has attracted international support from death-penalty opponents. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit said it will hear arguments on whether Abu-Jamal suffered from racial discrimination in court proceedings, whether prosecutors illegally removed blacks from the jury pool and whether a prosecutor delivered an improper summation. Abu-Jamal, 51, is widely known by his first name. He was convicted in 1982 for the murder of Daniel Faulkner, a Philadelphia police officer. His supporters say he was wrongfully convicted and that there was insufficient evidence to prove the case. He has been on death row in a Pennsylvania prison since the conviction. Supporters argue that Faulkner was killed with a different type of handgun from the one Mumia was legally carrying while working as a taxi driver -- a fact they say was not communicated to the jury. They also argue that police at the scene failed to test his gun to see whether it had been recently fired, or to test his hands for powder residue. |
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