POLITICAL PRISONERS

WHAT IS A POLITICAL PRISONER/PRISONER OF WAR?

(Main) 'Free Huey' Rally In NYC Demontrators march with a 'Free Huey' banner in support of the Black Panther Party, New York, New York, April 4, 1970. The banner refers to imprisoned Panther co-founder Huey Newton. (Photo by David Fenton/Getty Images)
(Main) 'Free Huey' Rally In NYC Demontrators march with a 'Free Huey' banner in support of the Black Panther Party, New York, New York, April 4, 1970. The banner refers to imprisoned Panther co-founder Huey Newton. (Photo by David Fenton/Getty Images)

A person imprisoned for their political activities, particularly those who oppose or criticize the government of their country. If a political offense was not the official reason for detention, the term would imply that the detention was motivated by the prisoner’s politics.  There is a distinct and qualitative difference between one breaking a law for one’s own individual self-interest and violating it in the interest of a people whose oppression is expressed either directly or indirectly through that particular law.  The former might be call criminal (though in many instances he is a victim), but the latter, is interested in universal social change.  Captured he or she is a political prisoner.  The political prisoner’s words or deed have in one form or another embodied political protests against the established order and have brought him/her into conflict with the state. 

Types of Political Prisoner/Prisoner of War as defined by Amnesty International

 

 1. A person accused or convicted of an ordinary crime carried out for political motives, such as murder or robbery carried out to support the objectives of an opposition group

 

2. A person accused or convicted of an ordinary crime committed in a political context.

 

3. A member or suspected member of an armed opposition group who has be charged with treason or subversion. A person accused or convicted of an ordinary crime carried out for political motives, such as murder or robbery carried out to support the objectives of an opposition group

 

4. A person accused or convicted of an ordinary crime committed in a political context.

 

5. A member or suspected member of an armed opposition group who has be charged with treason or subversion.

 

Political prisoners are arrested and tried with a veneer of legality where false criminal charges, manufactured evidence, and unfair trials (kangaroo courts, show trials) are used to disguise the fact that an individual is a political prisoner.   This is common in situations which may otherwise be decried nationally and internationally as a human rights violation or suppression of a political dissident.   A political prisoner can also be someone that has been denied bail unfairly, denied parole when it would reasonably have been given to a prisoner charged with a comparable crime, or special powers may be invoked by the judiciary. 

 

April 14, 2021, 6:01PM

 

URGENT CALL TO ACTION: MUMIA ABU-JAMAL TO HAVE HEART SURGERY

 

We have learned that Mumia Abu-Jamal, the world renown veteran Black Panther, political prisoner and radio journalist, had heart pain over the weekend. He was rushed to the hospital, and is expected to undergo heart surgery tomorrow, April 15, 2021.

We demand that:

  1. Before surgery, Mumia be allowed to call his wife, Wadiya Jamal; his longtime supporter Pam Africa; his chosen doctor, Dr. Ricardo Alvarez; and his Spiritual Advisor, Mark Taylor.
  2. Mumia not be shackled to his hospital bed, as is the rule in Pennsylvania and across the United States. 
  3. Mumia’s immediate release of this innocent man from prison.

We need not look far to see the mortal danger that the shackling of a patient represents: our dear Ancestor, political prisoner Romaine ‘Chip’ Fitzgerald was chained and shackled to his hospital bed in his last days —while he was hardly conscious— and before making his final transition, just over 2 weeks ago on March 28, after 52 years in prison.

According to Dr. Ricardo Alvarez, Mumia’s chosen doctor, “Any evidence of shackling will be seen as a deliberate harm to Mumia and a perpetuation of the court documented trauma he has already suffered.” Loud and clear are the echoes of slavery, which —as Eric Williams shows in Capitalism and Slavery — for the first time in human history produced the global distribution and mass use of handcuffs, shackles and fetters to bring enslaved Africans to heel.

Dr. Alvarez continues, “There is significant evidence, both legal and medical, that Mumia has suffered severe harm because medical, legal, law enforcement, and judicial professionals have not met proper standards. Mumia has been recently hospitalized for COVID and Congestive Heart Failure and he already suffers from hypertension as well as liver cirrhosis and diabetes, both induced by court documented medical neglect. Freedom is the only treatment.” 

Please call the following offices to make these demands: that Mumia be immediately allowed to call his wife, Pam Africa, his doctor and spiritual advisor; that he not be shackled to his hospital bed, and that he be immediately released.

 

John Wetzel, Head of PA DOC

717-728-2573

  

PA DOC, Christopher Oppman, Deputy Secretary for Administration who oversees healthcare 

717-728-4122 or 717-728-2573 Ext 5

SCI Mahanoy Superintendent

570-773-2058

Tom Wolf, Governor of PA

717-787-2500 ext. 3

TEN THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR THE FREEDOM OF POLITICAL PRISONERS…drafted by Joan Gibbs, Esq.

 

  1. Write and if you can, send money to the PPs. Let them know that you support and care about them.
  2. Join Jericho & / or one of the other PP support committees
  3. Challenge the myth that PPs do not exist in the united states
  4. Organize a meeting on PPs at your home, union ,hall, faith-based institutions, local coffee shop, bar, wherever you regularly hang out;
  5. Post information about PP on your face book page;
  6. Send emails, Twitter messages to your friends/followers calling for the Freedom of PPs;
  7. Even if you didn’t vote for them or don’t vote, let your elected representative know that the freedom of PPs is one of the issues that you are concerned about. The addresses of all elected officials from the President to the City Council are readily available on the internet;
  8. Put up a poster/picture in your home/windows of PPs;
  9. Organize, support, attend rallies, packets, demonstrations call for the Freedom of PPs;
  10. Be Creative! Be Creative!

🕊in memoriam🕊

 

 

TO ALLAH WE BELONG AND TO ALLAH WE RETURN . OUR COMRADE ROMAINE “CHIP ” FITZGERALD HAS TRANSITIONED LONG LIVE HIS REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT. 

Regarding The Farewell Of Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald

 

On Behalf Of The Family & Committee To Free Chip

 

On Sunday, March 28, 2021, at 3:04 p.m., our brother, uncle, cousin, comrade and friend, Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald, joined the ancestors. For a week, he lay barely conscious in a Los Angeles hospital as he struggled to extend his life after suffering a massive stroke in California’s gulag known as Lancaster. Chip’s strength and dedication to life remained intact as he defied those doctors who said he would not make it through the night in the hours after his initial arrival at the hospital. A stalwart soldier, he fought until his very last breath. Chip died as he had lived: fighting. A Service is being planned which may be in a month or so due to COVID, followed by a memorial. We want to also thank the many thousands who put their voices together to free Brother Chip.

 

Among the government’s many victims, Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald was a member of the Black Panther Party in Los Angeles. Incarcerated since 1969, he grew old in prison and was disabled many years ago by an earlier, less lethal stroke. Like millions of Black youth during the sixties, Chip, at the age of 17, joined the freedom struggle as the social justice movement rapidly expanded to include massive numbers of urban youth. The government’s conduct towards Chip proves that important elements of our society are guided by an irrational tradition that values vengeance over justice or reconciliation. This failure demonstrates the nation’s unwillingness to fully acknowledge historic wrongs perpetrated against Black Americans.

 

Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald was a social justice activist and it is inhumane to imprison activists for 50 years or more, particularly while others convicted of comparable crimes have served significantly less time. A closer look reveals the only differences between those serving shorter sentences and those serving longer ones are the political beliefs and affiliations some had with social justice groups like the Black Panther Party.

 

Chip never compromised, though he continued to the end to seek redress for this egregious wrong by working with his lawyer, family and defense committees to end his half century nightmare of a slow death behind bars. For us the living, Chip’s passing is a lesson to keep fighting the good fight. To give when perhaps it’s hard to give. And to live when perhaps life seems so empty. Chip’s life did not leave us without a clear message. During his final days in the hospital, the authorities felt the need to chain and shackle Chip to his bed. Despite the fact that he was hardly conscious, they saw this demeaning action as necessary. What they failed to understand is that you can neither jail nor shackle the spirit of liberation. May we all aspire to leave this same impression of daring to struggle until our last breath. And may Chip’s stalwart example give us the courage to dare to win.

 

All Power to the People!

Free All Political Prisoners!

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW…..THIS COUNTRY HAS POLITICIAL PRISONERS
OVER 800 YEARS IN CAPTIVITY
BLACK PANTHER POLITICAL PRISONERS AND PRISONERS OF WAR
AS WE CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY WE MUST NOT FORGET
 
Our Eleven (11) COMRADES STILL HELD CAPITIVE IN THE PRISON ACROSS AMERIKKKA ,
SEVEN (7) WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SCARFICED JOINED THE ANCESTORS WHILE IN CAPTIVITY,
SIX (8) FREED
ROMAINE “CHIP”FITZERAL 9/1969 
ED POINDEXTER 8/1970
Jalil Muntaqim 1971
      JOSEPH BOWEN 2/1971 
RUSSELL “MAROON” SHOATZ 10/1972
SUNDIATE ACOLI 5/1973
VERONZA BOWERS JR 9/1973 
KENNY “ZULU” WHITMORE 3/1977
              MUMIA ABU JAMAL 7/1972
          JAMIL ABDULLAH AL-AMIN 3/200     
                   
        FREEDIE (KAMAU SADIKI) HILTON 10/2002
JOINED THE ANCESTORS WHILE IN CAPTIVITY
KUWASI BALAGOOM 1981-1986(5YRS)
  WARREN WELLS 1981-2001(17YRS)
                 BASHIR HAMEED 1982-2008(26YRS)   
       
       TEDDY”JAH”HEATH 1973-2001 (28YRS)
           ALBERT “NUH”WASHINGTON 1971-2000((29YRS)
MONDO we LANGA 1970-2016(46YRS)
ABDULLAH MAJID 1982-2016(34YRS)
 
FREED
HERMAN WALLACE 1972-10/1/2013- DIED THREE DAY LATER (40YRS)
MARSHALL EDDIE CONWAY-1970-3/4/2014 (43YRS)
SEKOU KAMBUI-1976-6/30/2015(39YRS)
SEKOU ODINGA-1981-11/25/2014 (33YRS)
ALBERT WOODFOX-1972-2/19/2016 (44YRS)
MOHAMAN KOTI-1978-3/2016- Died 5/31/2016 at the age of 87 (37YRS)
Herman Bell-1973-4/2018 (45 Years)
Robert Seth Hayes -1973-8/2018 (45 Years) Died 12/21/2019

   

The government has denies it yet today there are more than 70 people (14 were members of the Black Panther Party) locked up in US prisoners because of their political actions or beliefs. The US alone among the world’s governments maintains the fiction that it holds no political prisoners. ). The official position is that all those jailed for politically motivated actions are “criminals”.  (if they were just criminals based on time served plus good time they would be back in the community and to their families}…By labeling political prisoners as criminals, the U.S. government has also been able to shield from view serious human rights violations against them.

 

March 2014, NAABPP printed a booklet “800 Years In Captivity”.  It was printed to bring awareness of OUR FORGOTTEN Panther Political Prisoners  and TO help build a mass motive for their freedom.  At the time, 800 years represented the time collectively in captivity (2 Freed, 5 joined the ancestors while in custody, 2 in exiled, and 17 in captivity).  The majority of those held captive were victims of U.S. governments’ counterintelligence program, Code name: COINTELPRO a covert and illegal project conducted by the FBI aimed at surveillance, infiltrating, discrediting, disrupting and murder.  The finding of the Church Committee in 1976 stated, “The legal questions involved in intelligence program were often not considered and often time disregarded”.  The intelligence community violated specific statutory prohibition and infringed on the constitutional rights of American Citizens yet no one was ever brought up on charges for these violations.  However, those who were targeted and fell victim to the counterintelligence program were convicted and put into prison where they have remained for 30-47 years.  Some have served the mandatory time for release but are still denied freedom.  

 

THEY HAVE ALL SUFFERED THE PAROLE COMMISSION’S ABUSE OF ITS AUTHORITY. Over the years when they appear before the Parole Board they are denied parole based solely on the nature of the crime something they can never change and was taken into account when sentenced.   They are not fairly evaluated for their readiness to re-enter their communities.  ALL OF THEM ARE OVER 55 YEARS OLD AND HAVE SPENT MORE THAN 30 YEARS IN PRISON AND IN SOME CASES OVER 40 YEARS.  THEY ARE OUR ELDERS.  IT HAS BEEN SHOWN REPEATEDLY THAT ELDERS POSE THE LOWEST RISK TO PUBLIC SAFETY IF RELEASED. 

WHEN YOU STUDY THE RELEASE OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO WENT TO PRISON BECAUSE OF THEIR POLITICAL ACTIONS IN THE MOVEMENT OF THE 1960-1980 THE RECIDIVISM RATE IS VERY LOW.  UPON RELEASE THEY HAVE BECOME PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF THEIR COMMUNITY AND SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.  MANY CO-DEFENDANTS OF THESE MEN HAVE BEEN RELEASED AND ARE ALL LIVING AND WORKING AS FULLY PRODUCTIVE INDIVIDUALS.  THEY ARE TEACHERS, WRITERS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, COUNSELORS AND ARTISTS.

 

At the promotion ceremony of Kenneth Boss (police officer involved in the murder of unarmed Amadou Diallo) to Sergeant December,2015 the head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association Ed Mullins statement”No reason he shouldn’t be Sarge-It was a tragedy for the Diallo family and it was bad for the officers involved.  But at what point does life move on.” Can these same standard’s be used for those who took a stand 30-50 years ago and still remain behind bars?…Free them now!!!

 

ROMAINE”CHIP”FITZGERALD-

“Chip’s incarceration cannot be viewed apart from the history of the FBI’s war against the Black Panther Party.  His long incarceration is rooted in the political agenda of the state.”

Chip is the longest held Panther political prisoner held captive 47 years…Chip went to prison at the age of nineteen.  Chip was sentence to death however in 1972 California Supreme court declared the death penalty unconstitutional sentence commuted to life.  Chip has been eligible for parole since 1976.  Today however, unlike 98% of those on death row in 1972, who have been released, Chip languishes in prison still. Chip comes up for parole again in 2017. Romaine Fitzgerald #B-27527,Kern Valley State Prisoner ,P.O. Box 5101 ,A-5-110,Delano, Ca 93216

 

ED POINDEXTER

Ed known as one of the Omaha Two held captive 46 years has never been granted a hearing before the Pardons Board.  Poindexter and codefendant, the late W.M.E. we Langa are innocent of murdering Omaha Police Officer Larry Minard with a suitcase bomb.  They were convicted based on the coerced false confession of a 16 year old boy, Duane Peak, who was charged with first-degree murder and threatened with the electric chair if he did not testify against Poindexter and we Langa.  Peak’s entire family was charged with conspiracy or accessory to commit first-degree murder.  Peak was convicted of juvenile delinquency and charges against his family were dropped after the convictions of Poindexter and we Langa.  Amnesty International has classified Mondo we Langa and Ed Poindexter as “prisoners of conscience”, and called for a new trial due to the threats made against the state’s only witness against them. Ed Poindexter #27767,Nebraska State Penitentiary, P.O. Box 2500,Lincoln, NE 68542

 

JALIL MUNTAQIM aka ANTHONY BOTTOM

“One of the longest held political prisoners in the world, serving more time than Nelson Mandela”

Jalil  Muntaquim was 19 years old when he was arrested.  For the past 45 years  JALIL HAS BEEN A POLITICAL PERSONS WHO STARTED AFRICAN STUDIES EDUCATION PROGRAM , ATTAINED TWO COLLEGE DEGREES AND PUBLISHED TWO VOLUMES OF POETRY  Jalil Was one of the New York Three, framed for the assassination of two police officers.  This was part of the U.S. government’s COINTELPRO counterinsurgency program and a result of his activism in the 1966 and early 1970s.  .  Jail held captive FOR  45 years , Parole eligible since 2002, denied parole for the 9th  time, on June 27, 2016. The Board’s decision denied- Hold for 24 months, next appearance date6/2018. Basically the same as the previous 8 times, primarily on the “nature of the crime” and “criminal history of violence” a history that is subject to the history and nature of the crime, from 1971, 45 years ago, something that will never change.  It has become more apparent a fair and impartial parole hearing is not possible, despite in 45 years having done everything necessary to be granted parole.  Jalil has ask family, friends and supporters to initiate a national campaign directed to NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo , persuading him to grant Commutation of Sentence to Time Served.  Governor Cuomo has the authority to commute the 25 to life sentence to time served, giving consideration to all that he has accomplished in 45 years of imprisonment.  He is asking everyone who recognize NYS Parole Board ‘s bias as a law enforcement agency in cahoots with the PBA’s opposition for his release to support this campaign for his freedom. Anthony Bottom#77A4283, Attica Correctional Facility ,P.O. Box 149, Attica, NY 14011-0149

 

JOSEPH”JO-JO”BOWEN

“I ain’t  no angel.  I’ll do my time.  All we want is to be recogned as what we are, human begins”..Jo-Jo

Jo-Jo captured in 1973,  political prisoner held captive 45 years has been in solitary confinement for 27 years.

Joseph Bowen#AM-4272,1Kelly Drive,Coal Township, PA 17866

 

RUSSELL “MAROON” SHOATS

“ I am a Political Prisoner of War! The war of national Liberation that has been going on since Afikans were kidnapped, brought to the Americas and enslaved..Under International law, oppressed people have that right, the right to be free from oppression and build a nation that will protect their to be free and independent.  That’s what we were doing… That’s why I’m now a Political Prisoner of War.”

Russell political prisoners held captive 44 years.

On May 8, 2013, Russell filed a lawsuit to end the conditions of isolation in his 7 by 12 foot cell, always illuminated by light, for 23-24 hours per day .On February 20 2014,Russell was returned to the prison’s general population after being held in solitary confinement for over  22 consecutive years.  July 11,2016 a settlement has been reached in the case of Shoatz v.Wetzel , which challenged the 22 year solitary confinement of Abolitionist Law Center client and political prisoner Russell Maroon Shoats.  In exchange for Russell ending the lawsuit the PA DOC has agreed that it will not place Shoats back in solitary confinement based on his prior disciplinary record or activities he will have a single-cell status for life, meaning he will not have to experience the extreme hardship of being forced to share a cell following decades of enforced isolation; a full mental health evaluation will be provided; and the DOC will pay a monetary settlement to Russell Shoats #AF-3855-SCI  Graterford, P.O. Box 2440, Graterford, PA 19426-0246

 

SUNDIATA ACOLI aka CLARK EDWARDS SQUIRE

“When I was arrested, police immediately cut my pants off me so that I only wore shorts.  Whooping and hollering, a gangs of New Jersey State troopers dragged me through the woods, through water puddles, and hit me over the head with the barrel of their shotguns.  They only cooled out somewhat when they noticed that all the commotion had caused a crowd to gather at the edge of the road, observing their actions”

 

Sundiata political prisoners held captive 43 years eligible for parole 1992 he was hit at the Board and given 20 more years.

Sundiata , a mathematician, computer analyst, graduate of A&M College of Texas in 1956 with a B.S. in mathematics and for 13 years worked for various computer-oriented firms, mostly in New York.  He joined the Black Panther Party and in 1969 he was one of the 13 arrests in the Panther 21 conspiracy case.  He was held in jail without bail and on trial for two years before being acquitted along with all other defendants, by a jury deliberating less than two hours.  Upon release, FBI intimidation of potential employers shut off all employment possibilities in the computer profession and stepped-up CONINTELPRO harassment, surveillance and provocations soon drove him underground. 

 

9/30/2014,   the state appeals court in New Jersey  ordered Sundiata to be released on parole. The court ordered his release, finding the parole board had “acted arbitrarily and capriciously when it previously denied him parole.

2/23/2016, the NJ State Supreme Court overturned a judge’s ruling to grant freedom to Sundiata  Acoli.  They ruled 4-1 against him.  The lone dissent judge acknowledged the most recent precedent for Sundiata’s released that being Tom Trantino who was convicted of killing two police officers and who did 40 years.  One huge difference between Sundiata and Trantino .  Sundiata is A Black Panther and Trantino is white Clark Squire#39794-066,FCI Cumberland, Fed Correctional Inst. P.O. Box 1000,Cumberland, MD 21501

 

VERONZA BOWERS, JR

Veronza  Bowers, Jr. political prisoner held captive 43 years scheduled for release 6/14/2005 NOW HAS BEEN held 11 years passed mandatory release date. Deeply committed to a spiritual faith and practice, Veronza founded and let the All Faith Meditation Group.  An interest in healing motivated him to study the ancient healing arts and philosophy of China and Japan. He has helped inmates both physically and spiritually overcome obstacles to their health and personal development. Veronza has also been honored by the Native American community as an honorary elder for his support and teaching of their spiritual and cultural practices.

 

VERONZA IS A FEDERAL PRISONER, PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS THE POWER TO COMMUTE  HIS SENTENCES SINCE HE FALLS UNDER HIS JURISDICTION: WRITE A LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT URGING HIM TO COMMUTE HIS SENTENCE BEFORE HE LEAVES OFFICE. 

 

Veronza  Bowers #35316-136-USP Atlanta, Box 150160, Atlanta, Ga 30315

 

ROBERT SETH HAYES

 Seth political prisoner held captive 43 years denied parole 11 times.

 Seth is a 67 year old grandfather, sadly in bad health, suffering from Hepatitis C, uncontrollable Type II diabetes, and heart disease. Seth had been extremely ill and had great difficulty procuring necessary healthcare and has needed the help of his lawyers, supporter and some state political leaders in order to get adequate treatment. Seth was sentence to 25 years to life, and became eligible the first time for parole in 1998.  He has been hit by the board with 2 years hits due to the seriousness of the crime, or instant offense. This has gone on for 10 of his parole appearances.  Twenty (20) years have been added to his original sentence.  Seth has been a model prisoner, without any additional charges.   He has participated in programs with the NAACP, The Jaycees, and other organizations and has worked as a librarian, pre-release advisor and AIDS counselor.  Whenever possible, he has taken college courses.  In 2014, the court demanded that commissioners apply the standards of the law.  “The Compass Agreement” which specified, “Judging a release requirement, solely on the acts and achievements of the individuals, and the time he/she, served.  This is the disciplines, new charges of lack thereof, rather than instant offense.”  That nullified for Seth, the indicator of continued hits at the board.  On June 6, 2016, Seth was again denied parole due to the serious nature of the crime. The Parole once again has refused to release him, and is effectively punishing him for having been a member of the Black Panther Party and of having remained true to his ideals after 40 years behind bars. Robert Seth Hayes#74-A-2280-Sullivan Correctional Fac., P.O. 116, Fallsburg, NY 12733-0116

 

HERMAN BELL

“America hides its Political Prisoners in plain sight”

Herman was arrested in 1973 known as NY3, for the 1971 killing of two New York City Police officer. Herman has been a political prisoner held captive 43 years eligible for Parole since 2004, denied 9 times due to the nature of the offense. During his years in prison he has earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in sociology and psychology from the State University’s Outstanding Academic Achievement and Individual Scholastic Excellence and Extraordinary Dedication awards.  He has also received certificates from such program as the Quakers Alternative to Violence Project, Society of Friends and for training as a legal researcher.  Herman has done far more than engage in his own education and self-improvement.  In addition to remaining an active participant in the upbringing of his family, he has acted as a mentor to the young men in his immediate community behind the walls.  He worked as a tutor, teacher’s aide, on-site college counselor and registrar for student tuition grants for the prison program of Ulster College in Wallkill, NY.  He has also helped guide and develop such programs as the Victory Garden, a project in Athens, Maine where he taught gardening and farming skills and distributed fresh produce for eight seasons to neighborhood in cities in Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York state. Herman Bell #79C0262-Great Meadow Correctional Fac, P.O. Box 51, Comstock, NY 12821

 

KENNY”ZULU”WHITMORE

Kenny Zulu Whitmore has been in Angola state prison for  39 years.  He was falsely charged and convicted of armed robbery and murder.  When Zulu was sent to Angola in 1978 he met King and Woodfox of the Angola Three.  He had met Wallace previously, during a 1973 stint in the Baton Rouge jail  for robbery charge which was later dropped.  Wallace planted the seed of political activism then, which continue to grow in Zulu’s mind.  At Angola he became close friends with Woodfox and King, and later reunited with Wallace and he joined the Black Panther Party. Zulu has been a target of Administration because of having remained true to his Black Panther ideals after 39 years.  The Warden boldly stated Zulu would be out of solitary if he would stop with the Black Panther Philosophy. Kenny Zulu Whitmore, 86468 D-Hawk/CCR 4L,La. State Prison, Angola, La 70712

 

MALIKI SHAKUR LATINE

“My arrest and conviction were a direct result and retaliation for my Islamic beliefs, political aspirations, and direct associated and involvement with the Black Liberation Movement.”

Maliki political prisoner held captive 37 years.

Maliki was charged with a July 3, 1979, shot out with police in NYC, where one officer was injured.  On October 1, 1981 was sentence to 25 to life.  In August 1993, the district court overturned Latine’s conviction and ordered a new trial within 120 days or his release.  The state appealed, and the second circuit reversed the district court’s decision to overturn the conviction.  Finally, The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear any further appeal and denied him a writ of certiorari, even though his appeal is founded upon the mandate of the U.S. Supreme Court’s own rulings. Maliki remain firmly and steadfastly committed and dedicated to the struggle for Black Liberation, Independence, and Self-Determination-by any means necessary. Maliki Shakur Latine#81-A-4469-Shawangunk Correctional Fac. ,P.O. Box 700,Wallkill, NY 12589

 

MUMIA ABU JAMAL

“Very few people in prison have voices that go beyond the wall.  It’s my job to do the work for them they have no one.  Voice for the voiceless”

Mumia Abu Jamal political prisoner held captive 34 years in 2008 US third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the murder conviction but ordered a new capital sentencing hearing because the jury was improper instructed.  New sentence: Life without parole.

Mumia is suffering from chronic and active Hepatitis C. In a perplexing decision published August 31, 2016, District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani denied the request presented by Mumin’s attorney last August 2015,that the court order the PA DOC to immediately treat Mumia. The judge denied the suit on a technicality: that Mumia’s health that the court recognized and found that their failed to name the DOC’s Hepatitis C Committee, which according to the judge is the entity responsible for taking action in these matters.  However, the judge’s decision holds that the DOC has violated the 8th Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment in its failure to treat Mumia, and other prisoners, suffering with active Hepatitis C.  While we are disappointed that Judge Mariani did not issue an injunction, it is important  that the court recognized, and found, that the PA DOC is denying individuals for whom they are responsible adequate health care as guaranteed by the Eighth Amendment of the United State Constitution.  Irrespective of the injunction, The PA DOC can choose to comply with the Constitution and provide life saving drugs to Mumia and to all who suffer from Hepatitis C. Mumia Abu Jamal#AM 8335 ,SCI-Mahanoy, Frackville, PA 17932

 

JAMIL ABDULLAH AL-AMIN

“Blessed are those who struggle, Oppression is worse than the grave; It is better to die for a noble cause; Than to live and die a slave”

Jamil Al-Amin political prisoner held captive 16 years.

In 2002 an Atlanta jury found former Black Panther member Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin guilty of murder for the March 2000, shooting that killed on Fulton County sheriff’s deputy and wounded another. Juror’s found him guilty on all 13 counts he faced although the sensational trial did not produce not a shred of evidence to lead to the unjust conviction and illegal sentence of Life Without Parole plus thirty-five years. The prosecutor in the Atlanta case after the conviction said,” After 24 years we’ve finally gotten him.” Which means the prosecutor was counting back to the day when Jamil walked out of a prison in New York City.  So this case in Atlanta-and I think we’ll probably get to it –but this case in Atlanta was and is an extension of the targeting” Karima Al-Amin, Attorney & Wife.

In 2014 Al-Amin had a bone marrow biopsy to determine the presence of myeloma cell.  The biopsy results revealed some myeloma cells. Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin#99974-555 USP Tucson, P.O. Box 24550,Tucson, Az 85734

 

FREDDIE (KAMAU SADIKI)HILTON

 Kamau political prisoner held captive 14 years.

In 1971, a witness failed to identify and there was no physical evidence to implicate Kamau of the murder of Atlanta Police Officer James Green on November 3, 1971, the Atlanta police department closed the case as unsolved.  After, thirty one (31) years  Kamau was  arrested in 2002, in Brooklyn, New York.  The government and police, knowing that Kamau suffers from Hepatitis C, Cirrhosis of the liver, and Sarcoidosis told him unless he helped them with the capture of Assata Shakur he would die in prison.  With the passing of the Patriot Act this was the right time to play this card.  The Patriot Act giving new meaning to what it means to be a patriotic and making disagreeing with or not going along with the policies of the government unpatriotic.  Police and other uniformed personnel were heroes/heroines and above the law…untouchables. What would not have been able to be prosecuted thirty years ago, now in this climate possible?  Kamau was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and ten (10) years to run consecutively for armed robbery after a Fulton County Superior Court found him guilty. Freddie Hilton#0001150688 Augusta State Medical Prison Bldg 23A, 3001Gordon Hwy, Grovetown, Ga. 30813