LEGAL AND POLITICAL UPDATE ON AUGUST 17TH
August 16, 2001 On Wednesday, August 15th, Mumia's lawyers went into the Common Pleas State Court to request a contempt of court order against the court administrator, Joseph J. DiPrimio, and prison officials. DiPrimio is the one who issued the order that Mumia not be brought to Philadelphia for his court hearing on his petition requesting a new post conviction relief act hearing. DiPrimio stated that there was "no room" to house Mumia in Philadelphia.
Judge Pamela Dembe, the judge who will be presiding over the court hearing on the 17th and also ordered Mumia to be present in court, refused to hold DiPrimio and the prison officials in contempt even though they are in clear violation of her orders. At the same time, she did not withdraw her order to have Mumia appear in court. Dembe did not state her reasons for not carrying out the contempt of court order. This is where things stand legally as of Thursday morning. Please keep monitoring the IAC and mumia2000 websites for an breaking updates on this situation.
In the meantime, we want to encourage everyone to keep the national emergency phone and fax campaign going to pressure both DiPrimio and John Street, the mayor of Philadelphia to rescind this absurd order to keep Mumia from attending his court hearing.
Judge Dembe
215-683-7148
Joseph J. DiPrimio
phone: 215-686-2547
fax: 215-686-7485
City Hall, Room 336
John Street
phone: 215-686-2181
fax: 215-2180
City Hall, Room 215
Let's continue to organize to be in Philadelphia on Friday, August 17th beginning at 9am on the east side of City Hall. Free Mumia! End the Racist Death Penalty and Police Brutality!International Action Center
39 West 14th Street, Room 206
New York, NY 10011
email: iacenter@iacenter.org
En Espanol: el_iac@yahoo.com
web: http://www.iacenter.org
CHECK OUT SITE http://www.mumia2000.org
phone: 212 633-6646
fax: 212 633-2889
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go to http://www.peoplesrightsfund.org