ペンシルバニア州最高裁に係争中のままになっているムミア・アブ・ジャマルの再審請求に関連して、動きが出てきました。支援者達は、州最高裁が結論を出す時期が近いのではないかと読んでいるようです。州知事のトム・リッジは、最高裁が再審請求を却下すれば、ただちに死刑執行命令を出す、と公言しています。
ちかぢか、ムミア再審請求に関して、またニューヨークタイムズに１ページ広告を出す計画をしており、そのことでの支援要請なども来ています。
以下は、州最高裁判事のRonald Castille氏をムミアの再審請求事案からはずすように要求するキャンペーンのお知らせです。
Castille判事は10年前は地方検事（DA）であり、その時点で、ムミアの再審請求を却下するに際して、重要な役割を果たした検察官でした。また、これは有名な話ですが、ペンシルバニア州の検察局が、新人の検察官を教育するためのビデオの中で、陪審員から極力黒人を排除するようにという人種差別的な研修をしていたことが明らかになっており、その研修用ビデオが暴露されていますが、そのビデオが作成された当時の地方検察官がほかならぬ彼です。
また、ムミアの死刑を一貫して強硬に主張しており、1995年にいったん死刑執行命令がおりた際も、ムミアの処刑を主張して街頭デモなどを行った白人の人種主義的集団であるFOP「警察友愛会」を支持母体として検察官に再選され、また州最高裁入りでもFOPのバックアップを受けた人物である、と述べています。こうした人物が、自分自身が再審請求を検察官として却下させた事案を、またしても自分で今度は判事として取り扱うというのは、まったく公正な裁判とはいいがたいと思います。
ムミアの事件では、1995年に再審を却下したフィラデルフィア地裁判事のアルバート・セイボが、一審（1982年）でムミアに死刑判決を出した張本人であり、自分が担当した裁判の再審請求を自分で担当するというでたらめさが非難をあびたのですが、今回も、人種的偏見が明白で、利害関係があまりに露骨な判事が再審請求を担当するのは、どう考えてもおかしな話であり、えん罪を示すさまざまな証拠を握りつぶして、「voice of the voiceless」(声なき者の声)と呼ばれている一人の黒人ジャーナリストを「合法的に」殺害することを許すことはできません。
末尾に抗議先の住所、電話、ファックスが書かれています。 以下、メッセージ原文を掲載します。
From: SPG
From: Suzanne
Additionally, in 1986 Castille was voted "Man of the Year" by Lodge No. 6
of the Fraternal Order of Police. This organization has campaigned longest
and hardest, and sometimes violently, for Mumia's execution. The FOP
supported Castille for re-election in 1989, and went on to endorse him in
his campaign for the Supreme Court in 1993.
Castille was also District Attorney when the now-infamous training tape was
made in his office, which instructed new prosecutors on how to could
exclude Black people from juries. Even the US Supreme Court, which is not
known as an anti-racist institution, denounced precisely such a practice.
(The same tactic was used in Mumia's trial to reduce the number of Black
people on his jury to only two, in a city where Black people constitute 40%
of the total population).
Despite the gross conflict of interest in being in a position to rule on
his own earlier decision and all the additional signs of strong bias
against Mumia, Castille has refused to recuse himself, that is, to step
aside from the court's deliberations on this case.
Any decision which the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania makes on Mumia
Abu-Jamal's appeal will be tainted by the conflict of interest this case
presents for Castille and his strong bias against Mumia.
We urge you to protest this situation. Please send the attached post cards
to Ronald Castille, urging him to recuse himself from Mumia's case, and to
his superior, John P. Flaherty, Jr., Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania, urging him to put pressure on Castille to recuse himself.
To: spg-l@xs4all.nl
Date: 08 Aug 1998 10:04:00 +0500
Subject:
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Subject: CASTILLE CAMPAIGN
Mumia Abu-Jamal, award-winning Black journalist, author of several
published books and dozens of articles, and revolutionary activist was
convicted in 1982 and sentenced to death for the shooting of Philadelphia
police officer Daniel Faulkner. At the time of his arrest, he had been
president of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Association of Black
Journalists. The campaign to gain a new trial for Mumia has received
world-wide support from presidents, leading human rights organizations,
well-known attorneys, and hundreds of thousands of activists.
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is presently hearing Mumia's second
appeal of his conviction. Ronald Castille is a justice on this court. He
was, however, the District Attorney in Philadelphia ten years ago and
played a key role in assuring that Mumia not be granted a new trial at that
time, despite an unending list of police, prosecutorial, and judicial
misconduct -- not to mention the totally inadequate defense offered Mumia
by the City of Philadelphia. At that time, Castille signed all the
prosecution's briefs filed against Mumia's appeal to the State Supreme
Court. It is on this basis that we charge an obvious conflict of interest
for Castille. He is now in the position to review his own arguments, of a
decade ago, against a new trial for Mumia. Castille ruling on the case,
makes a mockery of even a pretense of an objective review.
REVIEWING THE APPEAL FOR A NEW TRIAL FOR MUMIA ABU JAMAL
Six Gateway Center Suite 616
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
voice: (215) 560-5663 fax: (215) 560-1808
voice: (412)565-5545 fax: (215) 560-1808
330-8029
Int Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal, PO Box 19709
Philadelphia PA 19143mumia@aol.com - www.mumia.org (Union labor donated)