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Susan Adcock
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June 11, 2003
Hello, friends of Abu-Ali! It is so very nice to be able to write to
you in a spirit of hope and thankfulness rather than one of a certain
urgency. That is not to say that Abu-Ali's fight is over...it is far
from over. But a reprieve we wanted and a reprieve we received. Abu-Ali
will not be executed on June 18, 2003!
In light of the Sixth Circuit's granting of Abu-Ali's petition for rehearing
and for a stay of execution, this will be the last of the weekly updates,
at least for the time being. Our fervent hope is that all of the facts
that were suppressed, withheld and misrepresented at Abu-Ali's original
trial will now come to light, which is all that Abu-Ali ever wanted.
Citizens for Abu-Ali would like to thank everyone - literally thousands
of you - who were supportive of our campaign to encourage Governor Bredesen
to grant clemency. You volunteered your time, you donated your personal
funds, you wrote letters, you made phone calls, you attended events,
you wore buttons on your clothes and stickers on your cars. You told
others about his case. You gave words of encouragement. The positive
effect of the buzz this grassroots effort generated will likely never
be known. Abu-Ali is also personally grateful to each and every one
of you who supported this effort.
Thanks also to all of you who attended the awareness raising event at
the Belcourt last evening, Have Mercy. It was a wonderful night of celebration
and inspiration, as well as great entertainment. In addition - although
the final numbers have not yet been tallied - it appears that the Silent
Auction and door donations resulted in more than $3,500.00 being raised.
These funds will be applied toward (non-legal) expenses associated with
the push for clemency on behalf of Abu-Ali.
If you were not able to attend and would still like to make a donation,
it is not too late. Donations are still needed and may be sent to the
Tennessee Capital Defense Corporation (501.c.3), PO Box 121754, Nashville,
TN 37212.
You will be notified as there are new developments in Abu-Ali's case.
The website will also be updated periodically. We may very well be pulling
together again in the near future to ask our governor to grant mercy
for Abu. We will continue to fight until justice is served. But for
the time being, at least, Abu-Ali is safe.
Thank you again on behalf of all of us involved with Citizens for Abu-Ali!
Namaste,
Joanna
This week's e-mail has been added
to the Weekly E-Mail page. Remember that
you can also subscribe to it by sending an e-mail to mercyforabu@yahoo.com
and adding "subscribe to weekly update" in the subject line.
VOLUNTEER TO HELP:
If you would like to volunteer to help with events or find out how
you can get involved, please call (615) 500-5265 or e-mail mercyforabu@yahoo.com.
You can also send questions about Abu's case or events to mercyforabu@yahoo.com.
The OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR BREDESEN
as well as other suggestions on how you can help Abu can be found on
the How to Help page.
BUTTONS & STICKERS:
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(click
the image to see a larger version)
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Now you can show your support with "Clemency
for Abu-Ali" static window stickers and buttons (available in two
styles - one with photograph, one without) Email mercyforabu@yahoo.com
or call (615) 500-5265 to request. We are not charging for buttons and
stickers, but donations are happily accepted to assist in paying for
the production of such materials. Checks can be made payable to the
Tennessee Capital Defense Fund, and you can just note "For Abu
Ali education materials" in the memo. Donations can be sent to
PO Box 121754/ Nashville, TN 37212. The image on the left shows what
the window stickers look like (click it and a larger version will open
in a new window). Keep checking back because we'll soon have pictures
of the buttons.
PRINTABLE FLYERS AVAILABLE:
You can now print out flyers to distribute to friends and family so
they can get the facts on Abu's situation. Those can be found here.
DONATIONS:
To learn about and make donations to the Tennessee Capital Defense Fund,
please click here.
The State of Tennessee is still trying to kill Abu Ali Abdur Rahman.
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©
Susan Adcock
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He will be killed in spite of the following:
° Physical evidence
that indicates Abu Ali did not commit the 1986 murder that resulted
in his Death Sentence.
° The Prosecutor for the State was well aware of
the evidence, yet never allowed the jury to hear it.
° Abu Ali's conviction was based solely on the
testimony of the actual assailant, who was spared prosecution for
1st Degree Murder in exchange for his testimony.
° Abu Ali's attorneys did no investigation to prepare
for his case, did no work on his case until a week before trial,
and called no witnesses on his behalf.
° Abu Ali's attorneys failed to learn about his
history of Mental Illness, and never presented the information to
the jury that convicted him and sentenced him to Death.
° The Judge who presided over his trial later concluded
that Abu Ali's Attorneys' performance was substandard.
° Two of the four Federal Judges who reviewed his
case on appeal concluded that Abu Ali's Death Sentence should be
set aside.
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