United States political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal was allowed two brief family visits on Tuesday after being moved without notice from the Pennsylvania prison where he has been incarcerated to a nearby hospital on Monday and shackled to his bed. His family members and supporters continue to press for the removal of restrictions on visits and access to information about his medical condition. Mumia was originally sentenced to death for the alleged murder of a police officer, but he and his supporters have always maintained his innocence. To give a bit of background, Mumia Abu-Jamal began his career as a journalist while working for the Black Panther Party newspaper at the age of sixteen, and later earned the title of "the voice of the voiceless" for defending the rights of community people. After several run-ins with the notoriously racist Philadelphia police in the 1970s, Abu-Jamal was convicted for the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1982, and subsequently sentenced to death. Supporters cite a number of irregularities in his original trial and accuse the court system of racial bias. His death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 2011, but the international movement that has arisen around his case maintains his innocence and says he has been targeted for his political views. teleSUR
