Extended Exclusive: Interview with Mumia Abu-Jamal on community-based journalism

Mumia Abu-Jamal has been in prison for more than 30 years, most of that time on Pennsylvania’s death row. His conviction in 1982 for the murder of white police officer Daniel Faulkner has been widely criticized by groups such as the National Lawyers Guild, the ACLU and the UN Human Rights Council. A 2000 investigation by Amnesty International into Abu-Jamal’s case concluded that the court proceedings violated minimum international standards of a fair trial and noted significant legal problems, including how the jury was selected and Abu-Jamal’s lack of access to adequate counsel and resources for his defense. Amnesty also cited disputed testimony and conflicts of interest by the presiding judge. A new documentary film, Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey With Mumia Abu-Jamal,  explores Abu-Jamal’s career as a journalist and his commitment to independent media.

FSRN recently spoke to Mumia Abu-Jamal in a rare phone interview from SEI Mahanoy Prison in Frackville, Pennsylvania.

The film Long Distance Revolutionary is playing in theaters in Los Angeles. It will open in Oakland on March 8 and then in Philadelphia in May. More:http://www.mumia-themovie.com/