"Black Panther-turned human rights campaigner Mumia Abu-Jamal has requested a retrial on his conviction of murdering a police officer, after his death sentence was overturned in March, his lawyer said Sunday.
A three-member Philadelphia appeals court on March 27 voted two-to-one to overturn the former radio journalist's death sentence, while upholding his conviction for the 1981 murder of Daniel Faulkner.
The court said Abu-Jamal, 54, should face a new sentencing hearing or have his sentence commuted to life in jail.
Abu-Jamal, 54, has always claimed his innocence while on death row for 25 years. While in jail, he became a leading campaigner against the death penalty.
In his request for a retrial, Abu-Jamal's lawyer Robert Bryan asked for a decision by a full panel of 12 judges, not a three-member court like Philadelphia's.
"Even though the federal court granted a new trial on the question of the death penalty, we want a complete reversal of the conviction," he said.
"If unsuccessful, we will proceed to the United States Supreme Court," Bryan added."
-France24.com
photo: 
Believe (Black Faerie) Dazjae(C)06
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