Category: Prison
Community Demands Exoneration for Philip Vance on 22nd Anniversary of Murder
South Saint Paul, MN — “I just want the world to know that I am innocent,” said Philip Vance from a prison phone. Volunteers with the Free Philip Vance team braved frigid temperatures to hold a press conference on the 22nd anniversary of the robbery-turned-murder…
After Biden’s Historic Grants of Clemency, Calls to Commute Leonard Peltier Reignite
Washington, D.C. — Last week, after President Biden made the historic act of commuting the sentences of 1,499 Americans in a single day, efforts to free Leonard Peltier have reignited. On Thursday, Dec. 12 — the day after Biden announced clemency — dozens of U.S.…
Fundraising Event Honors Dhoruba Bin Wahad, Former Black Panther and Black Liberation Army Prisoner
West Philadelphia, PA — An event at the OneArt Community Center raised funds to assist with medical costs for Dhoruba Bin Wahad. Formerly a leader in the Black Panther Party who also co-founded the Black Liberation Army (BLA), Wahad was convicted in 1973 for his…
Pakistani Immigrant With Signs of Torture Found Dead in a Greek Police Station
Athens, Greece – Muhammad Kamran Ashiq, a 38-year-old Pakistani immigrant, was found dead at the Agios Panteleimonas Police Station in central Athens, indicating another case of racist police brutality in Greece.
CONTENT ADVISORY: DESCRIPTIONS AND IMAGES OF TORTURE
Missing since September 13, Ashiq was found…
8th Annual Prisoners’ Families Brunch in West Philly
West Philadelphia, PA – Over 100 people came out early Sunday afternoon for a banquet celebrating political prisoners and their loved ones and other supporters.
The 8th annual ‘Prisoners’ Families Brunch’ was held at the OneArt Community Center on 52nd Street, with this year’s event…
Killed by a Vigilante Who Received No Prison Time: The Murder of AJ Stewart
Saint Paul, MN — In the capital city of Minnesota, a middle-aged white man was given no prison time after being convicted of murder for fatally stabbing an unarmed Black man. The 2021 murder of Arnell ‘AJ’ Stewart and the following conviction and sentencing of…
Interview: Breaking Down the Mahdi Ali Case
The brutal 2010 triple murders at the Seward Market shocked the community, and police concluded the killer was fifteen-year-old Mahdi Ali. A new Unicorn Riot investigation raises 27 different issues with that investigation and the murder trial. We circled back with our contributor to break down the major elements people should know about this contentious case.
Recanted Jailhouse Testimonies Lead to Renewed Calls to Release Bobo and Ferguson
Minneapolis, MN — Family members and advocates of two men serving life sentences in Minnesota — Deaunteze Bobo and Jermaine Ferguson — renewed their demands for their loved ones to be released from prison, saying they were wrongfully convicted.
During a press conference in the…
Target, ‘Junk Science’ and Unreliable Testimonies: The Contentious Conviction of 15-Year-Old Mahdi Ali
Minneapolis, MN — Overlooked details have emerged casting serious doubt on Mahdi Hassan Ali’s conviction for a 2010 triple murder, as well as the integrity of the investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
“I was the perfect scapegoat.”…
Community Calls on Minnesota Governor and AG to ‘Stay Out of Hennepin County Prosecutions’
Minneapolis, MN – Police associations and pro-police members of Congress are pressuring Minnesota’s governor to wrest prosecuting power away from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty over her decision to charge State Trooper Ryan Londregan with murder for the July 2023 fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb…
Nationwide ‘Week of Abolition’ Envisions an Abolitionist Future Without Prisons, Police
Denver, CO — This week is the National Lawyers Guild’s (NLG) annual nationwide campaign called “Week of Abolition” where local NLG law school chapters host events, activities and actions to spread knowledge and promote discussion about “alternatives to the criminal punishment system” with an aim…
Activists and Families Demand MN Department of Corrections End Political Imprisonments
St. Paul, MN — Prisoners are continuing to face retribution six months after 100-plus inmates in Minnesota’s MCF-Stillwater prison protested their living conditions and took part in a day of non-violent civil disobedience. Several incarcerated participants spent the last half year in solitary confinement for…