Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Mumia Abu-Jamal Moved from Prison to Intensive Care, Supporters Seek Access and Answers
mprisoned journalist and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal has been taken to the Intensive Care Unit of Schuylkill Medical Center in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, after he was removed from prison for a medical emergency without any notification to his family, friends or lawyers. Prison officials told his supporters he is in diabetic shock. We get an update from Abu-Jamal’s longtime friend, Johanna Fernández who first discovered he was in the hospital Monday morning when she went to visit him in prison and was told he had been taken to the intensive care unit. Fernández is a history professor at Baruch College-CUNY, and one of the coordinators of the Campaign to Bring Mumia Home.
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AARON MATÉ: We end today’s show with news of imprisoned journalist and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal has been taken to the Intensive Care Unit of his prison hospital in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, after he was removed from prison for a medical emergency without any notification to his family, friends or lawyers.
AMY GOODMAN: For more are joined by by Mumia Abu-Jamal’s longtime friend Johanna Fernández, who first discovered he was in the hospital on Monday when she went to visit him in prison and was told he had been taken to the intensive care unit at Schuylkill Medical Center in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Welcome back to Democracy Now! We only have a few minutes, but, What do you understand has happened to Mumia Abu-Jamal?
JOHANNA FERNÁNDEZ: Well, Mumia has had a longstanding situation. Over the last three months he developed severe eczema outbreak. He describes his skin as akin to that of an elephant’s, it’s been raw, bleeding. He was in the infirmary for approximately a week within the hospital, approximately a month ago. So, that means that he has been undergoing medical examinations, or least we have been told. Yesterday, he underwent a diabetic shock.
AMY GOODMAN: How do you know this?
JOHANNA FERNÁNDEZ: Because the prison informed his wife, Wadiya Jamal. When we arrived at the prison, were informed that we could not visit him and pressured the prison to tell us what was going on. They finally said he, well, he’s been hospitalized but would not release information.
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