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It appears that 30 years of legal battles and international advocacy to free Mumia Abu Jamal has borne fruit with the announcement on Wednesday that the Philadelphia District Attorney would not again seek the death penalty for the imprisoned activist. Abu-Jamal is now sentenced to prison for life in the killing of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner on December 9th, 1981. In 2008 Abu-Jamal’s defense won a key battle when a federal appeals court ruled that jurors received erroneous instructions during his initial sentencing hearing, which may have led to an unjust application of the death sentence. The Philadelphia DA appealed that ruling to the US Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case two months ago. District Attorney Seth Williams said neither his office nor the family of Officer Faulkner wished to endure another sentencing hearing that could take “an unknowable number of years.” Abu Jamal’s supporters rejoiced yesterday upon hearing the news and law professor Judith Ritter said, “[t]here is no question that justice is served when a death sentence from a misinformed jury is overturned.” Bishop Desmond Tutu called on Mumia Abu Jamal to be immediately released from jail on time served. However, the widow of slain Officer Faulkner had angry words for the judges who ordered the new sentencing hearing, calling them, “dishonest cowards.” She told reporters she would oppose any attempt to “coddle” Abu Jamal upon release from death row and said, “I am heartened that he will be taken from the protective cloister [of death row] … and begin living among his own kind — the thugs and common criminals that infest our prisons.”

Tomorrow, to mark the 30th anniversary of the day that Mumia Abu Jamal was arrested, there will be a symposium in Philadelphia featuring Cornel West among others.

GUEST: Mumia Abu Jamal was interviewed by Barbara Grant, of WURD 900 AM radio in Philadelphia on Tuesday, less than 24 hours before he knew of the DA’s decision to drop the death penalty against him. We bring you an excerpt of that interview. WURD 900am is Pennsylvania’s only African-American owned Talk Radio Station.

Visit www.900amwurd.com for more information about the radio station on which this interview aired.