US judge orders review of Black Panther's death sentence

A US court has ordered a new sentencing hearing for imprisoned anti-racism activist Mumia Abu-Jamal after throwing out a death sentence handed down to him in 1982.

Abu-Jamal, a Black Panther activist and America’s most famous death-row inmate, was convicted of murdering a 25-year-old policeman in Philadelphia in 1981.

The Free Mumia Movement, a collection of celebrities, death-penalty opponents and foreign politicians and activists, believes Abu-Jamal is a political prisoner who has been mistreated by a racist justice system.

While the judge ordered a review of his sentence today, he refused Abu-Jamal’s request for a new trial.