Reports: Mumia Abu-Jamal Hospitalized in Critical Condition

Convicted cop killer and political firebrand Mumia Abu-Jamal was taken Monday to a hospital near the state prison where he is serving a life sentence, according to NBC-10 Philadelphia.

Reasons for Abu-Jamal’s hospitalization is unknown, but multiple reports say that he is in the critical care unit of the Schuylkill Medical Center in Pottsville, approximately 10 miles away from SCI-Mahanoy, near Allentown. A statement posted on PrisonRadio.org, a website that publishes audio commentary produced by Abu-Jamal, says his family has been denied visitation rights during his hospitalization.

Abu-Jamal was convicted and sentenced to death in 1982 for the murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Over the decades, many activist groups and celebrities have expressed support for Abu-Jamal’s claims that his conviction was the result of a racist justice system. His conviction has been upheld by numerous appeals, but in 2012 a judge changed his death sentence to a life sentence.