In March 1987, Abu Ali Abdur’Rahman was sentenced to death for murder. Abu Ali’s defense during his trial was, at best, nominal: his counsel did not investigate his defense that he was not the assailant, did not present any evidence of substantial mitigating circumstances, and was misled by a prosecutor who withheld important documents and information. Twenty-five years later, Abu Ali remains on Tennessee’s Death Row in nearby Riverbend Maximum Security Prison. The Supreme Court has twice refused to consider Abu Ali’s appeals, most recently in June. Clemency from Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is Abu Ali’s only chance at staying alive.
At 12 noon on Tuesday, February 12th, please join Law Students for Social Justice and the Criminal Law Association in Flynn Auditorium at the Vanderbilt Law School for a lunchtime presentation from Abu Ali’s clemency team, which will include Ed Miller and Brad MacLean, Abu Ali’s lawyer and VLS alum/adjunct professor . Lunch will be served. If you have any questions, please send them to daniel.z.kay@vanderbilt.edu.
You can view artwork by Abu Ali here, and listen to him sing spirituals from his death row prison cell here.
Thank you for doing what must be done to spread the word