Mumia Abu-Jamal is a 72-year-old journalist, author, scholar, great-grandfather, and elder. After more than four decades in prison, he continues to face serious health threats caused and worsened by medical neglect.

Mumia needs proper care now. He also needs to come home.

Why This Matters

• For years, prison officials denied Mumia treatment for hepatitis C, denying him the cure for this condition, while his health deteriorated.
• In 2015, he was rushed to the hospital in renal failure, after a preventable Diabetic Ketoacidosis emergency.
• After two years of denial and delay, in 2017 a federal court ordered the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to provide him the cure to hepatitis C. Mumia recovered, but has lasting health concerns related to the denial of care.
• In 2021, he received double bypass open-heart surgery.
• In 2025, for 9 months, Mumia was needlessly blind because of the denial of post-cataract surgery. 
• Mumia Abu-Jamal remains at risk of permanent vision loss due to multiple eye conditions and inadequate diagnosis and care.

Freedom is the only cure.  Eight months, nine months of being in the shadows and in the darkness is nine months too many. Help us prevent Denial of life saving care.  Denial of treatment for blindness.  Denial of healthy food and exercise. 

Mumia Abu-Jamal’s Health Timeline

Year	What happened
1982–2011	Mumia spent nearly three decades (28.5 yrs) on death row, all of it in solitary confinement, before moving into the general prison population in late 2011.
2014	Mumia developed a severe skin condition that worsened over months. Despite his documented hepatitis C history, prison medical staff refused to treat his hepatitis C.
2015	Prison officials continued to deny him the fast-acting antiviral cure. His attorneys filed a federal lawsuit seeking treatment.
2015	Mumia lost consciousness, was in renal failure and was hospitalized after going into diabetic shock.
2017	A federal court ordered the Department of Corrections to provide lifesaving hepatitis C treatment and Mumia was cured.
2021	In April, Mumia underwent double-bypass open-heart surgery after serious coronary artery blockages were identified.
2025	Delayed eye care left Mumia largely unable to see, read, or write for months. After months of delays, sustained legal advocacy and public pressure helped secure necessary treatment.
2026	Mumia continues to face serious risks to his vision and ongoing challenges accessing appropriate cardiac rehabilitation.

Today Mumia remains at risk of permanent vision loss. He needs ongoing care from qualified specialists.

Mumia Abu-Jamal deserves timely medical care, dignity, and freedom. Prison medical neglect must end.

Mumia’s fight for medical care has helped expose broader problems within the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. When advocates fight for his care, they also work to make sure others facing similar barriers aren’t left behind.

When Mumia is cared for, we all are cared for.