According to NBC News, 2Pac’s stepfather, Mutulu Shakur, is set to receive parole on December 16 after serving more than 35 years in prison.
Shakur was serving a 60-year sentence for a 1988 conviction for leading a group of revolutionaries in a series of “armed robberies” in New York and Connecticut, including one that led to the deaths of three people.
The 72-year-old was turned down on loan in 2016 despite his cancer getting worse.
“Dr. Shakur is a 71-year-old man who has been incarcerated for over 35 years and is undergoing treatment for bone marrow cancer,” said Shakur’s attorney, Brad Thompson of the People’s Law Firm.
“He has been praised by current and former Bureau of Prisons officials and the Bank of Palestine’s assessment tools prove he poses no risk if released.”
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The US Probation Board granted the activist and universal health advocate’s parole request in October, with the parole decision released on Thursday.
“Many tears of joy were shed,” Jomo Muhammad, one of the organizers of the Malcolm X Grassroots movement, said of the decision.
“There is still disbelief because we were preparing for another denial. Now people are excited to be able to reunite Mutulu with his family. We cried together. It’s been a long time,” said Mohamed who has long tried to free Shakur.
“He was not acquitted,” said Mohammed, “he was released on medical parole, which means he could still be taken from us.”
“We are preparing for his return home and need to consider transport as his condition has deteriorated to the point where he cannot fly commercially. He managed to survive longer than the doctors gave him, but he still has cancer and is dying.”
After his release, Shakur will be monitored for up to four months. Mohamed is happy that Shakur is alive and that his supporters and family are working to ensure he has the best medical care.
