Tupac Shakur’s stepfather to be freed from prison after more than 35 years

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November 11, 2022

By Char Adams, NBC News

Mutulu Shakur was arrested in 1986 and his advocates have argued that he is a “political prisoner.” (Jim Hughes / NY Daily News via Getty Images file)

fter more than 35 years in prison, Mutulu Shakur, Tupac Shakur’s stepfather, will be released on parole on Dec. 16, when he’ll spend what are expected to be his final days among family and friends.

The U.S. Parole Commission in October granted a request to release Shakur, an activist and holistic health care advocate, now 72, according to court documents obtained by NBC News. The decision to grant parole was made public on Thursday.

Shakur has several health issues, most notably stage-3 multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that can affect the bones and kidneys. He is being held at a federal medical center in Lexington, a prison in Kentucky for incarcerated people who require care.

“There are a lot of tears of joy,” Jomo Muhammad, an organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, who has been working to free Shakur, said of the decision. “There’s still disbelief because we were steadying ourselves for another denial. Now folks are excited about being able to reunite Mutulu with his family. We were crying together. It’s a long time overdue.”

Read Adams’ article.

Learn how activists secure Shakur’s release. Sadly, his trauma may not be over.

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