Bill > AR111

This Resolution, passed by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey, urges Cuba to extradite Joanne Chesimard, also known as Assata Shakur, to the United States. Chesimard was convicted in 1977 for the 1973 murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster and the wounding of Trooper James Harper during a traffic stop where Chesimard and members of the Black Liberation Army allegedly opened fire on the officers. After escaping from prison in 1979, Chesimard fled to Cuba, where she was granted political asylum and has resided since. Despite numerous past efforts to secure her extradition, including appeals to Pope John Paul II, and her designation in 2013 as the first woman on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) most wanted terrorist list, indicating she is considered a significant threat, this resolution is being introduced in the context of the United States restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba. The resolution aims to leverage this renewed diplomatic relationship to bring Chesimard to justice for the murder of Trooper Foerster.