Notorious cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal claims his rights are being violated.

The celebrity prisoner currently hospitalized at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville for treatment of a rash spreading across his body has filed a federal complaint against the hospital, claiming the facility is not letting him have visits or contact with anyone.Lawyers for Abu-Jamal serving life in prison for murdering a Philadelphia police officer in 1981 say he was not allowed any outside contact for days until Monday morning when he was finally allowed a 15-minute phone call with his wife just before the complaint was filed.They claim John Kerestes, superintendent of Abu-Jamal's assigned prison, State Correctional Institution at Mahanoy, has the power to allow him phone calls and visitors, but the Department of Corrections claims Geisinger has a no-communication policy for prisoners in its custody. Kerestes is also named as a defendant."Neither the (Department of Corrections) nor Geisinger Medical Center have provided any justification for the total prohibition on communications with plaintiff Abu-Jamal," according to the federal complaint filed Monday.In a phone interview after the complaint was filed, one of his attorneys, Bret Grote, said it seems that SCI Mahanoy did not want to permit visits, but didn't want to take responsibility for the decision. The prison is blaming the hospital's policy for the reason access was denied. However, he said when he spoke to counsel for the hospital, they seemed open to permitting visits or phone calls, but the department of corrections won't go along with it."So there's a little bit of a game going on about who is in charge and who is really denying the visits and the access," Grote said. "We're not getting clear answers, and we're not asking for anything more than access."Abu-Jamal, 61, who was born Wesley Cook, is a former Black Panther and is serving a life sentence at the prison for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. He was originally sentenced to death, but the capital punishment penalty was overturned. After years of appeals, Philadelphia prosecutors in 2011 dropped their efforts to reinstate the death penalty in his case. While Abu-Jamal had been on death row, a large following started backing the "Free Mumia" movement and concerts have been held by bands like Rage Against Machine and the Beastie Boys to lend support. In the complaint, Abu-Jamal's lawyers noted his case "is well-known worldwide and is considered by many to be a case of injustice."Abu-Jamal's complaint says he had a variety of health problems in recent months, which include a skin rash of unknown origin covering more than 70 percent of his body, abnormal blood work, and a recent episode of diabetic shock that could have killed him. Abu-Jamal was taken to Schuylkill Medical Center-East Norwegian Street in Pottsville on March 30 after suffering from the diabetic shock. He then was released back to prison.In a letter included in the injunction request, Wadiya Jamal wrote that her husband's condition has deteriorated over the past six weeks. She said she had gotten a call May 12 from SCI-Mahanoy saying her husband had been taken to Geisinger Medical Center because blisters on his legs were infected and his diabetic condition worsened.Abu-Jamal filed a preliminary injunction and restraining order, asking a federal judge to direct Geisinger Medical Center to permit him to visit with his attorneys, which include Grote, of Abolitionist Law Center in Pittsburgh, and Robert Boyle, a private attorney based in New York, while he is at Geisinger. He also wants the court to permit him to visit with his family and wife, who is authorized by the DOC as the person to obtain her husband's medical record.Attorneys for Abu-Jamal say the failure to allow Abu-Jamal to meet with his attorneys violates his Fifth and 14th amendment rights to "access to the courts." The communication and visitation prohibition also denies his lawyers and family from learning information about what treatment Abu-Jamal is receiving, the attorneys claim.Susan Bensinger, a spokeswoman for the DOC, said she would check with the legal department, but the agency generally doesn't comment on legal matters.Meanwhile, Geisinger spokeswoman Wendy Wilson said the hospital "is committed to providing a safe environment for all of our patients, visitors and employees.""Our policy regarding visitation is consistent with that commitment," she said in a prepared statement. "It does, though, include a provision for visitation for critically ill patients/prisoners with approval by the Department of Corrections. Our primary goal with all of our patients is to provide quality, compassionate care."