Adnan Syed’s conviction reinstated

KARACHI: After spending 23 years in prison, for a crime he is adamant that he did not commit, Adnan Syed finally got a taste of freedom in September last year. But that was short lived. Born to immigrant Pakistani parents and living in Baltimore, Syed lived a double life. To his parents, he was a simple Muslim boy. But for his friends, Syed was a typical American teenager. He played football, smoked pot and had a secret love life that he hid because he knew his parents would not approve. And these very things got Adnan Syed convicted for murder.

Accused of murdering his girlfriend Hae Min Lee, Syed spent 23 years in prison while his lawyers fought for his innocence. He also became the subject for the immensely popular podcast called Serial. It seemed as his legal team won the fight when prosecutors for the case had his conviction thrown out after a year long review of the case had found two “alternative suspects.” The Baltimore Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn had explained that she was vacating his conviction “in the interest of fairness and justice.” She also added that the state had failed to share evidence that could have helped his defense at trial. 

However, in yet another twist in the Adnan Syed murder trial, the Appellate Court of Maryland vacated the previous decision of the lower court on the basis that it had violated state law by not giving Lee’s family adequate notice of a hearing to vacate the conviction. As per the Appellate Court, Lee’s brother, Young Lee was given just a one day notice of the hearing which was “insufficient time to reasonably allow Mr. Lee, who lived in California, to attend” in person and, as a result, he had to watch remotely.

But the ruling also suggests Syed will not remain convicted for long and that the reinstatement will be temporary until the hearing is repeated.