Free Abdus

Mr. Isma’il Abdus Sabur is a father, son, husband, and hard-working community member whose life was upended by a wrongful conviction in 2014.

He attended a gathering where a conflict broke out after the victim’s sons arrived and started a fight. Mr. Abdus Sabur did not take part in that altercation. After the fight ended, the victim’s sons went to get their father and returned to the scene armed with knives, a machete, and swords. In the chaos that followed, an attempted home invasion occurred, and the victim was fatally wounded.

A few days later, a warrant was issued for Mr. Abdus Sabur’s arrest. He voluntarily turned himself in and was later wrongfully convicted after trial.

After serving more than a decade in prison, Mr. Abdus Sabur sought post-conviction relief through a habeas corpus petition, presenting new and credible proof that he was not responsible for the incident—including a full confession from the actual perpetrator, which was corroborated and deemed credible by the habeas court.

Despite meeting two parts of the three-prong test for actual innocence—

1. Clear and convincing evidence -MET
2. Evidence that would have changed the outcome of trial -MET
3. Newly discovered

Mr. Abdus Sabur remains incarcerated for a crime he did not commit.