CAMPAIGN UPDATE:
The Connecticut Supreme Court has heard oral arguments from Isma’il’s defense and the state as of Friday, September 18, 2026, at 11:00 AM.
This is a significant milestone in Isma’il’s case and an opportunity for our community to demonstrate that the pursuit of justice matters. We currently await the findings of the CT Supreme Court with the possibility of the court overturning the conviction and calling for a new trial. We hope to see justice served and Isma’il free from this wrongful conviction.
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—
- Clear and convincing evidence -MET
- Evidence that would have changed the outcome of trial -MET
- Newly discovered