Good morning. It's Tuesday, Sept. 20, and we're covering the overturned murder conviction of Adnan Syed, a prisoner swap between the US and Afghanistan, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].
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A judge yesterday vacated the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, who drew national attention after the popular true-crime podcast series "Serial" in 2014 cast doubt on his role in the 1999 murder of his former girlfriend, Hae Min Lee (listen here). Syed was ordered to be released under home detention after prosecutors in the case asked for a new trial, saying they no longer had confidence in the integrity of the conviction.
Syed, 41, had been serving a life sentence for the strangulation of Lee, whose body was found in Baltimore's Leakin Park. Prosecutors at the time had relied on cellphone records showing Syed was in the vicinity of the crime but now question the cellphone tower data and want to consider two alternative suspects who they say were not properly ruled out. Prosecutors have 30 days to decide whether they will pursue a new trial or drop charges.
Syed has maintained his innocence throughout the yearslong case, rejecting a guilty plea deal in 2018 that would have set him free this year. |
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President Joe Biden announced the release of Mark Frerichs, a US prisoner held hostage for over two years in Afghanistan, as part of a prisoner swap for Bashir Noorzai, a Taliban drug lord serving a life sentence in federal prison.
Frerichs, a 60-year-old Navy veteran, was first abducted by the Haqqani network (see overview) from Kabul in 2020 after being lured to a fake business meeting while working as a civil engineering contractor. Frerichs, an Illinois native, had worked in the country for over a decade and is said to be in stable health. Noorzai was convicted in 2008 of directing a drug-trafficking operation and was a financier of the Taliban in the 1990s.
The news comes just days after the president met with family members of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, Americans detained in Russia. More than 60 Americans are believed to be wrongfully detained worldwide, including at least one other American, Ivor Shearer, in Taliban custody. |
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UN General Assembly Commences
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Leaders from over 150 countries are gathering in New York City this week as the United Nations opens the 77th session of the General Assembly, its first fully in-person meeting since 2019.
The assembly is the most representative body in the United Nations, the world's largest intergovernmental association (see background). In the opening days, heads of state deliver speeches while diplomats meet amid one of the world's premier networking events for international development. This year's agenda is expected to be dominated by Russia's war in Ukraine and its impact on the global food and energy supply; notably, top leaders from Russia, China, and India have opted out of attending.
Ukraine's embattled President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver the only remote speech of the session, while US President Joe Biden will speak Wednesday, later than usual due to his return from Queen Elizabeth's funeral. See the live list of speakers here. |
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Why do Russian Executives Keep Dying?
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Grid News | Staff. At least a dozen wealthy Russian executives have met their ends under questionable circumstances since the beginning of the year. Is it a coincidence or conspiracy? (Read) |
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NY Times | David Streitfeld. A look into a cyberstalking scheme at eBay meant to terrorize the creators of an online newsletter and the victims who are on a mission to keep the company responsible. (Read) |
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