Pakistani-American attorney Rabia Chaudry made headlines on Monday, September 19, 2022, when Adnan Syed, convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment of Korean-American high school student Hae Min Lee, was released.

Chaudry is a childhood friend of Adnan Syed, who authored book about the case, titled Adnan’s Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial in 2016.

Also Read: ‘Serial’ case: Adnan Syed released after judge overturns 1999 murder conviction

Who is Rabia Chaudry?

Rabia Chaudry is a Pakistani-American attorney, who was born in Lahore, Pakistan. She is also a childhood friend of Adnan Syed, who was released by Baltimore judge Melissa Phinn on Monday, September 19, 2022, in connection with the 1999 murder case of Hae Min Lee. The attorney is also a co-host of a popular podcast named Undisclosed, which speaks about the case of Adnan Syed and many others.

After moving to the United States, Chaudry attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and subsequently the George Mason University School of Law. It was Chaudry who took the case of Adnan to Serial, a popular podcast, host Sarah Koenig, who in turn recorded the investigation into Adnan Syed’s murder case. 

Apart from being an attorney in the United States, Chaudry is also a fellow at the US Institute of Peace and the New America Foundation. She has also founded the Safe Nation Collaborative, where she is also the president. The project offers education on the Islamic faith and counters violent extremism and communication between law enforcement and Islamic communities.

Also Read: 1999 Hae Min Lee murder case: A timeline of Adnan Syed’s trials

She has been vocal about Adnan Syed’s innocence on social media platforms for a long time. “We did it. WE FREED ADNAN,” she wrote on Twitter after Syed’s release on September 19.

Her 2016 book on Adnan Syed became a New York Times bestseller and featured among Audible’s 10 most popular audiobooks of 2016 list subsequently.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story mistakenly called Rabia Chaudry Adnan Syed’s attorney.