This petition is deeply personal to me. I am fighting for a friend who has been wrongfully convicted and is currently serving time for a crime he did not commit. He resides in Minneapolis, MN, USA - a city that prides itself on justice and equality. Yet, his case tells a different story.

Wrongful convictions are not rare occurrences. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, as of 2020 there were over 2,400 known exonerations in the United States since 1989 – representing more than 21,000 years lost in prison by innocent people (source: The National Registry of Exonerations). These figures are alarming and highlight an urgent need for reform.

Our friend's case is one among many that demand immediate attention. His life has been put on hold due to this unjust conviction; he deserves to have his freedom reinstated and his name cleared.

Here is his Personally Written Statement:

( Wrongfully Convicted )

Hi my name is Mahdi Ali, an innocent man behind bars.
I want to bring awareness to my case, story and wrongful conviction. 
I'm in prison for triple homicide and
currently serving three consecutive life sentences for a
crime that occurred when I was 16 years old. For the passed 
14 years I have been fighting tooth and nail for
my freedom and wrongful conviction. I am innocent.
My conviction is based off contaminated partial DNA
evidence that has a DNA mixture of the B.C.A personnel
that was examining and conducting the testing.

I also have time stamped video alibi of me picking a
friend up from a workplace during the time of the crime.
The state knew and withheld this alibi evidence during
my trial and my lawyer failed to discover it in my defense.
I recently became aware of the time stamped alibi video
evidence after over a decade of prison and wrongful
incarceration due to lack of resources. Keep in mind,
I was only 16 years old and this whole situation was
way over my head being a kid. My case was high profile
case in Minnesota and the state took full advantage
of my youth so they can relieve themselves from the
pressure and the public out cry.

I also want to highlight the fact that I'm the only juvenile
charged offender in the state of Minnesota who's currently
still serving a sentence that's equivalent to a life without
parole. In 2012, the U.S Supreme court ruled on a Cruel and
Unusual punishment case prohibiting convicted juvenile
offenders such as myself from spending the rest of their
lives behind bars. It was a nationwide ruling that gave me
and many other juvenile offenders across the country a
hope and a promising release dates. Well, after all it's not as
promising as it once seemed, or like I thought it would be
when it came to me and my case. The district court
didn't change my life without parole sentence denying
me any promising outdate and the state of Minnesota
supreme court upheld the district court decision to not
change my sentencing despite the U.S supreme court
saying otherwise and making life term sentence
for a juvenile offender unconstitutional.

It's disappointing when you put up a fight and come
up short. It's very disheartening and frustrating when
your constitutional rights get denied wrongfully. There are
many juvenile offenders across the nation and in the state
of Minnesota who have been allegedly accused and
convicted of similar, lesser and even worse crimes then
the ones I'm alleged of as juveniles. To be the only one
denied by the state appellate court and the Supreme
court for some time back due to the Cruel and Unusual
punishment ruling of the U.S Supreme court is very
confusing and frustrating.

I have dreams. I have goals and aspirations that I truly
believe will make the world a better place one day. I want
to share my story and journey with the world and help save
lives in that fashion. I want to inspire hope and save as many
youth lives as possible by showing them the proper way of
developing into fine human beings through my story. Many
urban areas in our cities are short of leadership. Many of
our youth slip away as the day goes by and find themselves
in tragedy due to lack of leadership, or simply leaders lacking
the proper skills or just not being relatable enough. I am a
man who simply wants to make our world that much more
safer, healthier and better. Please help me exonerate myself
so I can help invest in our beautiful world.

Thank You!

Mahdi H. Ali
OID#: 236437
7600 525th Street
Rush City, MN 55069

We call upon the legal authorities of Minneapolis to revisit this case with fresh eyes and an open mind. We urge them to consider all evidence impartially and ensure justice prevails.

Please sign this petition if you believe in justice being served correctly - your support could help exonerate an innocent man from his wrongful conviction.