4:02 PM PT -- Adnan's attorney, Erica J. Suter, tells us, "It took over two decades for prosecutors to finally acknowledge what Adnan Syed and his loved ones have been saying since day one: he did not murder Hae Min Lee. The appeal was not about Adnan’s innocence but about notice and mootness. The Appellate Court of Maryland has reinstated Adnan’s convictions, not because the Motion to Vacate was erroneous, but because Ms. Lee’s brother did not appear in person at the vacatur hearing. We agree with the dissenting judge that the appeal is moot and that Mr. Lee’s attendance over Zoom was sufficient."
She continues, "There is no basis for re-traumatizing Adnan by returning him to the status of a convicted felon. For the time being, Adnan remains a free man."
Finally saying, "We remain optimistic that justice will be done. We intend to seek review in Maryland’s highest court, the Supreme Court of Maryland, and will continue to fight until Adnan’s convictions are fully vacated. Ensuring justice for Hae Min Lee does not require injustice for Adnan."
Adnan Syed, the man whose murder conviction was overturned after 23 years behind bars, is heading back to court -- his conviction's been reinstated, but it doesn't necessarily mean he's going back to prison.
Here's the deal ... the family of Syed's victim, Hae Min Lee, successfully appealed the overturning of his conviction -- a decision prosecutors in Maryland made last year, but the family said they were completely blindsided by his release.
On Tuesday, a Maryland appeals court reinstated Syed's murder conviction, and now a new hearing will take place ... where new DNA evidence supporting his claim of innocence could be presented.
As we reported, the family of Hae Min -- who was murdered in 1999 -- didn't think the new evidence was enough to release Syed, and they were upset it was never presented during trial.
Bottom line: They want their day in court, because they still believe Syed -- whose case was heavily publicized on the "Serial" podcast -- is responsible for Hae Min's murder.
The appeals court move will, at least, give them that -- with the conviction reinstated, the evidentiary hearing will ultimately determine whether Syed remains free or returns to prison.
BTW -- Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby told us back in September her team tried many ways to notify the Lee family about Syed's release, insisting they wouldn't have dug deeper on the DNA evidence without first contacting them.
You'll recall, Syed filed multiple appeals while behind bars, but was constantly rejected. The popularity of "Serial" in 2014 brought his case national attention ... and made many listeners question his guilt.
Now he'll get to state his case for freedom one more time.