New York to pay $36 million to men wrongly convicted in Malcolm X killing

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• New York City and the state agreed to pay two men a total of $36 million for the wrongful conviction in Malcolm X’s killing in 1965.
• Muhammad Aziz, 84, spent 20 years in prison while Khalil Islam, who died in 2009, also spent more than 20 years in prison.
• Malcolm X became known as the voice of the Nation of Islam and encouraged Black people to claim their civil rights “by any means necessary.”

New York City is settling lawsuits filed on behalf of two men who were exonerated last year for the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X. The city agreed to pay $26 million for the wrongful convictions which led to both men spending decades behind bars.

The state of New York will pay an additional $10 million. David Shanies, an attorney representing the men, confirmed the settlements on Sunday.

Shanies said the settlements send a message that “police and prosecutorial misconduct cause tremendous damage, and we must remain vigilant to identify and correct injustices.”

Last year, a Manhattan judge dismissed the convictions of Aziz, now 84, and Islam, who died in 2009, after prosecutors said new evidence of witness intimidation and suppression of exculpatory evidence had undermined the case against the men.

The New York City Law Department, through a spokesperson, said Sunday it “stands by” Vance’s opinion that the men were wrongfully convicted and the financial agreement “brings some measure of justice to individuals who spent decades in prison and bore the stigma of being falsely accused of murdering an iconic figure.”

Shanies said the total $36 million will be divided equally between Aziz and the estate of Islam.

Aziz and Islam, who maintained their innocence from the start in the 1965 killing at Upper Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom, were paroled in the 1980s.

Malcolm X gained national prominence as the voice of the Nation of Islam, exhorting Black people to claim their civil rights “by any means necessary.”

He was shot to death while beginning a speech Feb. 21, 1965. He was 39.

Aziz and Islam and a third man, Mujahid Abdul Halim, were convicted of murder in March 1966. They were sentenced to life in prison.

Halim admitted to shooting Malcolm X but said neither Aziz nor Islam was involved.

Attorneys for the two men said Aziz spent 20 years while Islam spent 22 years in prison and died still hoping to clear his name.

Source: Reuters