Two Men Wrongfully Convicted of Killing Malcolm X Awarded $26 Million

In order to resolve legal claims brought by two men who were wrongfully convicted of murdering civil rights activist Malcolm X in 1965, New York City will pay $26 million. This is according to reports by CNN, Washing Post and many other news agencies.

When a court found that Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam h

ad suffered from "severe miscarriages of justice" throughout their time in the US legal system, the men were both found not guilty of the murder last year.

Following their hurried arrest and trials following the death of the civil rights leader, the New York Times reported that both men were imprisoned for more than two decades.

2009 saw Mr. Islam's death.

To clear the men of their crimes, a 22-month inquiry headed by former Manhattan district attorney Cy Vance Jr. and their attorneys. According to the assessment, the FBI, the NYPD, and city prosecutors purposefully withheld crucial information from the men's defense attorneys that would have most certainly resulted in acquittals.

The motion to overturn the men's convictions was granted in November by State Supreme Court Judge Ellen Biben.

She apologized to Mr. Aziz, saying, "I regret that this court cannot completely rectify the egregious miscarriages of justice in this case and give you back the many years that were wasted."

The city legal department's representative expressed his hope that the settlement will provide the men with closure.

A spokesman for the New York City Law Department, Nick Paolucci, said in a statement that "this settlement offers some degree of justice to individuals who spent decades in prison and faced the humiliation of being wrongfully convicted of murdering a renowned figure."

"According to our review, our office supports the assertion made by former Manhattan district attorney Vance, who declared, "There is one ultimate conclusion: Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam were unfairly convicted of this crime," according to his investigation," Mr. Paolucci said.

 The payment will be split equally between Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam, according to Mr. Paolucci and David B Shanies, who is the men's attorney. Currently 84 years old, Mr. Aziz. The age of Mr. Islam's death was 74.

He passed away without ever knowing that his record will be cleared, which is unfortunate, according to Mr. Shanies. Therefore, the government needed to move immediately and take the necessary steps to put things right given the significance of the case and the protracted period during which this false conviction persisted.

Mr. Shanies claims that the estates of Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam have both negotiated separate $5 million agreements with the state of New York.

In 1965, just a year after he split from the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X was shot and died. On February 21, three assailants opened fire and assassinated him while he was giving a speech to promote his recently founded Organization of Afro-American Unity in Washington Heights, New York.

In a flash, Mujahid Abdul Halim, Mr. Aziz, and Mr. Islam were apprehended and accused of killing Malcolm X.

At first, all three said they were innocent, but Halim eventually cracked and acknowledged taking part in the murder. Additionally, he believed that Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam were blameless.