Malcolm X – NYC To Pay $26 Million To Two Men Wrongly Convicted Of Killing The Civil Rights Activist

Malcolm X

Malcolm X – NYC To Pay $26 Million To Two Men Wrongly Convicted Of Killing The Civil Rights Activist

New York City will settle lawsuits filed on behalf of two men who were exonerated last year for the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X. According to reports, the city has agreed to pay $26 million for the wrongful convictions.

Muhammad Aziz, 84, and the family of the late Khalil Islam– who died in 2009– will each take home about $13 million nearly six decades after the assassination of Malcolm X.  Both Aziz and Islam sat behind bars for over 20 years despite questionable evidence proving their innocence.

Malcolm X

Three men were convicted in 1966 for the murder of Malcolm X – Mujahid Abdul Halim (known previously as both Talmadge Hayer and Thomas Hagan), Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam, and were sentenced to life in prison. Aziz and Islam said they were innocent while Halim acknowledged he took part in the assassination, but always maintained the innocence of the other two men. Aziz was released from prison in 1985 and Islam was released in 1987 but died in 2009.

Both Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam were exonerated last year after a judge found “serious miscarriages of justice” in their cases. A 22-month investigation by then-Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s office and lawyers for the men found that evidence of their innocence, including FBI documents, was withheld at trial. Vance’s review of the case came after the 2020 Netflix documentary, “Who Killed Malcolm X?” raised a slew of new questions.

New York County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Ellen Biben said in her ruling at the time:

“I regret that this court cannot fully undo the serious miscarriages of justice in this case and give you back the many years that were lost.”

David Shanies, an attorney representing both Aziz and the state of Islam, said in a statement:

“What’s most important is that Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam have reclaimed their good names..They will go down in history as two brave, dignified, innocent men who never stopped fighting their tragic wrongful convictions. It was imperative that these civil lawsuits be resolved immediately and fairly, and I am gratified that New York City and its lawyers worked with us toward a just resolution.”

According to reports, paperwork for the $26 million settlement is still being finalized, but it will be split evenly between Aziz and the estate of Islam. Court records state the parties in both cases have

“accepted the courts settlement recommendation in their respective cases.” 

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