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A man exonerated in the killing of Malcolm X is suing NYC for $40 million : NPR


Muhammad Aziz stands outside court in New York after the alleged murder of Malcolm X was vacated on November 18, 2021.

Seth Wenig / AP


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Seth Wenig / AP


Muhammad Aziz stands outside court in New York after the alleged murder of Malcolm X was vacated on November 18, 2021.

Seth Wenig / AP

NEW YORK – A man exonerated last year in the 1965 assassination attempt, Malcolm X filed a $40 million lawsuit against New York City for two decades for which he served time in prison for a notorious crime he didn’t commit.

Attorneys for Muhammad Aziz, 84, filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn over Aziz’s wrongful conviction in the murder of Malcolm X, the civil rights leader who urged blacks to seek justice “by all means necessary.”

An additional lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the estate of Khalil Islam, a second man who was wrongly convicted of the assassination.

Malcolm X was shot and killed on February 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in upper Manhattan. Aziz and Islam, then known as Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson, and a third man were found guilty of murder in March 1966 and sentenced to life in prison.

A third man, Mujahid Abdul Halim, admitted to shooting Malcolm X but said neither Aziz nor Islam were involved. Halim was pardoned in 2010.

A Manhattan judge overturned the conviction of Aziz and Islam in November 2021 after prosecutors said new evidence of witness intimidation and suppression of justifying evidence weakened the case against him. back them. Then District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr apologized for the “serious, unacceptable violation of the law and the public’s trust.”

Attorneys David Shanies and Deborah Francois said in the complaint filed Thursday that both Aziz and Muslim were at their home in the Bronx when Malcolm X was killed.

They said Aziz “has spent 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit and more than 55 years living with the hardships and grievances of a servant in order to be falsely accused of being a convicted murderer.” one of the most important civil rights leaders in history.”

After 22 years in prison and dying, there is still hope for clarity. The lawyers wrote: “The damage caused to Mr Islam and his family is immense and irreparable.

A spokesperson for the New York City law department referred a request for comment to Mayor Eric Adams, who said in a statement, “As someone who has fought for a fairer criminal justice system across the country, During the course of my career, I believe Mr. Aziz’s overturn and Mr. Islam’s conviction were the rightful outcome. We are reviewing this case.”



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