Muhammad Aziz, one of the men exonerated for the murder of Malcolm X, is suing the state of New York for $20 million.  

According to CNN, the 83-year-old is suing for “serious miscarriages of justice” that led to his wrongful conviction. He was one of three men convicted for Malcolm X’s murder in 1966. The 1965 assassination was one of the most influential killings of a Black leader fighting against injustice and racism. 

PREVIOUS: Two Black Men Accused of Killing Malcolm X To Be Exonerated  

Aziz spent 20 years in prison before being released in 1985. Khalil Islam, who was also exonerated for the murder, was released from prison in 1987 and died in 2009. A third man, Mujahid Halim, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.  

According to Aziz’s lawsuit, during the trial Halim testified that he was the one who shot Malcolm X. He maintained Aziz and Islam did not have any involvement with the murder.  

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Aziz’s exoneration came after a 22-month investigation conducted by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and lawyers. The investigation revealed prosecutors, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York Police Department withheld key evidence that would have likely led to Aziz and Islam’s acquittal, The New York Times reported.  

The lawsuit says Aziz endured hard times due to the conviction. “As a result of his wrongful conviction and imprisonment, Mr. Aziz spent 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit and more than 55 years living with the hardship and indignity attendant to being unjustly branded as a convicted murderer of one of the most important civil rights leaders in history,” the lawsuit said.  

It also accuses law enforcement agencies of wrongdoing. “The government’s misconduct that caused Mr. Aziz’s wrongful conviction, including the fabrication of evidence and suppression of compelling evidence of Mr. Aziz’s innocence, was unique in its extremity and audacity,” it said. 

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In the lawsuit, the details of Aziz’s physical injuries and his emotional and mental distress are outlined, according to CNN.  

District attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. apologized on behalf of law enforcement agencies, saying they failed the families of the two men. He said, “I apologize on behalf of our nation’s law enforcement for this decades-long injustice, which has eroded public faith in institutions that are designed to guarantee the equal protection of the law.”  

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