(New York) The two African-Americans exonerated in 2021 after more than 20 years in prison each for the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X, will receive 36 million dollars from the city and state of New York, indicated Sunday evening their lawyer, confirming information from the New York Times.
Posted yesterday at 11:31 p.m.
“The tragedy of the murder of Malcolm X was felt around the world and compounded by the fact that it led to the conviction and imprisonment of two young, innocent black men in the United States,” replied in an email. to AFP their lawyer David Shanies.
“This injustice is now recognized and a modest step has been taken to correct it,” added the representative of Muhammad Aziz, 84, and the family of Khalil Islam, who died in 2009.
The lawyer confirmed that the city of New York would pay $26 million to each of the two men and their families. The State of New York will also pay them five million dollars each, or 36 million dollars in compensation in total, according to figures revealed on Sunday by the New York Times.
Last November, the Supreme Court of the State of New York had legally cleared MM. Aziz and Islam, calling a “failure of justice” their conviction more than half a century ago for the February 21, 1965 assassination in Harlem of anti-racism icon Malcolm X.
Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam, who served 42 years in prison between them, have always maintained their innocence.
The third convict Mujahid Abdul Halim had admitted to him at the time having shot Malcolm X, and had exonerated his two co-defendants, but in vain until 2020 and the reopening of the file by the justice of New York.