Main content

Exonerated - wrongly convicted for killing Malcolm X

Muhammed Aziz - who's now 83 - and the late Khalil Islam were convicted in 1966 - after a trial in which authorities withheld evidence favourable to the defence.

Two men wrongly convicted of the murder of the civil rights leader, Malcolm X, in 1965 have had their convictions dismissed. There was applause in the courtroom in New York when the judge said Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam had suffered serious miscarriages of justice. Both men had spent two decades in jail. A review by the Manhattan district attorney's office found they had not received a fair trial and that police had withheld evidence. They were released on parole in the 1980s; Khalil Islam died in 2009. In a statement read out in court, Muhammad Aziz said he had been "victimised by the criminal justice system" - which must now take responsibility for "the immeasurable harm caused".

Malcolm X - a charismatic advocate for black empowerment - was shot multiple times as he was preparing to address a crowd in Manhattan. A third person, Thomas Hagan, who was released in 2010, has not had his conviction overturned.

Our correspondent Barbara Plett Usher has been following the case. This is 5 Minutes On - the men wrongly convicted of killing Malcolm X.

Image Credit: Bryan R Smith via Getty Images

Release date:

Available now

5 minutes