Man exonerated in Malcolm X’s murder sues NYC

NEW YORK: A man exonerated last November in the 1965 killing of civil rights leader Malcolm X has sued New York City after it admitted to have wrongly branded him a murderer.

Muhammad Aziz, 84, is seeking $40 million for the two decades he spent in prison and more than 55 years of being wrongly blamed, saying it caused “immense and irreparable” damage to him and his family. A similar $40 million lawsuit was also filed in Brooklyn federal court by the estate of co-defendant Khalil Islam, who spent 22 years in prison and has also been exonerated. \

“They got asmall measure of justice when their convictions were vacated,” Deborah Francois, a lawyer for both plaintiffs, said. “But we want to hold government officials accountable for misconduct. . . ” Islam died in 2009 at age 74. Mayor Eric Adamsin a statement said the city was reviewing the lawsuits.