The assassination of Malcolm X.. Huge compensation after decades of imprisonment of innocents

New York City is settling lawsuits on behalf of two men acquitted last year in the 1965 murder of Malcolm X, agreeing to pay $26 million for “false convictions” that led to the two men spending decades behind bars.

New York State will pay an additional 10 million dollars, according to David Shanes, the lawyer for the two men, who spoke about the settlement process, Sunday, in the case of the murder of the American human rights defender and preacher.

Lawyer’s Statements

• In an e-mail, Shaniz said that “Mohammed Aziz, Khalil Islam and their families have suffered because of these unjust convictions for more than 50 years.”

• He added: “The city has acknowledged the grave grievances committed here, and I commend the sincerity and speed with which the Office of the Comptroller and the Company’s counsel has moved to resolve the lawsuits.”

• Emphasize that the settlements send a message that “misconduct of the police and the public prosecution is causing serious harm, and we must remain vigilant to identify and correct grievances.”

In the 1980s, Aziz and Islam, who had insisted from the outset in 1956, were granted conditional release.

Last year, a Manhattan judge dismissed the convictions of Aziz, now 84, and Islam, who died in 2009, after prosecutors said new evidence of witness intimidation and concealment of innocence evidence would have undermined the case against the two men.

Then District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. apologized for “serious and unacceptable violations of law and public trust.”

A spokeswoman for the New York City Department of Law said Sunday that the city stood by Vance’s view that the two men were “unfairly convicted” and that the financial agreement “provides a measure of justice for the two men who have spent decades in prison and have endured the stigma of being falsely accused of killing a high-profile person.”

Schneese said that over the next few weeks she will sign the settlement papers, and that the New York court, which deals with issues of proving consent, will have to prove the settlement in favor of Islam’s estate.

The total sum of $36 million will be divided equally between Aziz and Islam’s heirs.