National Urban League Commend Exoneration of Men Wrongfully Convicted of Assassinating Malcom X
URBAN LEAGUE LEADERS COMMEND EXONERATION OF MEN WRONGFULLY CONVICTED IN MALCOLM X ASSASINATION, URGE OTHER JURISDICTIONS TO FOLLOW NEW YORK’S EXAMPLE
NEW YORK (November 19, 2021) – Authorities in other jurisdictions should heed the example of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and take action to remedy past injustices and make reforms to prevent them in the future, the leaders of the National Urban League and New York Urban League said in response to the exoneration of the men convicted in Malcolm X’s assassination.
“This is gross injustice with generational wounds and generational implications,” said New York Urban League President and CEO Arva Rice. “This case is yet another example of a rush to judgement in this system and hasty, if not sloppy, investigations that result in the unjust convictions of innocent Black people.”
A 22-month investigation by the Manhattan DA’s office, the Innocence Project and defense lawyers found that the New York Police Department and the FBI withheld key evidence that would likely have changed the outcome of the cases against Muhammad A. Aziz and Khalil Islam. Further investigation is needed to determine the identity of any accomplices of Mujahid Abdul Halim, who confessed to the murder and whose conviction stands, and whether there was any government involvement in a conspiracy.
“It is shameful that these are the lengths that must be taken to find justice in this system,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. “Countless documents and witness statements were found implicating others and exonerating Mr. Aziz and Islam. Officers and agents withholding evidence is abhorrent and antithetical to the laws they vow to protect.”
The case serves as a reminder that disclosure laws are intended to protect the rights of those accused of crimes and more protections are necessary to make this a true system of justice, the leaders said.
“This is not simply an oversight,” Rice said. “This brand of injustice steals decades of life from innocent people and further undermines public confidence in the justice system for generations to come.”