Man exonerated in Malcolm X's murder sues New York state over wrongful conviction

Muhammad Aziz, one of the two men who last month were cleared of any culpability in the 1965 death of civil rights leader Malcolm X, sued New York state on Tuesday for damages of at least $20 million stemming from his wrongful conviction.

Last month, a judge exonerated Aziz and Khalil Islam, two of the three men convicted of the killing. The decision came after a two-year investigation from Manhattan's district attorney found that Aziz, 83, and Islam, who has since died, were wrongfully convicted.

"As a result of his wrongful conviction and imprisonment, Mr. Aziz spent 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit and more than 55 years living with the hardship and indignity attendant to being unjustly branded as a convicted murderer of one of the most important civil rights leaders in history," the lawsuit stated.