Who Killed Malcolm X?: where to watch the documentary about the minister murdered

The Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vince Jr. made history on 18 November when he announced that Muhammad Abdul Aziz and Khalil Islam who fifty-six years ago were charged with the assassination of Malcolm X would be exonerated.

The announcement came after a team comprised of the district attorney's office and lawyers representing the two men completed an investigation that lasted almost two years into the conviction. The investigation was opened after the 2020 documentary series, Who Killed Malcolm X? reinvigorated public interest in the case.

Where can the documentary be watched?

Netflix members can stream all six episodes from the comfort of their homes. The series was released just before the pandemic, and when many were locked down, many viewed it and their interest prompted the investigation. In response to the findings of the investigation, Vance said confirmed what many activists and historians had argued for decades: "These men did not get the justice that they deserved."

Those interested in learning more about similar cases may also be interested in the Academy Award-winning film, Judas and the Black Messiah which details the story of the FBI's involvement in the killing of Black Panther Leader Fred Hampton. Hampton who served as the Chairmen of the Chicago Black Panther Party was killed at twenty-one during a police raid on his home in 1969, just four years after the assassination of Malcolm X.

Responses to the news

Muhammad Abdul Aziz, who has maintained his innocence responded to the decision saying since he was found guilty he knew that illegal and corrupt forces had been at work. In a statement to the press, he said that it is now clear that the "process that was corrupt to its core — one that is all too familiar."

One of the lawyers, David Shanies released a statement in light of the news explaining how both men had "experienced the agony of decades in prison for a crime they did not commit. They were robbed of their freedom in the prime of their lives and branded the killers of a towering civil rights leader. Muhammad is now 83, and Khalil passed away years ago without ever having had the chance to see his name cleared."

The Innocence Project, an organization that works to overturn wrongful convictions was also involved in the investigation has also released a statement on the historic move. Barry Scheck, one of the founders of the Innocence Project said "The assassination of Malcolm X was a historic event that demanded a scrupulous investigation and prosecution but, instead, produced one of the most blatant miscarriages of justice that I have ever seen."