A Democrat, Yusef Salaam, was elected unopposed to a central Harlem district in one of many local elections held across New York state on Tuesday.

Salaam, who gained international attention as one of the wrongfully accused United States teenagers in the Central Park Five case, has won a seat on the New York City Council.

Salaam was arrested when he was just 15 and spent almost seven years in prison.

The victory comes more than two decades after DNA evidence led to the Central Park Five’s convictions being overturned.