The former boxer Iwao Hakamada (88) was found guilty of four murders in 1966. Two years later, in 1968, he was sentenced to death for the murders. Since then he has been in prison awaiting the death sentence to be carried out. Hakamada was found guilty of four murders, of his own boss, and three of his family members. Hakamada initially denied committing the murders, but later confessed under questioning. He later claimed that he confessed to the murders because the police beat him up. However, Hakamada’s attempts to withdraw the confession were in vain, and the death sentence was upheld by Japan’s Supreme Court in 1980. 1968: Hideko Hakamada holds a photo of his brother, Iwao Hakamada as a young man, when he was arrested and convicted of the murders. Photo: KAZUHIRO NOGI / Afp After strong pressure from Hakamada over many years, a court decided in 2014 to resume his case. The court held that the doubt surrounding the evidence was sufficient to reopen the case. Hakamada has spent almost six decades on death row and, according to AP, is the world’s longest serving death row inmate. The verdict was handed down today, in the Shizuoka District Court. Secret when you are going to be hanged The date of the execution in Japan is not revealed to the death row in advance and they are informed only a few hours before the actual execution takes place. The family is often only informed after the execution has been carried out. The executions take place in special sections of prisons, usually in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. The method in Japan is by hanging. The mechanism that activates the hanging is set in motion by several executioners pressing buttons at the same time, so that no one knows who actually activated the trap. Published 26/09/2024, at 08.10 Updated 26.09.2024, at 08.21
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Japanese court acquits the longest-serving death row prisoner – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
