Japanese Court Awards €13 Million to Wrongfully Convicted Boxer After Decades of Injustice
On Tuesday, a court in Shizuoka, central Japan, awarded a remarkable compensation of 13 million euros to Iwao Hakamada, a former boxer who was wrongfully sentenced to death in 1968 for the murder of four individuals, a verdict later confirmed in 1980. Hakamada spent an astonishing 56 years behind bars, mostly on death row, before his release in 2014 while awaiting a new trial. He was ultimately acquitted last September, but the scars of his lengthy ordeal remain.
The awarded compensation amounts to 12,500 yen (approximately 77 euros) for each day Hakamada spent in detention, a significant sum reflecting the gravity of the miscarriage of justice he experienced. His case stands as one of the most well-known and widely debated judicial matters in Japan, marking Hakamada as the longest-serving prisoner in the world awaiting execution.
The tragic events leading to his conviction date back to June 30, 1966, when the bodies of his boss and his family were discovered in Shizuoka. After being held for twenty days, enduring intense interrogation – which his lawyers and various NGOs claim included sessions lasting up to 15 hours straight – Hakamada confessed to the crimes. However, during his first trial, he proclaimed his innocence, later revealing that he had been subjected to beatings, torture, and coercive tactics that forced him to admit guilt.
This case not only highlights the shortcomings of the justice system in Japan but also raises crucial questions about the treatment of detainees and the validity of confessions obtained under duress. Hakamada’s story is a stark reminder of the human cost of wrongful convictions and the urgent need for reform within judicial processes. As Japan grapples with its legacy of capital punishment and wrongful accusations, Hakamada's acquittal may serve as a turning point in the fight for justice and human rights in the country.
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