Iwao Hakamada; Japan: Bulletin: Pro Boxing Association rally's for retrial 85-year old renowned former boxer who has protested his innocence from the outset - convicted as a result of coerced confession - who was released in 2014 pending further actions by the courts..."The main focal point between the defense and prosecution at present is the color of blood-soaked clothes, including a shirt, pants and underwear, said to be found in one of the miso (soybean paste) tanks slightly over a year after the murder case. When they were found, the redness of the bloodstain was seen. But the defense argues about the color as it is impossible for those clothes to maintain redness since bloodstain in a miso tank normally turns black in four weeks. In the day’s tripartite consultation among the defense, court and prosecution, the defense presented its own experiment, saying bloodstain cannot retain its redness under such circumstances, arguing it was concocted."

RELEASE: "Pro boxing groups hold rally, seeking retrial of 'Hakamada' case," published by The Japan Pro Boxing Association on June 23, 2021.

GIST: "The Japan Pro Boxing Association’s committee to support former professional boxer Iwao Hakamada, 85, who was convicted in a 1966 quadruple murder case, and other supporting groups jointly held a rally in front of the Tokyo High Court on June 21, seeking a retrial, even though he was freed in 2014 after spending nearly half a century on death row.

Committee head Shosei Nitta, head of the Kawasaki Nitta Gym, Yutaka Manabe of Manabe Boxing Gym, Hidenobu Honda of former Japanese super flyweight champion, Osamu Matsuoka of Shu Boxing Gym and former Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation featherweight champion Takeo Imaoka jointly appealed for Hakamada’s innocence.

‘’We want to win Mr. Hakamada’s innocence since Naoya ‘’Monster’’ Inoue who retained his world titles in Las Vegas, Nevada, in an impressive fashion yesterday, is also supporting Mr. Hakamada’s innocence.’’

The main focal point between the defense and prosecution at present is the color of blood-soaked clothes, including a shirt, pants and underwear, said to be found in one of the miso (soybean paste) tanks slightly over a year after the murder case.

When they were found, the redness of the bloodstain was seen. But the defense argues about the color as it is impossible for those clothes to maintain redness since bloodstain in a miso tank normally turns black in four weeks.

In the day’s tripartite consultation among the defense, court and prosecution, the defense presented its own experiment, saying bloodstain cannot retain its redness under such circumstances, arguing it was concocted.

https://boxingnews.jp/english/84254/

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See the companion post of this Blog (link below)  - The Selfless Warriors Blog - for a post on ex-Judge Kumamoto Norimichi: Selfless Warrior for former boxer  Iwao Hakamada.  (Japan): Although a dissenter,  he  was head of the panel of three judges who sentenced Hakamada to death in 1968,  has been haunted by the decision ever since, and has been fighting to free him, at enormous personal cost. HL.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2843831495754622340/858822604750344734

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"  section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;

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FINAL WORD:  (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases):  "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."

Lawyer Radha Natarajan:

Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;

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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions.   They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they’ve exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!

Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;