PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Shame on prosector Naomi Unemoto for trying to put the proverbial lipstick on a pig, by resting its decision not to appeal Iwao Hakamada's acquittal, on so-called undefined 'many problems' with the decision acquitting him - instead of condemning to the heavens the police brutality which understandably led him to confess, and the outrageous fabrication of evidence which not only tainted the case, but showed Japan's death penalty system what it is: a barbaric, primitive, excuse for a criminal justice system - a 'justice system' which cries out for reform - and sincere, public declarations by top officials that such indefensible police conduct will not be tolerated. Nothing less will do.
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
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GIST: "The prosecution has announced that it will not appeal the recent ruling by the Shizuoka District Court, which acquitted Iwao Hakamada, who had been sentenced to death for a 1966 murder case involving a family of four. This decision solidifies Hakamada's acquittal.
In the case, which dates back to June 1966, the bodies of four family members from a miso manufacturing company in Shizuoka Prefecture were discovered. Hakamada, now 88, was arrested and indicted, with the death sentence confirmed in 1980. Hakamada, who maintained his innocence, was granted a retrial in 2014 and released after nearly 48 years in prison.
During the retrial, which started in October of last year at the Shizuoka District Court, prosecutors once again sought the death penalty, while the defense argued that investigators had fabricated several pieces of evidence to frame Hakamada. The court sided with the defense, ruling on September 26 that some of the evidence used for conviction had indeed been fabricated, resulting in Hakamada’s acquittal.
Naomi Unemoto, the prosecutor general, issued a statement announcing the decision not to appeal, despite expressing concerns over the Shizuoka court's ruling, which she described as "containing many problems" and "worthy of a higher court’s review." However, she added that due to the prolonged and inconsistent judicial proceedings, Hakamada had endured significant legal uncertainty for an extended period. After careful deliberation, the prosecution concluded that further extending this situation through an appeal would be inappropriate.
Unemoto also issued an apology, stating: "As a key player in the criminal justice system, the prosecution deeply regrets that Hakamada was subjected to such prolonged legal instability."
The prosecution also announced its intention to conduct an internal review of why the retrial process had taken such an extensive period."
The entire story can be read at:
https://newsonjapan.com/article/143772.php
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. 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.
- SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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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;
