Japanese Man Acquitted After 45 Years on Death Row!

Iwao Hakamada, 88, who is believed to have spent the longest time on death row worldwide, has been acquitted of murder, finally ending a wrongful conviction that lasted nearly 60 years. A Japanese court ruled in his favor, declaring him “not guilty“ in a retrial of the 1966 murders of four people in Shizuoka, Japan. Hakamada’s sister, Hideko, who fought tirelessly for decades to clear her brother’s name, expressed overwhelming relief and joy upon hearing the verdict. Hakamada had been sentenced to death in 1968 and spent 45 years on death row before being released in 2014 for a retrial due to doubts about the evidence. DNA tests conducted on bloodstained clothing, which had been used to convict Hakamada, revealed that the blood was not his, leading to his exoneration. This is a pivotal moment for justice, and rights groups like Amnesty International are now urging Japan to reconsider its stance on the death penalty. This case serves as a powerful reminder of the importan