Iwao Hakamada, the world’s longest-serving death row inmate, has been acquitted by a Japanese court after 56 years.
Hakamada, now 88, was originally sentenced to death in 1968 for the murder of a family of four in Shizuoka, Japan.
He spent 45 years awaiting execution before doubts emerged about the evidence used to convict him.
Hakamada’s retrial was ordered in 2014 after DNA testing cast doubt on the key pieces of evidence, including bloodstained clothing used in his conviction. Advocates for his release have long claimed that his confession was forced under duress after days of interrogation.
On Thursday, the Shizuoka District Court officially acquitted Hakamada, ending his decades-long legal nightmare.
This ruling makes him the fifth death row inmate in Japan to be acquitted following a retrial.
Hakamada’s case has drawn international attention and raised serious concerns about Japan’s justice system, particularly its use of long-term death row imprisonment.
His acquittal marks a significant victory for human rights activists who have been fighting for his freedom for years.
