An 88-year-old Japanese man, Iwao Hakamada, who holds the record as the world’s longest-serving death row inmate, has been acquitted after more than 50 years in prison.
The court ruling comes amid suspicions that evidence leading to his conviction for a quadruple murder was fabricated by investigators.
Hakamada was sentenced to death in 1968 for the murder of his employer, the man’s wife, and their two teenage children.
However, in 2014, he was released from prison and granted a retrial after his defense team presented evidence showing that DNA from bloodstains on clothing, purportedly worn by the killer, did not match his own.
Despite this, it took nearly a decade of legal battles for his acquittal to be confirmed.
During his time on death row, Hakamada’s mental health deteriorated, and since his release, he has been under the care of his sister.
His case has drawn significant attention as one of Japan’s most prominent and protracted legal sagas.
The retrial, which began last year, concluded on Thursday morning with the court finally clearing Hakamada of all charges.
He is only the fifth death row inmate in Japan’s post-war history to be granted a retrial. The acquittal marks a significant milestone in the country’s legal history, bringing an end to Hakamada’s long struggle for justice.
