this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2024
150 points (99.3% liked)

World News

39385 readers
2288 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News [email protected]

Politics [email protected]

World Politics [email protected]


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

An 88-year-old man who is the world’s longest-serving death row inmate has been acquitted by a Japanese court, after it found that evidence used against him was fabricated.

Iwao Hakamada, who was on death row for almost half a century, was found guilty in 1968 of killing his boss, the man’s wife and their two teenage children.

He was recently granted a retrial amid suspicions that investigators may have planted evidence that led to his conviction for quadruple murder.

top 14 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 45 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Shit, the guy lost 50 years?! Might as well just fucking end it for him since you stole his WHOLE FUCKING LIFE!

[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 months ago (1 children)

He should get one free kill.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 months ago

With nobody to use it on. He likely outlived the cretins that framed him.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 months ago

Read: Death sentence reduced to 50 years in prison.

And in Japan, that means 50 years of being told he was going to be executed the next morning. Every single night.

That alone is inhumane.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 months ago (1 children)

ACAB

This is why every sane person should be against death sentence. Yes, some people would deserve it, but police and attorneys misuse the system and kill innocent people, which happened multiple times in a lot of countries.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

If he had been in Missouri they'd have proceeded anyway

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 months ago (3 children)

This is the worst thing I have heard all day. Whose ready for tomorrow?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

But wait, there's more! Japan has a 99.9% conviction rate! He's definitely not alone!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

Yes, but:

"Scholars say the biggest reason for Japan's very high conviction rate is the country's low prosecution rate and the way Japan calculates its conviction rate is different from other countries.According to them, Japanese prosecutors only pursue cases that are likely to result in convictions, and not many others.
According to Professor Ryo Ogiso of Chuo University, prosecutors defer prosecution in 60% of the cases they receive, and conclude the remaining 30% or so of cases in summary trials. This summary trial is a trial procedure in which cases involving a fine of 1,000,000 yen or less are examined on the basis of documents submitted by the public prosecutor without a formal trial if there is no objection from the suspect.
Only about 8% of cases are actually prosecuted, and this low prosecution rate is the reason for Japan's high conviction rate." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_justice_system_of_Japan

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Uh huh. Did you read the part where they don't have a presumption of innocence, like any actual justice system? Where you don't have the right to the presence of a lawyer during interrogation, which can happen over 23 days at a time? Where they can do that multiple times?

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/25/japan-hostage-justice-system-violates-rights

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I’ve seen it reported that if you count plea bargains as convictions, which is much closer to how Japan calculates conviction rate, that the US conviction rate is essentially the same as the Japanese one.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

Honestly, after a week of executions over here, including one against the wishes of prosecutors and the victim’s family, and another after a witness came forward and said they lied, this is the best news I’ve heard today.