An 88-year-old Japanese man who had fought to overturn a murder conviction for decades has finally been acquitted. Iwao Hakamata was arrested in 1966 and spent 46 years on death row. In a landmark retrial, a court declared him innocent in late September, and while rejecting the verdict, the prosecution this week announced it would not file an appeal. "I’m so happy, it’s as if the past 58 years have just blown away," Hakamata’s sister Hideko tells FRANCE 24’s Yuka Royer, adding that she’ll keep on fighting to save other victims of wrongful convictions and to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. Plus, FRANCE 24’s Charli James takes a closer look at what’s behind Japan’s staggering 99 percent conviction rate.
Read more about this story in our article: https://f24.my/Af6v.y
🔔 Subscribe to France 24 now: https://f24.my/YTen
🔴 LIVE – Watch FRANCE 24 English 24/7 here: https://f24.my/YTliveEN
🌍 Read the latest International News and Top Stories: https://www.france24.com/en/
Like us on Facebook: https://f24.my/FBen
Follow us on X (Twitter): https://f24.my/Xen
Browse the news in pictures on Instagram: https://f24.my/IGen
Discover our TikTok videos: https://f24.my/TKen
Get the latest top stories on Telegram: https://f24.my/TGen
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings