After 46 years on death row, he is found to be innocent
A lot of happy people were waiting for the now 88-year-old Iwao Hakamada at the prison when he was released. This Japanese former boxer had in fact spent 46 years on death row, for murders that it turns out he ultimately did not commit. No one in the world was unjustly imprisoned longer.
The Japanese court officially acquitted Iwao Hakamada for the murders he was convicted of in 1968. His boss and his family were killed then, and people were soon looking in Iwao's direction. The man was allegedly heavily pressured by the police to confess to the acts. He was sentenced to death.
In 2014, however, a court decided that the case should be retried. That meant Hakamada had to be released in the meantime. And meanwhile, the redeeming news came: Iwao Hakamada was completely acquitted for the murders. He spent almost his entire life innocently behind bars.
(FVDV for Tagtik/Illustration picture: Pixabay)