死囚被監禁48年後獲釋放再審

Last month the NHK News on-line reported the following:

袴田さん釈放 再審決定は捜査機関批判

3月27日 19時09分

昭和４１年に静岡県で一家４人が殺害されたいわゆる「袴田事件」で死刑が確定し、２７日再審＝裁判のやり直しが認められた袴田巌さんが、逮捕から４８年たって東京拘置所から釈放されました。

再審を認めた決定は、捜査機関が証拠をねつ造し、死刑の恐怖のもとに身柄を拘束した疑いがあると強く批判しました。

袴田巌さんは、昭和４１年、今の静岡市清水区でみそ製造会社の専務の一家４人が殺害された事件で強盗殺人などの罪で死刑が確定し、無実を訴えて再審＝裁判のやり直しを求めた結果、２７日静岡地方裁判所で認められました。
裁判所は決定で元被告が事件を起こした時に着ていたとかつての死刑判決で認定された衣類について、捜査機関がねつ造した疑いがあると指摘しました。
再審請求の審理のなかで行ったＤＮＡ鑑定などをもとに、事件から１年以上たってみそタンクの中から見つかった衣類は、犯人のものでも袴田さんのものでもない可能性が強まったという判断でした。
さらに裁判所は、「元被告は死刑の恐怖のもとで極めて長い間、身柄を拘束された。これ以上勾留を続けることは耐えられないほど正義に反する」と指摘して死刑の執行と勾留を停止し、釈放を認める異例の決定をしました。
検察は再審を認めた決定を取り消すよう不服を申し立てる方針ですが、勾留を続ける法的な根拠がなくなったとして釈放の準備を進めていました。
これによって、裁判で無実を訴え続けながら死刑が確定した袴田さんは、昭和４１年に逮捕されて以来、４８年たって東京拘置所から釈放されました。
死刑囚の再審を認める決定は、９年前、平成１７年の、いわゆる「名張毒ぶどう酒事件」以来、６件目で、裁判所が再審開始の決定を出した段階で死刑囚の勾留を停止し、釈放を認めたのは今回が初めてです。
これまでに死刑囚の再審が認められた５件のうち、名張事件はのちに決定が取り消されましたが、ほかの４件はその後、いずれも再審が開始され、無罪となっています。

(試譯文)

In what was called the "Hakamada Incident" in which four family members were murdered in the Shizuoka Prefecture in Showa 41 and Mr. Iwao Hakamada was given the death penalty for that, on the 27th a retrial: to redo the trial was admitted and he was released from the Tokyo prison after being detained for 48 years since his arrest.

In the decision to accept a retrial, the criminal investigation agency was strongly criticized for being suspected to have fabricated evidence and that to detain that person was due to the fear of executing the death penalty.

Mr. Iwao Hakamada appealed for innocence and asked for a retrial; to redo the trial was accepted in the Shizuoka District Court on the 27^th. The decision on a death penalty for crimes, such as the murder and robbery, was related an incident happened in Showa 41 in which four family members of an executive director of a bean paste manufacturing company were murdered in the present Shimizu-district of Shizuoka-city.

The court suspected that the criminal investigation agency had fabricated the clothing that were recognized as having been worn by the defendant when the incident occurred, and based on these clothing the death sentence was decided.

Based on DNA identification etc. which were performed in an appeal hearing for a retrial, the clothing found in the bean paste tank one year or more after the incident occurred was strongly judged to have a possibility that they were not possessed by the criminal, or Mr. Hakamada either.

Furthermore, the court pointed that "the original defendant had been detained for a long time under an extreme fear of a death penalty, to continue the detention anymore cannot be tolerated and is incompatible with the justice". The execution of the death penalty and detention were stopped, and an exceptional decision was made to allow his release.

Although the policy for the prosecutors was to revoke the decision of admitting a retrial, preparation of the release was pushed ahead noting that the legal basis to continue with the detention had been lost.

While continuing to sue for innocence in a trial, Mr. Hakamada, on whom the death penalty was decided, was released from the Tokyo prison where he had been detained for 48 years since his arrest in Showa 41.

Since nine years ago, starting from the so called the "Nabari poison wine incident" happened in Heisei 17, this was the 6th case that a decision was made to accept a death-row inmate's retrial, and this was the first time that the court stopped a death-row detention and permitted the release of the inmate during the stage of taking out the decision to reopen the proceedings.

Up to now, regarding the five cases in which a death-row inmate's retrial was accepted, for the Nabari incident, the decision was later canceled. Apart from that for all other four cases, a retrial was started and found not guilty.

I am shock by the observation of the court that the criminal investigation agency in Japan might have fabricated the evidence when prosecuting Mr. Iwao Hakamada.