International
Who is Iwao Hakamada, the inmate acquitted after 47 years waiting for a death sentence?
Former professional boxer, converted to Christianity in prison, Iwao Hakamada spent 47 years behing bars waiting for a death sentence that never came and from which the Japanese justice acquitted him this Thursday. It was the end of a tireless struggle to defend his innocence.
Hakamada (Shizuoka, 1936) was sentenced to death in 1968 after being accused of murdering two years earlier the owner of the miso factory (fermented soy) in which he worked, his wife and the couple’s two children and then burning his house.
He tirelessly defended his innocence on the grounds that the evidence that incriminated him was actually manufactured against him, mainly garments found in one of the company’s miso tanks, stained with blood and that matched his DNA. The Japanese justice has finally proved him right.
At 88 years old, with a weakened mental condition due to the almost half century he spent bands (so he holds a Guinness record), the Shizuoka District Court acquitted him this Thursday after the repetition of his trial, a procedure uncommon in Japan, but accepted for Hakamada in 2014.
The former Japanese boxer was released that year from prison, but the magistrates exempted him from appearing in the new trial due to his impaired mental condition. His sister, Hideko Hakamada, and his lawyer, Hideyo Ogawa, two of the pillars of the former convice, took over.
19 days and 228 hours of interrogation
Although he denied the facts when he was arrested in 1966, Hakamada took the charges on September 6 of the same year to “protect his life,” as he said at the time, on the nineteenth day of an interrogation that lasted an average of 12 hours a day.
He again denied having committed the crime in the first hearing of the initial trial and continued to do so in the thousand letters he sent to his family from prison.
The first was written in 1967 and was addressed to his mother, who died the following year although he did not know it until months later.
“It’s been half a year since I last saw you. I’m fine. I’m sorry my family is worried about me. I really have nothing to do with the Kogane Miso incident. I am innocent,” read the manuscript, compiled and published by the Japanese newspaper Asahi, along with the hundreds of letters that happened to the first one.
“They looked a little like my clothes, but there are so many clothes in the world that look like…”, Hakamada wrote before being sentenced in relation to the garments found in the miso tank.
Capital penalty
Hakamada was sentenced to death penalty because the blood with which the clothes found immersed in miso were stained matched his DNA, but the Japanese defended from the beginning that it was a fabricated evidence against him and appealed the sentence.
“I saw them (the blood-stained pants) in court. They seemed too small to me, no matter how I looked at them. If they don’t go well for me, the accusation against me will disappear,” Hakamada wrote in another of the letters to his family.
It was shown that the pants did not correspond to the size of the ex-contain, but the prosecutors and the authorities in charge of the investigation of the case argued that the clothes were small because Hakamada gained weight in prison.
Another of the former boxer’s arguments in the defense of his innocence was that the color of the blood was too dark, a thesis that prosecutors and investigators refuted claiming that the red had acquired a brownish tone by soaking the clothes in miso.
The appeal was rejected, but Hakamada requested in 1981 the repetition of the trial of his case, which was not accepted until 2014, after the prosecution revealed color photographs of the clothing that made the Shizuoka Court doubt the veracity of the evidence due to the color of the blood.
Hakamada’s release was ordered by the Japanese justice 17,388 days after his arrest, when a second trial was accepted, and the Japanese was released from prison at the age of 78.
A life in freedom with his sister
At the current age of 88, Hakamada lives in Hamamatsu, a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, with his sister Hideko, three years older than him.
He continues to show symptoms of the “institutional psychosis” that was diagnosed in 2008, a mental illness that some prisoners develop and that manifests itself in the form of dizziness, headaches, nausea and paranoia. He also claims to be God.
International
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday expressed his condolences to the people of Venezuela following the two devastating earthquakes that struck the country and highlighted the ongoing coordination between UN humanitarian teams and interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
Speaking during the UN’s daily press briefing, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres was deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.
“The Secretary-General is deeply distressed by the loss of life and the widespread devastation caused by the earthquakes that struck Venezuela yesterday. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” Dujarric stated.
Venezuela was struck on Wednesday by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. According to official figures, the disaster has left at least 164 people dead and 971 others injured.
Dujarric noted that preliminary reports indicate significant damage across several states, including the capital, Caracas. Numerous casualties have been reported, while other individuals remain trapped beneath collapsed structures or are still missing.
“Critical infrastructure has been damaged and essential services have been disrupted,” the spokesperson said.
The United Nations confirmed that its humanitarian team remains in close contact with interim President Delcy Rodríguez and other relevant authorities as emergency operations continue.
To support relief efforts, the UN has established a coordination center in Caracas and is assisting local authorities to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches affected communities as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Guterres also welcomed the expressions of solidarity and offers of assistance from countries around the world that responded following news of the disaster, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in addressing the humanitarian emergency.
International
OAS Secretary General Pledges Regional Assistance Following Venezuela Quake Disaster
The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, said on Thursday that the “hemispheric community” stands ready to provide “full support” to Venezuela and its people following the powerful earthquakes that struck the country overnight, leaving at least 164 people dead and nearly 1,000 injured.
Speaking at the conclusion of the OAS General Assembly, Ramdin expressed solidarity not only with Venezuela but also with Colombia, Curaçao and Aruba, where the tremors were also felt.
“Above all, our thoughts are with these peoples,” he said during his remarks.
Ramdin noted that while many details about the disaster are still emerging, countries across the hemisphere are prepared to assist Venezuela as it responds to the crisis.
“Much remains unknown at this stage, but the hemispheric community will be ready to support the people of Venezuela during this very difficult time,” he stated, reiterating the organization’s commitment to helping those affected.
According to updated information released by the Venezuelan government, the powerful earthquakes have been followed by at least 30 aftershocks. Authorities have also reported extensive structural damage, including numerous building collapses in La Guaira, the area considered hardest hit by the disaster.
Rescue efforts are currently focused on La Guaira, where emergency teams continue searching for survivors trapped beneath the rubble as officials assess the full extent of the damage.
International
Bill Gates Says Jeffrey Epstein Made “Veiled” Threats Over Extramarital Affairs
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told members of the U.S. Congress that he received “veiled” threats from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein related to his extramarital affairs, according to a transcript of his testimony released Tuesday.
Gates testified behind closed doors on June 10 before the House Oversight Committee regarding his relationship with the American financier, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking-related charges. Epstein had previously been convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
According to the transcript released by the committee, Gates said Epstein appeared to want to use his knowledge of Gates’ personal relationships as leverage to keep him within his circle at a time when Gates was already distancing himself.
“I was not blackmailed, but reading these emails, it seems like Mr. Epstein’s ideas were moving in that direction,” Gates said, referring to documents from the Epstein case released by the Justice Department in January.
Gates added that Epstein never sent him anything he would personally classify as blackmail. However, he said the content of certain draft emails suggested Epstein was “rehearsing” how he, or someone he instructed, might attempt to pressure him.
“He was, in a way, practicing how he himself, or someone he directed, could choose to blackmail me, but none of those messages were ever sent to me,” Gates told lawmakers.
The 70-year-old billionaire had previously stated that he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal behavior and said he had never been involved in harming anyone.
In February, Gates told The Wall Street Journal that his association with Epstein was a serious mistake. He also acknowledged having extramarital relationships, while denying any involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities.
Gates said his relationship with Epstein began in 2011, three years after Epstein’s conviction, and acknowledged that he was aware of Epstein’s legal troubles at the time.
However, Gates said he was told that Epstein had the ability to raise billions of dollars for global health initiatives, an area in which Gates had significant involvement.
“When I met him, I knew he had been convicted,” Gates told lawmakers. “I knew it was of a sexual nature, but I didn’t try to learn more, although I probably should have.”
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
OAS Secretary General Pledges Regional Assistance Following Venezuela Quake Disaster
Bill Gates Says Jeffrey Epstein Made “Veiled” Threats Over Extramarital Affairs
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