IMPRISONMENT OF HAKAMADA IWAO

That this House denounces the injustice of the imprisonment of Hakamada Iwao who has been in jail on death row in Japan for 41 years for a crime he did not commit; condemns the fact that for 29 of these years Mr Iwao was in solitary confinement which has led to him suffering from mental illness; highlights that he was convicted in 1968 for the murder of a family of four on the basis of a confession he says was extracted under duress and which he retracted at his trial; notes that of the three judges at Mr Iwao's trial, one has publicly stated that he believes Mr Iwao is innocent; and calls on the Japanese government to end this injustice immediately and give Mr Iwao the fair trial which he deserves.