Sister of ex-death row inmate Iwao Hakamada wins human rights award

The Tokyo Bar Association selected Hideko Hakamada, the elder sister of former death-row inmate Iwao, to receive its human rights award.

The association said Friday that it recognized the 91-year-old sister’s decadeslong efforts to save her brother and her work to eradicate wrong accusations and convictions.

Iwao, 88, was acquitted in a retrial earlier this year, decades after he was convicted over the 1966 murder of four people in Shizuoka.

“I’m at a loss because I’ve never received an award,” Hideko told a video news conference. “I didn’t do this alone. I’d like to thank everyone across the country once again.”

Hideko Hakamada speaks via a video chat after receiving the Tokyo Bar Association’s Human Rights Award on Friday.
| Jiji

She pledged to do all she can to open the door for retrials of other wrongly convicted people.

Hideko said Iwao has been taken for a drive every day. “I want to help him live a long time,” she said.