Toshikazu Sugaya, convicted of murder in 1993 and freed from prison last June, and others believed wrongfully convicted are calling for full videotaping of police interrogations to help prevent crime suspects from being forced to make false confessions.
Their demands are shared by defense lawyers, who are strongly pushing to ensure interrogations are carried out in a transparent manner. They are now also demanding establishment of a public investigative body to review the causes of wrongful convictions and come up with measures to remedy flaws in the system and prevent further tragedies.
"I am really angry. For most people, anger usually winds down as time goes by. But it's the opposite for me," Sugaya said at an event organized by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations in Tokyo earlier this month. "I won't forgive (the investigators and judges) until they apologize. But then, an apology won't make everything all right."
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