Seeking retrial of the Sayama Case by the end of this year!

 

Nearly 300 people met in the Taito City Community Hall on February 23^rd for the Tokyo Rally for the Retrial of the Sayama Case.  On May 1^st 1963,  a high school girl was kidnapped in Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture. She was later found buried in a farm road. Just as in a previous case, the police failed to arrest the perpetrator at the ransom drop-off point. Facing severe criticism, they  targeted the discriminated “buraku” area in Sayama City. A twenty four year old buraku youth, ISHIKAWA Kazuo was arrested for another incident and was finally forced to confess to the murder. He pleaded  innocent at the court, but was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1974. 55 years after the incident, Ishikawa is still asking for a retrial of his case. Having spent most of his life in jail, he is on parole now. He attended the rally with his wife Sachiko and gave a lively speech. “Recently, my wife gets tired easily, so yesterday I laid her futon for the first time. I never get tired, because I exercise hard every day.” “When I get a not-guilty verdict, I will jump into a bath tub filled with beer.” (Y)

今年こそ狭山が動く！〜「狭山事件の再審を求める東京集会」開かれる

2月23日夜、東京・台東区民会館9階大ホールで、「狭山事件の再審を求める東京集会」が開かれ、280人が集まった。1963年5月1日。埼玉県狭山市で女子高生が殺され、農道に埋められるという痛ましい事件が発生した。直前に東京で起きた「吉展ちゃん誘拐事件」に続き、またしても身代金を取りに来た犯人を逃す大失態を演じた捜査陣は、世論の厳しい批判をかわすために被差別部落への見込み捜査を開始。アリバイの曖昧だった石川一雄さんを逮捕した。あれから55年。第3次再審請求申立てから12年近く。無実の罪で人生の大半を獄中で過ごした石川さんは、この日も妻の佐智子さんとともに支援者らに元気な姿を見せた。「すぐ疲れるという妻に、昨日初めて布団を敷いてやった。私は毎日鍛えているから疲れない」。「無罪を勝ち取ったら風呂いっぱいにビールを張って、そこに飛び込みたい」。石川さんの言葉に、会場は温かい笑いに包まれた。（Ｙ）