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Communist Vietnam's secret death penalty conveyor belt: How country trails only China and Iran for 'astonishing' number of executions

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Prisoners are dragged from their cells at 4am without warning to be given a lethal injection Vietnam's use of the death penalty has been thrust into the spotlight after a real estate tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to be executed in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's history. Truong My Lan, a businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022.

Japan: Lay judges to hear murder case with possibility of death sentence

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The trial of a murder-robbery case started at the Tottori District Court on Tuesday, and prosecutors may possibly seek the death sentence under the lay judge system for the 1st time.

The 55-year-old defendant, Hiroshi Kageyama, is accused of killing Hideo Ishitani, 82, and Ishitani's cohabiter Masako Omori, 74, in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, on Feb 21 last year and stealing 70,000 yen in cash, according to the indictment. Kageyama worked at Ishitanis accounting office.

Kageyama admitted to the killings but said robbery was not the motive, denying part of the indictment at the first hearing.

It is the 1st time for a murder-robbery case involving more than 1 victim to be examined by citizen judges since the 1st lay judge trial was held in Tokyo last August.

The statutory penalty for murder-robbery is capital punishment or life imprisonment.

4 men and 2 women were chosen as lay judges and 2 men and 2 women as their substitutes. The verdict will be handed down on March 2.

Source: Japan Today, Feb. 24, 2010
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