The name of the victim, a man who suffered from schizophrenia, is unknown. He had been arrested at the end of last month. He was reportedly handcuffed and placed in solitary confinement, without food or medical attention. Other similar cases transcend in the media.
Tokyo () – In recent days, Japanese newspapers have reported the death of a detainee at the Okazaki police station in Aichi prefecture. The victim was reportedly a 43-year-old man who suffered from schizophrenia and was found dead in his isolation cell on December 4. The police had arrested him on November 25.
The Aichi Prefecture opened an investigation into what happened and on December 16, the hard drives of some computers were seized from the police station in question, whose officers allegedly deliberately abused their authority to inflict suffering. According to the first tests, the man (whose name is unknown) remained handcuffed in an isolation cell for about 140 hours, without food or medication, despite the fact that he suffered from diabetes. The police examined video footage showing the beatings suffered by the detainee.
According to the victim’s father, the man began to suffer from schizophrenia in 2016. Apparently, the night of the arrest, the police received a call from some pedestrians alerting them to the presence of a suspicious subject. It was the man, who had probably gotten lost and was asking passers-by for directions. After being transferred to the police station, the detainee began to become enraged and behave violently, for which the police took him to the isolation cell, and handcuffed him after the man undressed. They left him there for several days.; he was found dead on december 4
Japanese law provides for the possibility of handcuffing detainees when necessary, ensuring dignified treatment. The same law also stipulates the obligation to feed detainees who have not ingested food or liquids. The degrading treatment and lack of care that the police subjected the man to constitutes a very serious case of abuse of power.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated episode, since in recent days other cases have emerged that stain the reputation of Japanese detention centers. Apparently, the guards of the Nagoya prison they mistreated three other people, who suffered facial injuries. On the other hand, in Osaka, three members of the police they would have falsified documents related to the suicide of a man while in police custody. Also in Osaka, another detainee died two days after requesting medical attention for a picture of fever and respiratory difficulties. The police authorities refused to provide him with medical assistance, in breach of their obligation to watch over the detainee.
