London Officer Acquitted in Chris Kaba Shooting

In London, Metropolitan Police officer Martyn Blake was acquitted of the murder of Chris Kaba, an unarmed Black man shot in September 2022. The acquittal follows Blake's claim that he perceived a threat to his colleagues after Kaba attempted to flee a police blockade. Kaba's death had spurred protests and highlighted longstanding issues of racial bias within the police, as noted by an independent review describing the force as institutionally racist. In Japan, Iwao Hakamada, a former boxer, was acquitted after 50 years on death row, as police admitted to fabricating evidence and coercing a confession. Shizuoka Prefectural Police chief Takayoshi Tsuda personally apologized for the injustice, marking a significant moment of accountability. Hakamada's case underscores concerns about wrongful convictions and the treatment of suspects under duress.