bullyxtreme Chapter 1092 The Judge's Position
Chapter 1092 The Judge's Position
Compared to the interrogation of Hoshino Masao, the interrogation of Nagase Kiichi went much more smoothly. This guy knew that the crimes he had committed were unforgivable. In order to get a chance to survive, he betrayed Hoshino Masao and other captured Japanese officers during the interrogation, and he betrayed them thoroughly.
He recounted every instance of Hoshino Masao issuing orders to carry out massacres, and he also confessed that Hoshino Masao was an extremely cruel bastard with peculiar fetishes, who even personally participated in the massacre of innocent civilians on several occasions.
The interrogations of Masao Hoshino, Kiichi Nagase, and 13 others were conducted multiple times, and it took more than two months to collect evidence of their crimes.
On March 15, 1943, after listening to the prosecutor's report on the investigation and evidence collection of the crimes committed by Hoshino Masao and others, Zhang Yunhe personally issued the order to file charges against them.
The lawsuit was filed by the prosecution to the court. After accepting the case, the court issued a notice that a public trial of Masao Hoshino and others would be held one week later, and representatives from all walks of life were allowed to attend the trial.
The Chief Justice of the High Court in Hong Kong is Lau Wai-man, who was personally appointed by Zhang Yunhe. Lau Wai-man previously worked for the British Department of Justice for 25 years.
At 2 p.m., Huang Faxiang, the head of the prosecution, and Liu Weimin, the president of the High Court, were notified and came to Zhang Yunhe's office.
"Sit down and let's talk!" Zhang Yunhe said to the two of them, gesturing to the sofa next to him from behind his desk.
"Okay, thank you, boss!" The two bowed and sat down on the sofa.
The secretary quickly brought tea, and Zhang Yunhe sat down opposite the two men, saying, "The main reason I've called you here today is to discuss the investigation, interrogation, and trial of the crimes committed by Hoshino Masao and the other thirteen."
"I have reviewed the report submitted by the prosecution. Now I would like to ask you two: can this evidence and these witnesses convict them with 100% certainty?"
"Furthermore, since it is an open trial with prosecutors, judges, juries, and suspects, will they hire their own lawyers, or will the court appoint defense lawyers for them?"
High Court President Liu Weimin replied, "Based on the evidence and witnesses provided by the prosecution, it will be difficult to convict Hoshino Masao and others under the premise of judicial fairness, because the evidence is incomplete and there are not enough survivors from the time of their massacre as witnesses. The prosecution only has one witness, and he is blind!"
Huang Faxiang, the prosecutor in charge, immediately said, "Although there is only one witness, the evidence is sufficient, after all, the bodies of so many murdered villagers in the tunnel cannot be faked!"
"For more than a year, they have been attacking us, sending planes to bomb us every day, causing many civilian casualties. That can't be fake, can it?"
"Furthermore, during his interrogation, Nagase Keiichi accused Hoshino Masao of killing those villagers on orders. Doesn't Nagase Keiichi's testimony against Hoshino Masao better illustrate his crimes?"
Liu Weimin retorted, "They can claim the villagers died at the hands of the attacking soldiers, but there were no third parties present at the time. Who knows who did it? You say it was them, they say it was the landing soldiers!"
"There's also the issue of Nagase Keiichi as a witness. Hoshino Masao and the others can refute that Nagase Keiichi deliberately framed them to save his life and avoid imprisonment, and that he was bribed by the prosecution with promises and conditions that he couldn't refuse!"
Huang Faxiang immediately retorted angrily, "Many of the villagers' bodies had wounds from being stabbed to death by the bayonets of Type 38 rifles. Forensic doctors can conduct wound examinations. Also, many villagers' bodies had gunshot wounds from Type 38 rifle bullets, which can be tested for ballistics!"
Liu Weimin said, "Then why don't you prosecutors get someone to do forensic examination of the injuries and ballistic tests? Why don't you submit these kinds of evidence?"
"Fine, I'll do it then, hmph!" Huang Faxiang said with a grim expression.
After considering for a moment, Zhang Yunhe said to Liu Weimin, "Judge Liu, I agree with your adherence to the principles of fairness and justice in the law, but there is no absolute fairness and justice in this world. When the Japanese devils launched their war of aggression against us, from that moment on, in our understanding, they were guilty. Do you agree with this?"
Liu Weimin thought for a moment and nodded: "I agree with that!"
"Okay, you also think they are guilty, but they think they are righteous because they can argue that they are doing this for survival. After all, the Japanese only have so many islands, which can't support more people, so they can only expand onto the mainland. He says he's right, and you say you're right, so who is right? Who is righteous, and who is evil?"
"Now that things have escalated to a certain level, we can't use ordinary viewpoints and standards of measurement. If they win and we lose, then even if they launched the war of aggression first, they are righteous and we are evil. I hope you understand this!"
"I hope you understand your position. You are not God, and you cannot treat them with the principles of fairness and justice from God's perspective. You are first and foremost the victim, and you are also the presiding judge in this trial. You can give them some fair treatment within a certain scope and degree, but you must be careful to maintain the right balance!"
Liu Weimin thought about Zhang Yunhe's words carefully, and he understood and was convinced by Zhang Yunhe. "Commander Zhang, I know what to do!"
“Alright, you can go back now. Do what you need to do and go through the necessary procedures. If we had completely defeated the Japanese, it would be relatively easier to collect enough evidence. But the conditions don’t allow it now. We haven’t been able to find enough evidence and witnesses to accuse them. But one thing is undeniable: they did commit unforgivable war crimes against humanity. Facts are facts. The locations of death on the bodies and the wounds on the bodies are all evidence!” Zhang Yunhe instructed.
"Yes!" The two stood up, bowed, and turned to leave.
Over the next few days, the provisional war crimes trial committee discussed one issue: if Hoshino Masao and others were sentenced to death, what method should be used to carry it out—hanging, firing squad, or electrocution?
Most of the delegates agreed to use hanging, as it is a method of execution used in Western countries. However, some people believed that hanging was too lenient on those evildoers. Some of them suggested using electrocution, while others thought that they should be executed by firing squad.
Just as the delegates were arguing, one person stood up and said, "May I share my thoughts?"
Liu Weimin raised his hand: "Mr. Lin, you speak!"