The first retrial for Bozorov Akmal, a 37-year-old of Uzbek nationality who was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering a taxi driver in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, 17 years ago, will be held on the 12th.

The Criminal Division 2 of the Changwon District Court has scheduled the first retrial date for Akmal, who faces charges including robbery and murder, for 11:00 AM on the 12th, which is 12 days from now.

Akmal was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering a taxi driver in his 50s and stealing valuables in Myeongseo-dong, Uichang-gu, Changwon, in March 2009, and the Supreme Court finalized the ruling the following year.

Although his initial request for a retrial was rejected, he submitted another petition for a retrial to the court in January of last year through attorney Park Joon-young, who primarily handles retrial cases.

During previous interrogation hearings, attorney Park appealed that a decision to open a retrial should be made by listing contradictions in the past investigation and allegations of assault and coercive investigation by investigators, including forensic experts' opinions and testimonies regarding the victim's ligature marks, taxi travel routes, National Forensic Service appraisal reports, communication records, and testimonies regarding the weapon designated as having been used in the crime.

Recently, the court acknowledged that police officers at the time coerced a confession during the investigation by deceiving Akmal—telling him that his DNA was detected at the crime scene or that the deceased victim was still alive—and ruled that his right to an interpreter was violated, leading to the decision to open a retrial and suspend the execution of his sentence.

Regarding this, the court explained, "Whether the various additional evidence claimed by the defense counsel constitutes clear evidence to acknowledge innocence remains for the judicial panel to decide in the subsequent trial after the decision to open the retrial is finalized."

Immediately afterward, the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office decided not to file an immediate appeal, stating, "We take the human rights violations during the past investigation seriously, and respecting the court's judgment pointing this out, we deemed it appropriate to uncover the substantive truth through the main trial proceedings rather than appealing the decision to open a retrial."

They added, "In the upcoming main retrial proceedings, we will faithfully commit to maintaining the prosecution based on objective evidence and legal principles."

Reported by Son Hyeong-an | Video by Hong Jin-young | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News