Two years ago, a man detained at a police station in Kanagawa Prefecture said it was illegal for a police officer to check and black out the notes he used to communicate with his lawyer. In a lawsuit against Kanagawa Prefecture, the Yokohama District Court issued a judgment ordering compensation to the prefecture.

Two years ago, a man who was arrested on suspicion of theft and detained at the Zushi Police Station in Kanagawa Prefecture was writing down the police response at the detention center in a notebook provided by his lawyer. Police officers repeatedly checked the contents of the notes and instructed them to black out the notes.



Regarding this, the man's lawyer said, ``The suspect in custody violated the right to visit and communicate secretly, which was guaranteed to be able to communicate freely with the lawyer, and was illegal.'' sought and sued.



On the other hand, the prefectural police insisted, "It is legally equivalent to a letter, so it is permitted to check it."



In the ruling on the 3rd, Chief Judge Masashi Hatae of the Yokohama District Court said, ``The notebook is useful for the suspect to convey various information to the lawyer and receive advice. It is illegal to have the suspect checked or blacked out because it violates the suspect's right to access and traffic," and ordered the prefecture to pay compensation of 250,000 yen.

Lawyer who brought the trial ``I want you to try not to do the same thing''

Lawyer Tomihiro Namae, who initiated the lawsuit, said, ``I'm glad that the judicial decision was made that the police's response at the time of infringing on the suspect's rights was illegal. I want you to try not to let something like this happen," he said.

Kanagawa Prefectural Police "We will respond appropriately"

On the other hand, Kanagawa Prefectural Police Headquarters Inspector General Hideto Ogiwara said, "It's a pity that our claim was not accepted. Regarding future responses, we will fully consider the content of the ruling and discuss with the relevant departments and respond appropriately. I am commenting.