Uzbek man freed after 16 years in South Korean prison gets retrial
A South Korean court has ordered a retrial for Bozorov Akmal, a 37-year-old Uzbek national who spent more than 16 years in prison serving a life sentence for the murder of a taxi driver, after finding serious violations in the original police investigation.
The Changwon District Court suspended his sentence on October 15, allowing him to leave prison while the case is reconsidered. Akmal was reunited with his father, who had travelled to South Korea to meet him, according to The Korea Times.
Akmal was 19 when police arrested him in July 2009 over a taxi robbery. Investigators subsequently linked him to the murder of a driver in his 50s, who had been found dead in Changwon in March that year.
Although Akmal initially confessed, he later said police had forced him to do so. He admitted involvement in the separate robbery but consistently denied responsibility for the murder.
South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld his life sentence in April 2010.
Court finds serious violations in police investigation
The Changwon District Court found that investigators had abused their authority and violated Akmal’s rights during questioning.
Police falsely claimed that his DNA had been discovered at the crime scene and told him the deceased victim was still alive in an attempt to obtain a confession.
Investigators also failed to provide an interpreter despite Akmal’s limited Korean proficiency.
His lawyer, Park Jun-young, presented additional evidence challenging the original conviction, including an allegedly fabricated police report and discrepancies between the taxi’s recorded journey and the route established by investigators.
Akmal first requested a retrial in 2015 but was unsuccessful. He submitted another petition in January 2025 with Park’s assistance.
Following his release, Akmal expressed sympathy for the victim’s family and said he would cooperate with the new proceedings.
He also told reporters that he hoped to clear his name and return to Uzbekistan to reunite with his family.
The decision does not amount to an acquittal. Akmal’s life sentence has been suspended pending the retrial, during which the court will reassess the evidence and determine whether his conviction should stand.
