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Japanese Cult Leader Found Mentally Competent
The founder of the Japanese cult responsible for a 1995 nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system has been declared mentally competent in a court-ordered psychiatric review, Agence France-Presse reported yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 17). The psychiatrist said Shoko Asahara is faking mental illness and can stand face legal proceedings, according to a spokeswoman for the Tokyo High Court. Asahara’s defense attorneys said he can only groan “mmm” and cannot make eye contact with others. “The report states the defendant shows some symptoms from his time in prison but not to the extent of mental disorder. He stays silent, faking dementia,” the spokeswoman said. “Although the defendant does not speak, there is no evidence that he has lost the ability to speak and it has been proven in many cases that he still has the ability to communicate,” she added, quoting from the report. According to Jiji Press, Asahara in November screamed at family members who visited him, “Go home, idiots!” Asahara has been sentenced to death for multiple crimes, including the sarin attack that killed 12 people and injured thousands. His lawyers said they did not file an appeal of the sentence because they have been unable to communicate with their client. If they still do not appeal, the High Court could finalize the sentence, according to AFP. Masaaki Noda, a psychiatrist who at the request of defense counsel visited Asahara last month, said the report was influenced by the High Court’s stand on the matter. “When I saw him at the prison, he failed to react to any of the words I said,” Noda said. “He only moved his face a bit, scratched his forehead and grinned every once a while.” “The psychiatrist who produced the report should prove what kind of communication ability he has and what ability he meant in the report,” he added (Agence France-Presse I, Feb. 20). Lawyers for Asahara said they would protest the finding that their client can stand trial, AFP reported. “We will demand to rectify the unfair nature” of the psychiatrist’s report, said defense lawyer Takeshi Matsui. Matsui said defense attorneys have until March 15 to submit a response to the report on Asahara’s mental health. Prosecution lawyers are likely to urge the court to reject an appeal from Asahara and push for his execution, as the defense team missed deadlines to file the request (Agence France-Presse, Feb. 21).
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