Uzbek citizen sentenced to life in South Korea released after 16 years

Akmal Bozorov, a citizen of Uzbekistan who was sentenced to life imprisonment in South Korea on charges of murdering a taxi driver and robbery, has been released after more than 16 years. The court determined that serious violations occurred during the investigation process and decided to retry the criminal case. This was reported by “The Korea Times”.

37-year-old Akmal Bozorov was released from the prison in Changwon on October 15, 2026. He was met outside the prison gates by his father.

Bozorov was accused in 2009 of a crime related to the death of a taxi driver in Changwon, South Korea. He initially confessed during preliminary questioning, but later stated that his statements were obtained under pressure and through illegal investigation methods, emphasizing that he had no involvement in the murder.

In April 2010, the Supreme Court upheld the life sentence against him. Akmal Bozorov had been held in prison for more than 16 years since then.

During the retrial proceedings, it was revealed that there were serious violations during the investigation. In particular, it was noted that police officers had falsely informed Bozorov that his DNA was found at the crime scene and attempted to extract a confession by claiming the victim was still alive. Furthermore, the failure to provide an interpreter during questioning to Bozorov, who did not have sufficient proficiency in the Korean language, was assessed as a violation of his rights.

The Changwon District Court issued a decision on October 15 to retry the case and suspended the execution of the sentence. Thus, Bozorov was given the opportunity to await the conclusion of the new trial outside of prison.

However, Akmal Bozorov has not yet been acquitted. His guilt or innocence will be decided in the retrial.