Shoko Asahara

Presiding Judge Masaru Suda said Aug. 19 court decided not to approve requests from Asahara's lawyers to suspend his appeal until his mental condition improves or to extend the deadline for the submission of a document stating the reason for appeal beyond Aug. 31 The high court had previously extended the deadline from the initial Jan. 11 to Aug. 31.

Suda said the court plans to test Asahara's mental state because his counsel presented a written report by a psychiatric expert saying the guru lacks "litigation capacity" and because the death sentence makes it a critical case.

The Tokyo District Court sentenced Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, to death Feb. 27, 2004, his role in 13 criminal cases, including the fatal sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995. sentence becomes final if the deadline is missed.

Last October, his counsel asked the high court to suspend the trial so Asahara could be tested because he was suffering a mental disorder, but the court rejected the request in December.

The Japan Times Weekly: Aug. 27, 2005
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