INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Carlos and Carole Ghosn in 2016
The wife of former Nissan boss
Carlos Ghosn has said he is suffering under "harsh treatment" in a Japanese jail, where he has been detained for nearly two months
In a letter to Human Rights Watch, Carole Ghosn described constant interrogations and appealed for action
Mr Ghosn's arrest for financial misconduct shocked the auto industry
His detention, which is likely to continue for months, has drawn criticism of Japan's justice system
In Japan, suspects can be held while prosecutors investigate allegations
They can also be detained for long periods once charges have been filed.Mr Ghosn, a towering figure of the car industry, faces three charges
of financial misconduct including understating his income and aggravated breach of trust
He has denied any wrongdoing
"For hours each day, the prosecutors interrogate him, browbeat him, lecture him and berate him, outside the presence of his attorneys, in an
effort to extract a confession," Mrs Ghosn said in her nine-page letter to the advocacy group
There has been no immediate reaction to the claims from Japanese prosecutors
Last week a judge said incarcerating Mr Ghosn was justified to prevent possible evidence-tampering and because of the risk that he might
His defence team previously denied that the executive had been pressured to sign documents or a confession in Japanese, AFP reports
In the letter, which has been widely reported, Mrs Ghosn describes the conditions of her husband's detention
She said he is being held in a small, unheated cell and denied daily medications
He has lost weight since his detainment, she said, and eats mainly rice and barley.Last week, the 64-year-old looked visibly thinner when he
appeared in court for the first time since his arrest on 19 November
"I urge Human Rights Watch to highlight his case to press the government to reform its draconian system of pretrial detention and
interrogation," the letter said
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Mr Ghosn has been charged with aggravated breach of trust and understating his
income
Mr Ghosn's lawyers said he could be in jail for another six months before his first trial is held
"No one should be forced to endure what my husband faces every day, particularly in a developed nation like Japan, the third largest economy
in the world," the letter said
Brazilian-born auto executive was the architect of the Renault-Nissan alliance, and brought Mitsubishi on board in 2016
In the past, he has been hailed a hero in Japan for turning around the ailing Nissan.
