冤罪(えんざい)

冤罪(えんざい) refers to being falsely charged or convicted of a crime one did not commit. A serious legal and social issue.

Forms

冤(えん) (false charge, injustice) + 罪(ざい) (crime, guilt)

Common collocations

• 冤罪(えんざい)を晴(は)らす: to clear one's name
• 冤罪(えんざい)を主張(しゅちょう)する: to claim innocence
• 冤罪(えんざい)事件(じけん): wrongful conviction case
• 冤罪(えんざい)被害者(ひがいしゃ): victim of wrongful conviction
• 冤罪(えんざい)で投獄(とうごく)される: to be imprisoned on false charges

Related words

• 無実(むじつ): innocence (provable fact)
• 濡(ぬ)れ衣(ぎぬ): false accusation (idiomatic, less formal)
• 誤認(ごにん)逮捕(たいほ): wrongful arrest
• 再審(さいしん): retrial

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Formal. Frequently appears in news and legal discussions.