Saddam and the Death Penalty
Dear Editor (the Times and the Guardian),
The execution of Saddam Hussein represents a tragic loss of opportunity to carry out justice. At a basic level, no human should be executed, not even after a fair trail and due process. The European Union (EU) is opposed to the death penalty in all cases, and Britain must do much more to live up to its European commitment to oppose this action or future actions in Iraq, where it bears particular responsibility. While a sovereign Iraq should decide such matters internally, it is very questionsable as to whether the death penalty, even of a former dictator, will make any positive contribution to future peace and reconcilation. Surely the most important message in any society undergoing such fundemantel conflict is that of non-violence, and the importance of resolving problems without violence rather than 'an eye for an eye' justice. Killing Saddam solves nothing, especially compared to investigating the crimes that he may have been involved in, and using this understanding to build a new Iraq based on such understanding.
Surely Tony Blair should be taking the message to Iraq that in Europe, 'we do not hang our criminals', not even the worst. Britain should be articulating the reasons behind this thinking, which make up the core of European political values. I write this as an American who is happy to live in Europe for this reason.
Gregory Jackson
The execution of Saddam Hussein represents a tragic loss of opportunity to carry out justice. At a basic level, no human should be executed, not even after a fair trail and due process. The European Union (EU) is opposed to the death penalty in all cases, and Britain must do much more to live up to its European commitment to oppose this action or future actions in Iraq, where it bears particular responsibility. While a sovereign Iraq should decide such matters internally, it is very questionsable as to whether the death penalty, even of a former dictator, will make any positive contribution to future peace and reconcilation. Surely the most important message in any society undergoing such fundemantel conflict is that of non-violence, and the importance of resolving problems without violence rather than 'an eye for an eye' justice. Killing Saddam solves nothing, especially compared to investigating the crimes that he may have been involved in, and using this understanding to build a new Iraq based on such understanding.
Surely Tony Blair should be taking the message to Iraq that in Europe, 'we do not hang our criminals', not even the worst. Britain should be articulating the reasons behind this thinking, which make up the core of European political values. I write this as an American who is happy to live in Europe for this reason.
Gregory Jackson
posted by Gregory Jackson at
2:29 AM
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