Should Saddam be executed?
The Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett, says it is "right" that Saddam should face "Iraqi justice" for his "appalling" offences against the population. From this, I take it, that she is welcoming the death sentence handed down to Saddam yesterday. William Hague also welcomed the death sentence in this case.
No one can deny that Saddam Hussein is guilty of some appalling crimes -- war crimes, atrocities, abuses of human rights. But capital punishment is outlawed in the European Union and both Beckett and Hague apparently agree with that moral principle. There may be other arguments against capital punishment in general -- legal and political arguments -- which apply only to some jurisdictions, but shouldn't a moral objection to judicial execution apply in every case, regardless of the perpetrator or the crime?
Comments
William- I agree. Whether it's Saddam or Ian Huntley, the death penalty is either the moral right of a government criminal justice system, or it's not. Personally, I'd be happy to see the debate open in the EU on this important subject. And I'd be very happy to see Margaret Beckett and William Hague support the death penalty in principal..... and see who else follows.
鈥淎MERICAN FINANCED SPONSORED EXECUTION鈥