I am absolutely against the death penalty (for the record, it is scientifically proven it has either no effect at all or very little). Even if you have tortured and killed 100 children. Yes, you should get a life sentence, but we are not going to torture you. But what about war criminals?
Famous American psychiatrist Allen Frances couldn’t have said it better:
1. Ineffective
2. Costly
3. Mistakes
4. Racist
5. Inhumane
6. Arbitrary
7. Outdated
I am against the death penalty even in cases where you have committed war crimes but you have no personality cult or there is no risk of turmoil in your country or of your being freed by force. For example, Jean Kambanda, Ratko Mladić or Dinko Šakić.
The means of execution
Czechoslovakian communists prohibited torture and the punishment for it was really harsh. But only a few people were convicted of torture (it is exactly the same as with corruption; nowadays Czech Republic has pretty good anti-corruption laws but they are barely enforced).
Why am I writing this? Because bolsheviks were evil even officially. There were two legal means of execution (and not every murderer has gotten the death penalty in Czechoslovakia): the short drop or the long drop. Using the short drop method meant you were going to suffocate alive while the long drop meant your neck was about to break and you were going to lose consciousness before suffocating.
The first method should be banned and punished harshly when used
Since I am not an expert on methods of execution, I will leave it to experts. But definitely no gas chamber or firing squad.
What about really famous war criminals with personality cult
If Hitler had survived the end of the war, few of you would argue he should have gotten a life sentence. We are not going to speak about his unspeakable war crimes. But he had a huge personality cult Neo-Nazis and Nazi Germany fans would have continued to adore him. And some lunatics may have tried to free him. As a huge death penalty opponent, I must admit: yes, he should have been executed.
Death penalty for Putin, G. W. Bush or Obama
Once again, few of you would defend Vladimir Putin. Actually, George W. Bush and Obama killed (directly or indirectly) 4.5 million people (sic!) in their totally criminal War on Terror.
Imagine if I were torturing and killing 100 children – completely without any remorse. And then bumped into a lady on the street, apologizing deeply. But these are exactly Obama’s comments on the Sandy Hook tragedy the Sandy Hook tragedy: “That was the worst day of my presidency. And it’s not something that I want to see repeated.” And then torturing and killing people.
Just alleged war crimes: Obama, Bush, Putin
Putin: Unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children; deliberate or indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure; torture; summary executions; enforced disappearances; sexual violence; unlawful detention; starvation tactics; attacks on protected objects such as hospitals and energy infrastructure; command responsibility for crimes committed by Russian forces.
George W. Bush: Authorizing or overseeing torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees (including waterboarding); operation of CIA “black sites”; extraordinary rendition of suspects to countries where they risked torture; indefinite detention without trial; alleged responsibility for abuses committed during the Iraq War; allegations that the 2003 invasion of Iraq constituted the crime of aggression under international law.
Barack Obama: Expansion of the drone strike program in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia; alleged unlawful targeted killings outside recognized battlefields; civilian deaths resulting from drone strikes; “signature strikes” based on behavioral patterns rather than confirmed identities; controversial killings of U.S. citizens Anwar al-Awlaki and his son Abdulrahman al-Awlaki; alleged “double-tap” strikes against rescuers (a claim disputed by the U.S. government); military support for the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen despite repeated reports of coalition attacks on civilians.
The US controls the international courts
Only fallen or powerless dictators or autocrats are sentenced by international law.
Since the US exerts huge control over tens of international institutions, we will never see G. W. Bush or Obama being punished.
Death penalty: Conclusion
Since the death penalty generally has no place in any modern society, the exception should be made.
Are you just a war criminal? You will get a life sentence. Are you a really famous, cult-possessing criminal? I wish death on nobody, but yes, it should be applied to you.
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