Wrongly Sentenced

"You, my good man, since you are experienced in these matters. What should I do?"

It is a remarkably blaseUnimpressed or indifferent. People are often blase when they have done something many times before. way to greet your own death. But these were some of the last words of the Greek philosopher SocratesConsidered by some to be the greatest philosopher in history, Socrates is credited with developing the whole notion of critical reason., sentenced to die by poison. Those around him are said to have collapsed in tears as he drank the toxic hemlock.

This happened over 2,400 years ago, in 399 BC, yet still today people face the same daunting prospect as the ancient philosopher.

At the start of this year in Iran, 22-year-old Mohammad Mehdi Karami was hanged for his involvement in protests against the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who is thought to have been killed by police after being arrested for "improper hijab".

Karami is said to have been tortured into a confession which allowed him to be convicted of Fisad-e-filarz, an Arabic word which translates to "corruption on Earth". He was given fewer than 15 minutes to defend himself in court.

He is one of four young men who have been executed in connection with the protests, and one of eighteen who were sentenced to death.¹

For many of us, it can seem like something plucked from the past, recalling grisly stories from the Middle Ages of hardened criminals burned alive, hanged, crucified, impaled or beheaded.

But executions today can be just as brutal. In Saudi Arabia, public executions are carried out by sword or hanging. In one mass execution in 2022, 81 people were killed in one day.

In the US in 2022, an estimated 35% of execution attempts were "botched". One execution in Alabama lasted three hours. 

But still capital punishment has its staunchVery committed to a person or idea. supporters. Surveys from the past two years have claimed that one in four Britons and as many as 60% of Americans support capital punishment.

Many of those supporters believe that criminals should be punished with equal severity to the crime they committed, hence the only appropriate punishment for murder would be death. It should also act as a deterrent to crime.

But as many have pointed out, statistics show that crime does not rise when the death penalty is abolished. Others underline that in many countries where capital punishment is still active, like Iran, it is used as a deterrent not to crime, but to resistance against authoritarianEnforcing strict obedience to authority. regimes.

Yes: The death penalty is plainly unethical. There is no entirely painless or fool-proof way of taking somebody's life. And sentencing someone to death is no different to premeditated murder.

No: The death penalty is inappropriate under dictatorships where protestors are being punished for dissidenceThe act of publicly disagreeing with government or public policy. , but there are plenty of circumstances where it makes sense. It can bring victims' families peace, and can help to deter serious crime.

Or... Decisions like this are morally cloudy and should be decided by the majority. It is not a black and white verdict.