Lex talionis
A rather unnerving tale from El Pais (in short form in a non-permalink here) involving an Iranian woman, now resident in Spain who was the victim of an acid attack. I would not recommend that anyone given to squeamishness should click the English language link as she looks far worse than, say, Simon Weston.
The woman, as is her right under Iranian law, is intent on returning to Iran to mete out the same treatment to her attacker. While I have every sympathy with poor woman, I think it would be reasonable for the Spanish authorities to impound her passport for the duration, given that she would be committing, or commissioning, what would assuredly be a crime under Spanish law.
I do not intend to go into a diatribe against sharia law, but would rather note that giving the victim of a crime an over large say in the punishment of the offender serves to undermine the authority of the judiciary and removes the separation between crime and punishment necessary for a judiciary to act in the interests of wider societal interests and to remain at least one remove from the victim.
The woman, as is her right under Iranian law, is intent on returning to Iran to mete out the same treatment to her attacker. While I have every sympathy with poor woman, I think it would be reasonable for the Spanish authorities to impound her passport for the duration, given that she would be committing, or commissioning, what would assuredly be a crime under Spanish law.
I do not intend to go into a diatribe against sharia law, but would rather note that giving the victim of a crime an over large say in the punishment of the offender serves to undermine the authority of the judiciary and removes the separation between crime and punishment necessary for a judiciary to act in the interests of wider societal interests and to remain at least one remove from the victim.
Labels: crime and punishment, Spain
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on Thursday, March 05, 2009 at 3:05 pm.
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