Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Surprise arrest! [Extra Credit]


This piece of news struck me and came off as a total surprise. Putting oneself in the shoes of the victim is unimaginable. To think you're in transit going to catch your next flight, and to be taken away to the jail straight from the airport. It’s shocking! Such was the case when a South African doctor was trialed in court and was sentenced, without him even having the right to defend himself. To top it off, all this was happening outside his home country.  

But from a neutral stand point, it’s hard to justify who’s wrong and who’s right. Perhaps, the UAE government found the man guilty of crime. But then again, to be convicted without even having the chance to defend yourself, is a human right violation. From the perspective of a parent who’s just lost his or her three year old, it would seem like complete injustice to not convict or at least trial the man who could very well be the reason for the death of his or her daughter. Such a case also becomes a diplomatic issue as the case involves individuals from different countries. But I believe the man should have at least had the opportunity to defend himself before being taken straight to jail. He had absolutely no clue that he had committed any sort of offence.  

Such uncommon trials from the Middle East have recently been popping up often in news. One such incident was when two men were deported from Saudi Arabia for being “too handsome”. As absurd as that sounds to one, it was justified by their government.

Perhaps, they’re right from their perspective, but the rest of the world might beg to differ. 

No comments:

Post a Comment