Human, ear, execution

A week has passed since the terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk, Moscow, which is considered the bloodiest attack in Russia in the last twenty years. Everyone was horrified by the images, which resembled an action movie. But unfortunately, this was not a movie. It was a real event in which 140 innocent people lost their lives. Thanks to social media, we have the opportunity or misfortune to watch such events live. A lot has been written about this incident over the past week. Many questions have been asked, but clear answers are currently very few. Although ISIS-Khorasan has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack, Russia still blames Ukraine. This means that Ukraine will be held accountable for what happened at Crocus Hall.

Some commentators claim that Russia wants to use this incident to once again accuse Ukraine of Nazism and somehow legitimize all the atrocities they have committed in Ukraine. According to Putin's statements, this terrorist attack aims to create panic in Russian society and at the same time show that it is not over for the Kyiv regime. In today's article, I would like to briefly analyze two issues that caught my attention this week.

TORTURE

The images during the terrorist attack horrified us all, but the images of the 4 suspects were truly shocking. In the images from the courthouse, visible signs of violence, bruises, and swelling can be seen on the suspects; one has his head bandaged and covered in blood, while another is in a wheelchair with his eyes covered. A portion of the third suspect's right ear was cut off, and he was then forced to swallow the piece of his ear. The fourth suspect was subjected to electric shocks to his genitals during interrogation. The horrific images of the suspects being tortured were spread all over the world. Do not misunderstand me. I am not trying to justify anyone. There is no justification for terrorists who slaughter innocent people, and there cannot be. I am trying to understand why state forces treated these people this way. Because they are human too. In Russia, the state forces that are supposed to act justly in this case are also composed of people who act with their emotions during the process of punishing the suspects. And we, who are far away, act emotionally in such situations, and at that moment, we feel like strangling that terrorist. These are natural human instincts.

Let's take Turkey, a country where terrorist attacks are much more frequent than in Russia. In Turkey, attackers or perpetrators of terrorist attacks have also been caught, but we have not seen their ears cut off, their eyes gouged out, or them being subjected to electric shocks. We have not seen video footage on television or social media. People were tortured in Russia in the past as well, but this is the first time we have seen it so openly, almost live, and shoved in our faces.

Vladimir Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, when asked at a press conference about the appearance of the suspects and the reports of torture, said, "I will leave this question unanswered." At the same time, he avoided answering the question of whether the attack was a failure of the Russian intelligence services. What message was Russia trying to send with these images? Was the message sent to the terrorists, to all Russians, or to the whole world? I leave it to you to answer.

DEATH PENALTY

Following this terrorist attack, everyone is wondering how Russia will respond to the terrorists and what kind of changes will take place within the country. One of the increasingly discussed topics is the reintroduction of the death penalty. Many high-ranking members of Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime have called on the state to re-implement the death penalty for "terrorism." "Do we need to kill them? Yes, we must. And we will," wrote former Russian President Medvedev on Telegram. However, critics are sounding the alarm over the demand for the death penalty, including the fact that Russia widely uses anti-terrorism and anti-extremism laws to silence Kremlin opponents and supporters of Ukraine.

At the same time, critics of the Kremlin argue that the solution lies in tightening arms smuggling controls and immigration laws. However, it does not seem very likely that this law will stop terrorists, as terrorists are inherently suicidal. After joining the Council of Europe in 1996, Russia ratified the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, confirming its commitment to the ideals and principles of humanism and democracy. However, Russia left the Council of Europe a year ago, and Western values are no longer a standard for the Kremlin.

The most important argument put forward against the death penalty is the possibility of a miscarriage of justice. According to the UN, as of 2022, approximately 170 countries have abolished the death penalty or declared a moratorium. The death penalty is officially permitted in 55 countries. These include China, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Kuwait, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the USA, India, and Japan. According to official data from Amnesty International, which publishes a report on this subject every year, at least 883 people were executed by courts around the world in 2022. We observe that this is a significant increase compared to the previous year (579 people).