The trial of a child soldier who became a brutal rebel commander • Hacker News Board

Re: The trial of a child soldier who became a brutal rebel commander

#51

Post by belval » Sat, Feb 20, 2021, 3:05 AM UTC

wizzwizz4 wrote: post #48

belval wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He is not a felon convicted for illegal possession of a weapon or drug dealing, he's a warlord that killed a lot of people brutally. Presenting rehabilitation as a possible solution here is laughable and almost insulting to the memories of his numerous victims.

I don't understand. Why would it be?

The concept of rehabilitation makes plenty of sense when everyone agrees that we live in a society of inequalities and that everyone has various privileges which have a real impact on their financial situation. Someone that is poor might resort to stealing or even violence because the situation in which he evolves demands it to survive. I am completely on board with that and it makes sense.

This man is a war criminal that that was directly and indirectly involved in murder and rapes. Worse, he actively enabled that behavior in his organization.

Now in an exercise in empathy, put yourself in the shoe of someone who saw his entire family be massacred. You don't understand why theymight find it insulting to their suffering that this man is eventually allowed to walk free.

To be clear you can disagree, but I really doubt that you don't understand.

Re: The trial of a child soldier who became a brutal rebel commander

#52

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Feb 20, 2021, 11:45 PM UTC

anonAndOn wrote: post #37

mulmen wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it is possible to do so much evil that no amount of good can overcome it then it is not also possible to do so much good that no amount of evil deserves consequence?

If we can agree that he is the destroyer of many lives, how would he ever overcome that debt? I suppose organ donation is one way...

[deleted]

Re: The trial of a child soldier who became a brutal rebel commander

#53

Post by jschwartzi » Wed, Feb 24, 2021, 5:02 PM UTC

vkou wrote: post #47

jschwartzi wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if that were possible, Ongwen may be too damaged to be very effective at such a "punishment." And it would be very cruel to expose him to the same environment which traumatized him enough to make him into a brutal commander.

I have doubts that a Dutch prison is quite the same environment as a child being kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to fight in the LRA.

I must have misread OP, because it sounded like they were suggesting Ongwen be sent back to try to rehabilitate other fighters.