Tag Archives: extra-judicial killing

Tim Farron is right: Osama Bin Laden’s death was not a tragedy

Tim Farron was widely quoted on Monday, for perhaps the first time since his election as leader. The good news is that he was correct in his point. He was responding to a resurfaced quote from Labour leadership favourite, Jeremy Corbyn, who has said to Iranian TV that Bin Laden’s death was “a tragedy”, as it was unlawful and he should have been put on trial instead.

That the killing of Bin Laden was illegal has been a favourite proposition of the Galloway-ite hard left, so it isn’t a surprise to see them jump up and defend Corbyn. But I was surprised to see a few serious liberals, including Paddy Ashdown in the past, also voice this and criticise Tim for his intervention.

Their premise is that Bin Laden was a common criminal, and thus “due process” should have been followed, with him legally arrested and brought to trial. But this view is based on a foundation that is both legally dubious, and naive in practicability.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged and | 86 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Joey Vimsante
    Brazil is an important election. Lula is a powerful leader of Brazil. I think it will be very close....
  • David Evans
    Indeed David (Allen), a driverless car might be a godsend. Its systems might fail and it might indeed send you to god....
  • expats
    For those in favour of the status quo.. How will the increasing spending on the triple lock be paid for in the long term? The two parties most vociferous in it...
  • Chloe
    Let's get away from the myth of DLR driverless trains..There's a qualified driver in the cab at all times who takes control when the computer makes a demand. Th...
  • Dan Carr
    I commend you Christian for noting what you personally plan to do rather than calling for government regulation to enforce the maintenance of your preferences. ...