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Child brainwashing and diminished adult responsibility
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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Discussion:
Should an adults crimes by calculated deliberate decisions be diminished if they were brainwashed when in childhood?
This is the key argument that's being used in a trial now in the Hague with the only former child soldier, Dominic Ongwen, ever been brought to trial for his crimes. All others who have been charged bar one have died before being brought to trial.
Does Ongwen’s experience as a child soldier affect judicial proceedings against him? If so in what ways and how then will these effect other criminals brought to trial under similar rulings?
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By *mmabluTV/TS
over a year ago
upton wirral |
This is not easy I a sure there are many factors to take into account.
We are all brainwashed in some way by parents,school teachers the people we meet now of course online.
We need to look at many factors to assess this because we reach a point in life where we are responible for are own actions,where is that point? |
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His crimes are moot as if, as a child, the choice presented to him was “do this or we kill you”. A child cannot make a moral decision to not wrong and accept punishment for not doing that wrong.
The International War Crimes Court should be putting itself on trial for allowing child soldiers to still be a thing in 2021. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"His crimes are moot as if, as a child, the choice presented to him was “do this or we kill you”. A child cannot make a moral decision to not wrong and accept punishment for not doing that wrong.
The International War Crimes Court should be putting itself on trial for allowing child soldiers to still be a thing in 2021."
Need to follow the trial a bit more as it's not abourt crimes he committed as a minor, when he was a child. The 70 crimes he's being judged for are those he committed as an adult in command. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Is he being tried for crimes committed as a child soldier, or other crimes?"
Thought my opening paragraph showed it is crimes he committed as an adult. Obviously not as clear as I thought.
His defence is basically saying as a child he was brainwashed and so he shouldn't be cuprable for those as an adult. |
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"His crimes are moot as if, as a child, the choice presented to him was “do this or we kill you”. A child cannot make a moral decision to not wrong and accept punishment for not doing that wrong.
The International War Crimes Court should be putting itself on trial for allowing child soldiers to still be a thing in 2021.
Need to follow the trial a bit more as it's not abourt crimes he committed as a minor, when he was a child. The 70 crimes he's being judged for are those he committed as an adult in command."
Then I am sure that the manner in which he was “educated” (the difference between right and wrong) and the threats that were (or were not) made against him to continue his behaviour, coupled with his ability to remove himself (or not) from the environment that led to this behaviour will be taken into consideration |
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By *ate_BMan
over a year ago
London |
I haven't looked into the Dominic Ongwen story but I imagine he or others in similar situation may use ptsd as an excuse? If some soldiers use this in defence, children will certainly have an excuse. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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I've been following it on and off since it started in Dec. Yesterday the defence gave their closing remarks. I hadn't expected a decision to be made today but just looked and it has.
Judge Schmitt added: "His guilt has been established beyond any reasonable doubt. He said there was no evidence to support the defence argument that Dominic Ongwen "suffered from any mental disease or disorder during the period relevant to the charges, or that he committed these crimes under duress".
This surprises me somewhat as I had expected some form of diminished responsibility due to brainwashing from age 10. |
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Difficult one.
Maybe they figure that he's had enough time as an adult to learn a more conventional moral code.
On the other hand, 'brainwashing' implies a permanent change in attitude and an inability to see things differently.
Thanks for highlighting this case which I had no previous knowledge of.
A difficult one as a judgement taking the brainwashing into account could have huge future impact. |
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