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Do you waive your right to compassion when you commit a crime?

| Friday, 8 Aug. 2010 | 18:06 - 19:00 GMT

The UK government has urged Libya not to celebrate the first anniversary of the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbasset Ali al-Megrahi, the man who was freed on compassionate grounds as he was dying of cancer.

Reports from Tripoli suggest he could now live for another SEVEN years.

Your comments

  1. Comment sent via BLOG

    Steve on the blog - Obviously, there are different types of crimes. You wouldn't compare someone who stole a loaf of bread to someone who blew up an airplane and killed 270 people. I think you could clearly show compassion to those who committed minor and nonviolent crimes, but I really don't think that mass murderers should be shown any compassion, as they obviously didn't show any compassion for their victims

  2. Comment sent via BLOG

    There has always been great doubt that Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbasset Ali al-Megrahi, was guilty. The evidence (if you research the files) was skimpy to say the least. BluesBerry on the blog - Many of the relatives of the 270 victims of the bombing are angry that the facts have not been revisited because they too have come to feel that Abdelbasset Ali al-Megrahihe is innocent.

  3. Comment sent via BLOG

    Ibrahim in the UK on the blog - A right to compassion? Since when did we have a right to compassion? By its very concept, compassion is an instinctive emotion of the heart in every human.

  4. Comment sent via BLOG

    Roy, Washington DC - The victims of this bombing didn't receive any compassion, so neither should he have received any. You deserve as much compassion as you show your victims

  5. Comment sent via Twitter

    At the Civicus Youth Assembly #civya we are recording @bbc_whys Do criminals deserve compassion is the question! I say yes!

  6. Comment sent via Facebook

    Mohammed Jalloh - If he realy did wat they say he did, spending the rest of his life in prison sounds fair to me. Inocent lives lost and he was releasd on compasion wat world r we livin in?

  7. Comment sent via Facebook

    Daniel Fedele - Oh this is an easy 1, Abdelbasset Ali should have NEVER been released

  8. Comment sent via Facebook

    Musa Issa - In my opinion the Libyans are going to do whatever they want to do. Vengeance breeds bitterness and a vicious cycle of violence and retribution

  9. Comment sent via Facebook

    Stephanie K. Frieze - If the UK was not prepared to him to be celebrated by Libya, it ought not to have released him. Either you give a gift with open hands or don't give the gift.

  10. Comment sent via Facebook

    Martin M Banda - I support this, its an insult to the relatives of the victims!

  11. Comment sent via Facebook

    Gila Shoshannah - If a person has already served most of sentence AND shown signs of remorse I have no problem granting compassion to such a person. I do question what it means by 'serving their sentence'. Sitting in a jail costing tax payer money is not really 'serving' in my view

  12. Comment sent via Facebook

    Laura Michaels - The UK did what it did and now must allow other to do what they do.

  13. Comment sent via host

    There''s a video of our plan for today, starring guest blogger Aengus: see it here:

  14. Comment sent via host

    Hi there - Ben S here running WHYS Live from Civicus in Montreal, Canada. We''ve got two questions we''re looking at today - Do you waive your right to compassion when you commit a crime? and What is stopping young people from engaging in global challenges?

  15. Comment sent via host

    Hi there! We''ve got two questions we''re looking at today - Do you waive your right to compassion when you commit a crime? and What is stopping young people from engaging in global challenges?