“Not civilised by any metric”? That is quite a claim. So the existence of capital punishment somehow cancels out every other measure by which a society might be judged, democratic government, freedom of expression, an independent judiciary, scientific achievement, education, living standards, civil rights, charitable institutions, and the rule of law? You are perfectly entitled to believe that the death penalty is barbaric. What you cannot reasonably do is take your personal opposition to one particular criminal punishment and turn it into the absurd declaration that any country retaining it is “not civilised by any metric.” And incidentally, you have just demonstrated why my earlier point was relevant. The moment you start judging whether an entire country is civilised, you have broadened the discussion beyond capital punishment. You cannot invoke “civilisation” when it suits your argument and then object when other measures of civilisation are introduced.
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