The outrage over this verdict is justified, but the reason has more to do with the passage of time than with East/West cultural or political differences.
In medieval times, the death penalty was commonly used for theft. On the other hand, murder was usually penalized by a fine. Seems perverse, but it was practiced for hundreds of years in many European kingdoms.
One reason for the disparity in penalties was that the laws were written to protect royalty and property-holders. A lord or rich farmer was much more likely to be involved in murder than to steal something.
This crime was lower versus upper class. If the hacker had been the manager of a state-run enterprise who funneled money into his own pocket, it's unlikely he would have been punished, much less executed.
And don't forget that in the US, you do not have to commit a murder to be executed. For example, if you drive a getaway car for a robbery, and someone is shot and killed, you can be executed as an accomplice even if you did not know about the murder. Or you can be executed as a major marijuana dealer, I believe, even if your product does not physically harm anyone.
The outrage over this verdict is justified, but the reason has more to do with the passage of time than with East/West cultural or political differences.
In medieval times, the death penalty was commonly used for theft. On the other hand, murder was usually penalized by a fine. Seems perverse, but it was practiced for hundreds of years in many European kingdoms.
One reason for the disparity in penalties was that the laws were written to protect royalty and property-holders. A lord or rich farmer was much more likely to be involved in murder than to steal something.
This crime was lower versus upper class. If the hacker had been the manager of a state-run enterprise who funneled money into his own pocket, it's unlikely he would have been punished, much less executed.
And don't forget that in the US, you do not have to commit a murder to be executed. For example, if you drive a getaway car for a robbery, and someone is shot and killed, you can be executed as an accomplice even if you did not know about the murder. Or you can be executed as a major marijuana dealer, I believe, even if your product does not physically harm anyone.
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In medieval times, the death penalty was commonly used for theft. On the other hand, murder was usually penalized by a fine. Seems perverse, but it was practiced for hundreds of years in many European kingdoms.
One reason for the disparity in penalties was that the laws were written to protect royalty and property-holders. A lord or rich farmer was much more likely to be involved in murder than to steal something.
This crime was lower versus upper class. If the hacker had been the manager of a state-run enterprise who funneled money into his own pocket, it's unlikely he would have been punished, much less executed.
And don't forget that in the US, you do not have to commit a murder to be executed. For example, if you drive a getaway car for a robbery, and someone is shot and killed, you can be executed as an accomplice even if you did not know about the murder. Or you can be executed as a major marijuana dealer, I believe, even if your product does not physically harm anyone.
In medieval times, the death penalty was commonly used for theft. On the other hand, murder was usually penalized by a fine. Seems perverse, but it was practiced for hundreds of years in many European kingdoms.
One reason for the disparity in penalties was that the laws were written to protect royalty and property-holders. A lord or rich farmer was much more likely to be involved in murder than to steal something.
This crime was lower versus upper class. If the hacker had been the manager of a state-run enterprise who funneled money into his own pocket, it's unlikely he would have been punished, much less executed.
And don't forget that in the US, you do not have to commit a murder to be executed. For example, if you drive a getaway car for a robbery, and someone is shot and killed, you can be executed as an accomplice even if you did not know about the murder. Or you can be executed as a major marijuana dealer, I believe, even if your product does not physically harm anyone.