Treason is disloyalty or betrayal of trust to a government, historically punished severely. Families of traitors were punished alongside the traitors themselves. Modern punishments include long prison sentences, hefty fines, and death penalty under certain circumstances. Convictions in developed countries are rare, but developing nations use the charges to punish dissenters.
Treason is an act of disloyalty or betrayal of trust to a person’s government. Examples include assassinating a state figure, fighting your own nation in a war, assisting enemy combatants, or passing vital government information to the enemy. Historically, this crime has been severely punished, because one act of treason can destroy a nation. Nowadays, a conviction is accompanied by at least a long prison sentence and a hefty fine, and may merit the death penalty under certain circumstances.
Traditionally, families of traitors were punished alongside the traitors themselves, to act as a deterrent to committing treason or participating in acts of treason with family members. In addition to being sentenced to death, all of the traitor’s assets would be confiscated and his family members could also be forced to give up their property as punishment. Traitors could not want property from other family members, and individuals related to someone who committed this crime faced severe social stigma. Many family members fled to other countries with what wealth they could salvage.
Often, the imposed method of death was also particularly gruesome. Traitors were rarely just hanged: they could expect to be drawn and quartered or tarred and feathered, and hanged as a practical lesson. Gibbeting refers to the public display of a criminal, dead or alive, usually with a sign detailing his crimes. Individuals were hanged along roadsides and at city entrances, so that travelers were constantly reminded of the punishments in store for serious crimes. Many gallows were left until the body had completely decayed, and the criminal family was not allowed to bury the deceased in holy land.
In the modern era, most nations punish the traitor alone, with a death sentence for serious acts of treason in nations with the death penalty. Minor acts merit a prison sentence, usually for a minimum of five years, and a hefty fine: in the United States the fine is US$10,000. In countries without the death penalty, such as Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, England and Australia, traitors are usually punished with life imprisonment. Due to refinements to the definition of treason, convictions in the First World are rare, but many developing nations use the charges to punish dissenters, suggesting a lack of free speech in these nations.
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