Right or Wrong?

A couple of news items caught my attention today. Firstly there was this:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8198603.stm

So far the response from the families of the victims has been mixed. Some say this is the compassionate thing to do others that he should serve his time as punishment / retribution for what he did. Leaving aside whether he did do it (there is some doubt) I wondered whether it was the sign of a civilised country to not only look for retribution but to also be compassionate to a dying man. All this was before it became apparent that, in general, those who thought he should be released were British while the families of the USA victims seem to all think he should rot in jail. Any thoughts?

Then there was this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8197917.stm

So the French government wants to ban a woman wearing something in public that is part of her religious belief. My question is does any civilised country have the right to deny someone the right to practice their faith in a way that doesn't do anyone any harm?