Forgiveness and Iraq

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/12/08/activists-captors.html

Two Canadians and a Briton held hostage in Iraq last year said Friday that they have been asked to testify at the trial of their alleged captors, but are reluctant to do so because they are opposed to Iraq's death penalty.
James Loney, Harmeet Singh Sooden and Norman Kember, all members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams, told a news conference in London that their alleged captors should be forgiven instead of punished.
Freed in March, the three peace activists had been held hostage for 117 days in Iraq.
"What our captors did was wrong. They caused us, our families and friends great suffering. Yet we bear no malice towards them and have no wish for retribution," Loney said.

In Iraq kidnapping is a capital offence. What the men are saying is that they do not believe that execution is an appropriate response. The statement

"We unconditionally forgive our captors for abducting and holding us. We have no desire to punish them. Punishment can never restore what was taken from us. "What our captors did was wrong. They caused us, our families and our friends great suffering.
"Yet we bear no malice towards them and have no wish for retribution.

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Could be interpreted as meaning that they want the men to walk free. I think however that what they were really saying is that they don't want punishment inflicted on their behalf but they do not comment upon the other purposes of the legal process which are protecting society and deterring further offences.