With the arrest of IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn well behind us, it now appears that France does have something to teach the United States. The whole idea of the “perp walk”, the parading of an innocent person for the media, smacks of sensationalism. It is also blatantly unfair. “Innocent until proven guilty” is supposed to be a fundamental concept in most democracies and yet, in the United States, it seems to be only a suggestion.
Democracy can not work if the state is going to abuse the rights of individuals. A fundamental right must be protection for innocent persons from undue publicity or embarrassment . This is not an argument about protecting the guilty. Until convicted, everyone is innocent. And that right needs to be protected vigorously.