In 'Shadow', Avon twice refers to the mandatory death sentence for possession of Shadow

Thanks, Anna, for all the convincing examples that execution was used under civilian law in the Federation.

The point about military law being different from civilian law is an interesting one. Quite apart from feeling that people who sign up in military roles should not necessarily lose their human rights, the pragmatic reason for opposing inhumane punishments under military law is the opportunity it gives for repression in the hands of potential dictators: take power, declare a state of emergency, impose military law and execute anyone who opposes you seems to be a fairly standard series of events.

It's fairly clear that Federation military and civil codes are different from Servalan's contempt for politicians of the civil administration. However I have wondered (wild speculation ahead) if the Domes on Earth in TWB were operating under some sort of a 'state of emergency' situation. This might allow for the indiscriminate heavy drugging of civilians that we observed, without implying that this was necessarily the normal situation.

Tavia