ME: Time for a trial/confession.
Following the ignoble deaths of Presidents Coriolanus Snow and Alma Coin, two tyrants whose chief differences were the ideologies they supported (neo-fascism and communism, respectively), President Brinna Paylor had overhauled the legal system of Panem and effectively abolished the kangaroo courts that had been allowed to operate under the dictator's respective governments in the Capitol and District Thirteen. The accused were guaranteed a trial by jury unless they requested a trial by magistrate of their own free will. This was in contrast to the old regimes, where Head Peacekeepers could authorize trial by judge alone regardless of the wishes of the defendants and District Thirteen courts operated similarly to the Soviet Union in that juries were never convened and a tribunal of judges declared guilt or innocence (similar to the International Military Tribunals of World War Two, except on a smaller scale), assuming there ever was a trial. Additionally, defendants could no longer be tried for the same offense twice unless a mistrial had been declared and were guaranteed the right to an attorney, be they a private lawyer or public defender (that is, a government-employed lawyer like the district attorney) in the case of civilian trials or defense counsel in the case of military court-martials. Just because of these three reforms, many anti-Coinist dissidents amongst rebels from both continental Panem as well as District Thirteen and Loyalist POWs who almost certainly would have been executed for imaginary crimes were found innocent.
Gale's case was the exception, he reflected. All war crimes tribunals under Paylor consisted of a military judge, trial counsel (the prosecutor), defense counsel and a panel/jury of fourteen officers drawn from all of the Districts and the Capitol's National Guards. This was done so that all accused war criminals would be declared innocent or guilty by the majority of Panem, if only symbolically.
"Gale Hawthorne," the judge, a Brigadier General, began the trial, "you are accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Loyalist and neutral populations of Districts One, Two and Four. You will also be charged with one count of murder for every civilian who was killed in Fort Cheyenne and every medic or other noncombatant who was killed by a snare bomb. In addition to that, you will be charged with one count of attempted murder for every civilian refugee who escaped from Fort Cheyenne and every medic or noncombatant targeted by one of the snare bombs but survived for whatever reason. Finally, you will be charged with one count of murder for every child that was killed by a snare bomb in the Capitol and one count of attempted murder for every surviving child from that tragedy. How do you plead?"
Gale looked up at the camera broadcasting the trial live in addition to recording it for future generations. "I plead guilty to all charges."
The whole courtroom was silent. The very fact that Gale had confessed meant that the panel would not have to debate over evidence and testimonies; now all that had to be done was the sentencing.
"Gale Hawthorne," the judge said, still somewhat shocked at the defendant's actions, "you have confessed to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Loyalist and neutral populations of Districts One, Two and Four in addition to multiple counts of murder and attempted murder. Under normal circumstances, you would be eligible for the death penalty. However, because you came forward and confessed of your own free will, I am only authorized to give you the minimum punshment for your crimes." The General paused to take a deep breath before saying, "Gale Hawthorne, you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole or pardon. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Gale looked straight at the camera. "About six years ago, the Praetorian Enforcers-not any ordinary Peacekeeper unit; these people were guilty of far more than obeying propaganda they had been brainwashed with-destroyed District Twelve with thermobaric bombs, killing around seven-thousand and two hundred unarmed people; they also murdered their own comrades, for Bravo Company of the Twelfth Peacekeeping Battalion was entirely wiped out. I was one of the eight hundred or so survivors.
"However, that does not excuse my crimes. In fact, this makes them even worse, for I of all people should've known the consequences. I did know better, but I was blinded by hatred and bigotry; I turned my back on the ideals of the Second Rebellion and the morals my parents had taught me. I created an idea for a bomb to specifically target medics and other noncombatants coming to the aid of the wounded; these are actions President Snow would have taken, not any rebel hero like Katniss Everdeen or Peeta Mellark. To the Victor Beetee of District Three-I'm sorry for dragging you down with me, Coin would have never ordered you to design those horrible things if I didn't suggest it to her.
"Yet that still wasn't enough. To satisfy my bloodlust, I proposed a plan to destroy the mountain complex in District Two-known to the Loyalists as Fort Cheyenne, the Nut to the rebels-even though I knew the facility sheltered unarmed civilian refugees in addition to Peacekeepers and Loyalist Militia Volunteers and that said reports of civilians taking shelter there weren't propaganda. The worst part is that I didn't get what I wanted at the time-the destruction of the train tunnel to ensure no one escaped from the hell I created. I even shot down Commander Lyme's suggestion of offering them a chance to surrender first.
"I do not ask for forgiveness from either God or Panem, because quite frankly I do not deserve to be forgiven. I am no hero, I am a monster and mass murderer who does not even have the defense of following orders. I call upon all decent people throughout our species to never do what I did no matter what-if you seek to rid the world of monsters, you will only fail by becoming the sole one in existence. My only request is that the Loyalists and neutrals of the Republic of Panem be protected from victor's justice and that my family be left alone-I deserve six revolver bullets in my chest, not my mother, Hazelle, my two brothers, Rory and Vick or my sister, Posy."
Gale was taken away by armed military police soldiers wearing tinted gas masks to intimidate would-be rioters and other possible threats. They were not in coat-and-tie like their Nuremberg counterparts; no, practicality was the order of the day.
He was taken to the Republic's supermax prison on Sugar Island. It was designed to hold those guilty of serious crimes but for whatever reason not executed, including war criminals like him.
His cell was very plain by even the standards of ADX Florence, but Gale found it extremely ideal compared to the two hellholes he rescued Johanna and Peeta from; Annie was only spared from being tortured and raped by the guards because of the fact she was deemed too mentally unstable to be trusted by the rebels with information and thus ordered to be left alone by Snow as a bargaining chip.
Eventually a guard brought in a visitor; Laura Fisher, Enobaria's surrogate sister. Her facial scar was still present but like Stephanos's was fading.
I can't believe I would've murdered someone so undeserving. And how many I did kill.
"Gale Hawthorne?" She asked.
"Yes," he replied simply. "You're Laura Fisher, aren't you?"
"How-?" She shook her head. "Forget it. If you know who I am, you should know why I'm here, Hawthorne."
He nodded.
"I was actually outside the courthouse when they had your trial. I was half-tempted to pull out a revolver I had on me and shoot you when they took you outside, regardless of the jury's verdict. The only reason why I say half is because of my family."
"You were plotting to kill me for my crimes?" Gale honestly couldn't blame her; after all the lives he needlessly took, he'd be a hypocrite for doing so.
"Yes," Laura replied calmly.
"Then why didn't you? You had every right to do so, as Soghomon Tehlirian had every right to kill Talaat Pasha."
"Because I saw you confess of your own free will, admit guilt. You looked genuinely remorseful and sorry for what you did to me and everyone else."
She stood up to leave, and two guards entered.
Suddenly the one on the left withdrew his stun baton and took down his partner before electrocuting the unprepared Laura. He then drew his pistol and trained it on Gale's forehead; though his face was hidden by a gas mask, his hand was shaking.
"Go ahead," Gale said.
BANG!
ME: A/N: Gale being accused of genocide, despite the Nut not being a Holocaust-level event, is a reference to the Halabja Massacre where at most 5,000 Kurds died yet still was recognized as a genocide. Additionally, Panem's accused having the right to request trial by judge alone is a reference to accused in the modern US military having that right. President Paylor's first name is credited to ForFutureReference, check out his stories The High Road and Seeds of Panem; the former also is a tale concerning Gale's crimes and the latter takes place during Panem's Reconstruction-Era.