Queen Elizabeth II has bestowed the posthumous pardon from the British mathematician Alan Turing, who was convicted of engaging in homosexual activities in 1952. Turing ultimately contributed to the defeat of Nazism with his mathematical genius way, saving thousands of lives to decipher the secret code of communication from the German Army.
During World War II, the mathematician Alan Turing worked with the British government in counterintelligence tasks, devising a machine that can transform a sequence of ones and zeros orders placed in logical sequence, exactly the model by which computers work we handle daily. For this reason he is remembered as the “father of computing.” His invention was able to decipher the codes of the famous Enigma machine used by the German army, allowing the allied forces could anticipate enemy movements and thereby saving thousands of lives of civilians and military. Some estimate their contribution to the defeat of Nazism was higher than Churchill or Eisenhower.
However, in 1952, the same British government for which he worked was convicted of “gross indecency and sexual perversion”, after being found guilty of having sex with another man. He was given a choice between chemical castration or go to jail. Turing chose the former and ended up committing suicide after a year under estrogen hormone treatment to eliminate your libido, which caused impotence and growth of female breasts (check out the article that our partner dedicated to Alan Turing Nemo in September 2007, clicking here).
homosexuality was persecuted in the UK between 1885 and 1967, during that period having been convicted some 75,000 men for the crime of being gay. Those who still survive may request removal of those sentences on your background. In the history of the deceased, however, will remain the scourge.
Therefore, in recent years there have been requests to Alan Turing was pardoned posthumously. In 2009, John Graham-Cumming computer and launched an initiative that got the British government formally apologize for its treatment of Turing. However, a full pardon was denied repeatedly since, according to government officials “Alan Turing was properly convicted of what in those days was considered a crime,” .
However, in June 2013 the British government, through Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, announced his change of opinion in the House of Lords, stating that the initiative proposed by Lord Sharkey demoliberal granted an official pardon Turing would have the support of the coalition government once came to the House of Commons. This change in attitude perhaps influenced the petition to David Cameron in December 2012 by eleven British top scientists, including Stephen Hawking account, asking that clemency.
And finally, 60 years after his tragic death, the official pardon has come through a royal edict, dated December 24th. Justice Minister Chris Grayling, signing the pardon on behalf of the Queen in his capacity as Lord Chancellor, announced the royal edict with the following words:
“Doctor Alan Turing was an exceptional man with a brilliant mind. His brilliance was evident at Bletchley Park during the Second World War, where he was instrumental in cracking the Enigma code, helping to end the war and save thousands of lives.
His later life was overshadowed by his conviction for homosexual activity, a statement that today would be considered unfair and discriminatory and that has now been canceled.
Dr. Turing deserves to be remembered and recognized for their fantastic contribution to efforts during the war and his legacy to science. A pardon of the queen is a fitting tribute to a remarkable man. “
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