Britain has
issued a pardon to the World War II code breaker Alan Turing over a conviction
for homosexuality. Turing is regularly hailed as the father of modern computing
and credited by many with shortening the war.
In a statement published on Tuesday, British Justice Minister Chris Grayling said the pardon from Queen Elizabeth would come into effect immediately.
In a statement published on Tuesday, British Justice Minister Chris Grayling said the pardon from Queen Elizabeth would come into effect immediately.
He added
that the pardon was a tribute to "an exceptional man with a brilliant
mind." British Prime Minister David Cameron said Turing's work in breaking
the German Enigma Code had saved "countless lives".
"Alan
Turing was a remarkable man who played a key role in saving this country in
World War II by cracking the German Enigma code," Cameron said. "He
also left a remarkable national legacy through his substantial scientific
achievements, often being referred to as the father of modern computing."
The Enigma
code was used to encrypt German military communications, with Turing's work -
famously carried out at Bletchley Park northwest of London - said to have given
the Allies an edge against the Nazi regime. In particular, his code breaking is
believed to have been instrumental in beating back the German offensive in
North Africa and helping Allied shipping escape Nazi submarines in the
Atlantic.
Conviction
for 'indecency'
Before the
war, Turing had already established ideas that would underpin modern computing,
postulating ideas about artificial intelligence.
After 1945,
he worked from the University of Manchester and helped program some of the
world's first computers - notably developing one of the world's first
electronic chess games.
Despite
Turing's crucial part in the Allied war effort, the British government for
decades refused to acknowledge his contribution on the grounds of secrecy. In
1952, he was convicted of "gross indecency" over a relationship with
another man. He was subjected to intrusive surveillance and hormone treatment
aimed at suppressing his sex drive.
Turing died
in 1954, with a coroner ruling that he had committed suicide. However, that
verdict has since been questioned.
The
official pardon comes after more than 37,000 people signed an online petition
requesting it.
Pardons are
normally only granted in Britain when the person is innocent of an offence that
was on the statute books at the time of conviction, and where the request is
made by someone with a vested interest, such as a family member. The pardon for
Turing comes despite neither of these conditions being met.
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