[nhchris]

Punishment as part of a secret investigation, that you're not notified of or have a chance to defend yourself against in court, sounds rather undemocratic*.

*This word is sadly misused to mean "any unjust system of government". E.g. it is perfectly possible to have a constitutional monarchy, the antithesis of democracy, that respects the right to a fair trial and to face your accuser. Conversely, things people vote for are routinely dismissed as "undemocratic" - in that case, it gets called "populism". As far as I can tell, the words, as (ab)used, have nothing to do with the method of government, and everything to do with the outcome.

[jasfi]

I've seen a lot of undemocratic actions by democratic countries. Democracies can be of a very weak form, that name alone is not enough.

[kneebonian]

What are you talking about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is doubleplus good Korea.