Hacktivism

This week the article that caught my attention the most was China's Cyberposse by Tom Downey from the New York Times. The people "prosecuted" in this article may have deserved ramifications for their actions, however I do not feel vigilante style is the way to go about it.
Is it an effective way to go about justice? Sure, it just isn't a fair way or the right way. Granted every country has different sets of laws, but every country has laws in place for a reason. The people who committed crimes should be handled by the law. For instance, the lady who stomped the kitten to death, Wang Jaio. She should've been dealt with by the law not a bunch of mob vigilantes. Since when is it ok for a civilian to decide someone's guilt and punishment?
What I found even more disturbing were the cases of people who were targeted when they had not committed a crime but were simply disliked for their actions. The story of Wang Fei is a prime exaple. He was targeted for adultery and the role it played in his wife's suicide. However, adultery, while it isn't an admirable quality, is not a crime. While, I truly feel for his wife and her plight, how does the choice of her action become his reponsibility? Are these vigilante's even bothering to look at all the information? Wang and his wife had been seperated for months and on their way to divorce. How do they know what kind of marriage they had, what her mental stability was and most importantly who made them the official in charge of deciding anything?
I do believe these Netizens and their human-flesh search engines to be a violation of civil and human rights. While, many rally around the idea of those who have done wrong "paying the piper", the idea should be for them to pay the piper with the help of the law. While, I defiantely wouldn't stomp a kitten to death, I certainly can say I have made my fair share of mistakes. It's safe to say we all have. I, personally, would not want my mistakes publicly aired and I definately would not to be on the recieving end of this vigilante justice.
So the question seems to be: How do we stop this? I do believe their should be criminal punishment set forth on individuals who choose to do this. Obviously, each country would have to set their own laws just as with every other law. However, finding these individuals and punishing them shouldn't be too hard...if they wanted to find you they would....