Peace or Democracy?

Where would you rather live, in a democracy that commits democratically approved unspeakable atrocities, or in a dictatorship that successfully ends a long and bloody war with its enemy?
I consider myself a true democrat. Freedom of speech, secularism, and fair elections are all extremely high ideals for me. But are they worth killing or dying for? Isn't any human life more valuable than these abstract concepts?
It's difficult to answer that, and I don't want to disparage the sacrifices made, now and in the past, in the name of democracy. But when I'm honest, my choice is for peace.