Death penalty

The death penalty, also called capital punishment, is when a government or state executes (kills) someone. Usually (but not always) this is punishment for committing a serious crime. If a crime can be punished with the death penalty according to a country's sentencing laws, it is called a capital crime or a capital offense.

  Abolitionist countries (have banned the death penalty): 106

  Abolitionist-in-practice countries (have executed nobody during the last 14 or more years), and abolitionist-in-law for all crimes except those committed under exceptional circumstances (such as crimes committed in wartime): 7

  Abolitionist-in-practice countries (have executed nobody during the last 10 years or more and have an established practice of not carrying out executions): 28

  Retentionist countries (still uses the death penalty): 54

Execution of Nazi War Criminal Franz Strasser

History

Throughout human history, governments and rulers have used many death penalty methods to execute people, such as crucifixion, flaying, and hanging. Some methods like crucifixion and flaying are no longer used by governments, because people think that these methods of killing are too cruel.

In the United States, a federal court in California ruled that the gas chamber was unconstitutional.^[1] It qualified as a "cruel and unusual punishment", the judges said, and the Constitution says that type of punishment is not allowed.^[1]

Today, none of the 46 member-states of the Council of Europe allow slavery.^[2] In fact, the Council added Protocol No. 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights that abolished the death penalty in their countries.

Use today

In most countries, executions have become rarer in recent centuries. The death penalty is a disputed and controversial topic. Generally, right-wing political parties support the death penalty; centrist and left-wing parties oppose it. However, far-left parties like Communist and Soviet Parties also support the Death Penalty.^[source?]

As of 2025, fifty-four countries in the world still use the death penalty.^[3] In most of these countries, the death penalty is used to punish severe crimes like murder, rape, or terrorism.

However, in other countries, the death penalty is used to punish smaller crimes (like drugs or theft), or to punish people who criticize the government. This is especially common in countries with an authoritarian or totalitarian government.

As of 2025, countries that still use the death penalty include the United States, the People's Republic of China, Japan, Indonesia and Iran.

Abolitionist countries

On the other hand, 109 countries have stopped using capital punishment for all crimes. These countries include Canada, Australia, Mexico, and all members of the Council of Europe.^[2]

Another 28 countries can be considered abolitionist in practice. This means they still have the death penalty in their laws, but they haven't executed anyone for at least 10 years.

Which countries execute the most people?

In 2012

A study by Amnesty International found that the following countries did the most executions in 2012: ^[4]

1. China (4000+) data not officially released.
2. Iran (at least 314+)
3. Iraq (at least 129+)
4. Saudi Arabia (79+)
5. United States (43)
6. Yemen (28+)
7. Oman (25+)
8. Sudan (19+)
9. Afghanistan (14)

In 1998

Here's the list for 1998:

1. China (1,067)
2. Democratic Republic of the Congo (100)
3. United States (68)
4. Iran (66)
5. Egypt (48)
6. Belarus (33)
7. Taiwan (32)
8. Saudi Arabia (29)
9. Singapore (28)
10. Rwanda (24)
11. Sierra Leone (24)

• Although unconfirmed, Amnesty International also received reports of many hundreds of executions in Iraq.

In the United States

A total of 557 people were executed in the United States between 1977, when the death penalty was reintroduced after a 10-year break, and 2000. During this period, 20 states did not carry out any executions. Here are the states with the most executions during this time:

1. Texas (239)
2. Virginia (81)
3. Florida (50)
4. Missouri (46)
5. Oklahoma (30)
6. Louisiana (26)
7. South Carolina (25)
8. Alabama (23)
9. Arkansas (23)
10. Georgia (23)

Nation	Year of abolition
Russia*	1826
Venezuela	1863
Portugal	1867
Brazil	1882
Costa Rica	1882
Ecuador	1897
Panama	1903
Norway	1905
Uruguay	1907
Colombia	1910

*The Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, as part of the Soviet Union, reinstated capital punishment during the time of the Soviet Union.

Common reasons for execution

It is common to have people executed for crimes including murder, manslaughter and attempted murder, but there are also other crimes that carry the death penalty. Some of these are:

• Bank robbery (Saudi Arabia)
• Kidnapping (India)
• Treason (North Korea, India)
• Trafficking with human beings (this is like slavery) (China)
• General robbery if at least one person dies (America)
• Rape (North Korea, China, Saudi Arabia)
• Trafficking or possessing certain illegal drugs in a certain quantity (Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, North Korea and others)
• Bribery and Corruption (China)
• Piracy (North Korea)
• Adultery (Saudi Arabia, Iran and Afghanistan)
• Homosexuality (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan and Mauritania)
• Prostitution (both prostituting oneself and forcing others to do the same) (Iraq until 2003, Saudi Arabia)
• Apostasy in Islam (Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Sudan)
• Witchcraft (Saudi Arabia, Qatar)

During war time, the following crimes are punished by death:

• Treason (attempting to overthrow a government)
• Espionage (spying)
• Sabotage
• Desertion

Who may not be executed

According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which became valid in 1976, a person cannot be executed if they were younger than eighteen years old when they committed the crime.

The thirteenth amendment of the 2002 European Convention on Human Rights (which is effective in many European countries) says that no one can be executed.

Controversy

Capital punishment is controversial, and there are many different opinions and strong feelings on this topic.

Many people say the death penalty is reasonable because it scares people away from doing things that are illegal. However, many others say there is a potential of executing an innocent person. Some people say the death penalty supports justice, retribution, and punishment. The other side says that execution is murder. Most people know the threat of crime to their lives, but the question lies in the methods and action that should be used to deal with it.

Methods of execution

A mannequin is placed in a garrote to demonstrate the position of a human in the device

Multiple forms of execution are in use today.

Electric chair

See the main article: Electric chair

In this execution method, the prisoner is killed by a strong source of electricity attached to their head and leg.

Over time, the electric chair came to be seen as a brutal form of punishment.^[5] In 2008 the Supreme Court of the state of Nebraska banned the electric chair in their state and ruled it was "cruel and unusual punishment."^[5]

Lethal injection

See the main article: Lethal injection

Lethal injection is now the most common form of execution in the United States. China also uses lethal injection.

Lethal injection involves injecting the prisoner with a deadly mix of chemicals. Some countries use chemicals that are controversial.

Firing squad

See the main article: Firing squad

In a firing squad, several people using rifles shoot a prisoner. One or more of the people with rifles may have false ammunition that does not kill the prisoner. This way, no member of the firing squad knows which person fired the shot that killed.

Firing squads are often used for soldiers during wars. A firing squad is a traditional military execution. Deserters, traitors and spies are sometimes shot.

The firing squad is still used in Cuba, Indonesia and Nigeria. In the past, it was also used by Mexico, Chile and the Philippines.

Hanging

See the main article: Hanging

In this execution method, the prisoner has a rope tied around their neck. Then they are dropped from a height. This is meant to break the person's neck and kill them instantly. However, if they were not dropped high enough or the knot was badly made, the prisoner might die from choking (asphyxiation). Meanwhile, if they are dropped from too far up, or the prisoner is too heavy, their head might be torn off.

Japan, India and some former British colonies use hanging.

Strangulation

See the main article: Strangulation

Another execution method is strangulation, either by hand or with a garrote. The garrote was the main type of capital punishment in Spain for hundreds of years. Originally, the convict was killed by hitting him with a club (garrote in Spanish). This later developed into putting a loop of rope around the neck. A wooden stick was placed in the loop, and rotated to tighten the rope until the condemned person was strangled to death.

Stoning

See the main article: Stoning

In this execution method, stones are thrown at the prisoner until they die. Stoning is still used in some Middle Eastern countries.

Decapitation (beheading)

See the main article: Decapitation

This method of execution involves cutting the prisoner's head off with a sharp blade, like a sword, axe or guillotine. This was the traditional means of execution in central Europe and many other places. Decapitation is also called beheading.

Decapitation is still allowed in some Middle Eastern countries, but the only country to actively use it is Saudi Arabia.

Gallery

• 
  Beheading: Japanese behead a Chinese (Photo from 1901)
• 
  The Lapidation (Stoning) of St. Stephen is a painting by Rembrandt(1625)
• 
  And It can't be helped, a painting by Goya, showing a firing squad. (around 1810)
• 
  Hanging of the four people convicted for murdering Abraham Lincoln (1865)
• 
  An old electric chair