Top 10 Countries With the Most Terrible Death Sentences

The death penalty is the most extreme consequence most people can imagine for a crime. Therefore, it should be reserved for the most unfair of all crimes, at least that is the common thinking. Not all countries are as liberal as those in which the first world is considered. Some countries regard petty crimes as theft and public intoxication, extreme offenses worthy of the worst possible punishment. Of course, as always, it is only if the individual is caught. Canada abolished the death penalty in 1976, and only 32 states in the United States still maintain capital punishment for extreme cases. In Europe, Belarus and Kazakhstan are the only countries that still allow the death penalty, although it is rare. Some people believe the death penalty is the only thing murderers and rapists deserve, but others believe in forgiveness, and that an eye for an eye solves nothing. Source: loverists.com

10. CHINA – TAX FRAUD

The actual number of people executed in China is considered a state secret, but the number is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. A total of 55 crimes are punishable by death in China, including some nonviolent crimes such as embezzlement and tax fraud. Death sentences are usually issued with a probationary period of 2 years so that the government can be sure of the prisoner’s guilt before executing it by firing squad or lethal injection.

9. IRAN – EXECUTION OF MINORS

Official crimes punishable by death in Iran include armed robbery, treason , murder, drug trafficking, rape, pedophilia, sodomy, kidnapping and terrorism. Iran has signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits the execution of offenders under the age of 18, but they are still considered to be the world’s largest executioners of minors. They attributed this to a difference between a minor Muslim and a non-Muslim. For murder cases, most death sentences are delayed for up to 5 years to allow the accused the opportunity to pay diyya, which is a private settlement claim between the victim’s family and the criminal.

8. IRAQ – COERCED CONFESSIONS LEADING TO EXECUTION

While Saddam Hussein and the executions of his associates for crimes against humanity may seem like a reasonable use of the death penalty in Iraq, they are extreme examples. Other crimes punishable by death include murder, rape, espionage and kidnapping. The main method of execution in Iraq is hanging.

7. YEMEN – EXECUTION WITHOUT JUDGMENT

Yemen is another place where homosexuality is punished with death. But the real problem in the country is not the official death penalty laws, but the extreme corruption of the government and its security forces. The police force has been responsible for inhuman treatment, torture, and even unnecessary executions of prisoners. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for the arrest of an individual, and they could stay in jail for long periods of time with no legal basis. And during these times the execution could come unexpectedly and without explanation, and there is no way to stop it.

6. NORTH KOREA – PUBLIC ENFORCEMENT

North Korea uses the death penalty for obvious crimes such as rape, murder and treason, but these are not crimes that most people have to worry about accidentally committing. The greatest extreme use of the death penalty is in people using media that is not approved by the government. Most executions are performed by firing squad, and are not uncommon in public.

5. SUDAN – PROSTITUTION

Another country where homosexuality, as well as sodomy among heterosexual people, is punishable by death is Sudan. Adultery is also a reason for the death penalty, as well as being caught in place of prostitution after 3 offenses. Women guilty of adultery are buried to the shoulders, and then stoned to death in a version of the death penalty called the Hadd punishment. Hadd punishment is used for offenses that are considered, according to the Koran, to be against the rights of God.

4. SOMALIA – ADULTERY

In 2008, a 13-year-old girl was arrested and charged with adultery on confession. And she supposedly insisted that Sharia law be applied to her case, which means that the moral code and religious law of a prophetic religion, Islam, was the basis for being sentenced to death. She was buried to the neck and stoned to death in front of 1000 people. Amnesty International later discovered that the girl had begged for mercy, and in fact she had been arrested after being raped by 3 men.

3. AFGHANISTAN – APOSTASY

Apostasy is the formal defiliation or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by the individual. In Afghanistan, turning one’s back on Islam is punishable by death. There are several verses in the Quran that condemn apostasy, making it a law based on interpretations of religion.

2. SYRIA – HONOR KILLINGS

Although not considered a death penalty when men kill their wives, daughters and sisters for their families’ shame, honor killings are a form of capital punishment that Syrian women often face. The Syrian Civil War has been the reason for the rise in honor killings across the country because of the common occurrence of war rape. Rape victims are often stigmatized by their families and communities, so the victim is killed for being a dishonor in the family. Some estimate that more than 200 honor killings occur each year in Syria.

1. TURKEY – FORCED TO COMMIT SUICIDE

Forced suicide is used as a form of honor killing in Turkey. The most common reasons for an honor kill are a woman having an extramarital affair, a young girl having a relationship with a man, and even a woman seeking a divorce. Young boys are often required to perform honor killings because they will receive a shorter prison sentence. In other cases, the person who is considered dishonorable is forced to commit suicide, so no one has to face any legal consequences.

Death Sentences