The death penalty is a punishment that is currently applied in 68 countries. The most widespread it was in countries of Asia and Africa. However, also 38 US states still use it.
Currently, the most commonly used methods of the death penalty are:
- shooting;
- the gallows;
- an injection incompatible with life;
- electric chair;
- deprivation of the head;
- stoning;
- gas chamber.
The death penalty is one of the punishments for criminal offenses of special gravity, which involves the deprivation of a person's life.
Where did the death penalty come from and why did individual countries abolish it
The death penalty is one of the oldest punishments. It was born from the principle of Talion - "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" and the customs of blood feud. In the Middle Ages, this measure was practiced almost everywhere. At the moment, a large number of states have declared the death penalty illegal and abolished it. Many consider this type of punishment to be too humane and not in accordance with the principles of international law. However, this opinion is not of all states, in many countries the death penalty lives to this day.
In which States is the death penalty practiced?
Now the death penalty exists in 58 states, among them: Afghanistan, Bahamas, Belarus, China, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Libya, Mongolia, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Syria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vietnam.
The largest number of executions takes place in China, the least - in Pakistan, India, Bangladezh and the UAE.
In some countries, the death penalty is theoretically available, but executions have long been practiced. These states include Algeria, Benin, Zambia, Kenya, Congo, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Mali, Maldives, Russia, Swaziland, Tunisia, Sri Lanka.
