An eye for an eye- so states the Code of Babylonian King, Hammurabi, one of the earliest and most
complete set of laws.
Kill and be killed.
Yet today over two thirds of the world has abolished the death penalty, seeking to separate
justice from the act of murder.
Here in the United States, most states still allow the death penalty, and America remains
the outlier amongst the world's democracies in enforcing the ultimate punishment.
But what's the death penalty like around the world?
How do different nations enforce it?
Time to grab your passport and engage in a little dark tourism.
United States
Starting here at home, the death penalty is legal in thirty states, with approximately
2,000 individuals awaiting their date with the grim reaper.
Hanging and firing squad used to be the chief way to implement the death penalty, until
states switched to the gas chamber and the electric chair for a more humane way to kill.
Turns out both of those were far from humane, and today lethal injection remains the primary
method for killing- though mounting evidence is showing that lethal injection is also itself
extremely painful way of dying, prompting some states to consider bringing back old-school
alternatives like hanging and firing squad.
The guillotine was also proposed, citing the efficiency and speed of death, but it seems
like for now we'll be sticking with a lethal injection, and perhaps a firing squad or two.
China
The US gets a lot of flack for having the death penalty, but China is believed to execute
thousands of people a year.
It's difficult to get a precise count, because the Chinese government works hard to suppress
such unflattering business, but it is known that demand for executions is so high in China,
that the country purchased a fleet of 'death vans' which could quickly move from prison
to prison, carrying out fast and efficient executions at each stop.
With 46 criminal offenses mandating the death penalty- ranging from embezzlement to surrender
of soldiers, it's no surprise China leads the way in deaths per year.
China mainly executes via lethal injection, though it's not unheard of for firing squads
to occasionally be used.
Iran
With crimes such as drug trafficking and producing or distributing pornography grounds for the
death penalty, it's no surprise that Iran puts up big numbers every year in executions.
It's perhaps surprising that when it comes to murder the state attempts to actually prevent
an execution.
The Iranian state considers murder a private matter between the offender and the family
of the victim, and the family is given a choice: they can forgive the murderer and force them
to pay a large financial restitution, or they can opt for the death penalty.
The official sum owed to the family of a murder victim is the price of 100 camels, which must
be paid in cash.
Officially if the victim was female though, the family will only receive half of that
sum.
Methods of execution in Iran include hanging, firing squad, and stoning.
Because Iran somehow finds a way to be sexist even in executions, during a stoning a man
is buried to his waist, and a woman to her neck.
If the victim can escape the stoning pit before being killed, they are free to go.
Unsurprisingly, men- who are only buried halfway- have a much greater chance of escape than
women.
Indonesia
Another country that brutally enforces anti-drug laws, Indonesia may be flirting with the idea
of abolishing the death sentence, but it still routinely carries out executions- primarily
against drug traffickers and producers.
The preferred method of choice here is firing squad, though no official executioners exist-
instead a special police unit carries out this grim task, receiving less than $100 on
top of their regular pay for the job.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is a strict adherent to traditional and highly conservative muslim law, which
mandates execution by beheading for most crimes.
While the firing squad will occasionally be used, nearly all executions are done by beheading.
The condemned is led out to a courtyard where their crimes are read aloud, then the executioner
severs the head from the body with one quick stroke.
While it may seem archaic, the truth is this is likely one of the most humane, and fastest
ways to bring about death.
If the criminal was particularly heinous, the decapitated body is then crucified and
put on public display for up to three days.
For international reporters with a busy schedule though, Saudi Arabia will bring the execution
to you, and even spare your family the funeral expenses by shoving your body down a drain.
Pakistan
Amongst the top three executioners in the world- alongside China and Iran- Pakistan
has 27 crimes punishable by death.
Perhaps unsurprisingly for such a strict religious fundamentalist nation, blasphemy is amongst
those crimes, and is in fact considered one of the worst offenses.
Defamation against the Qu'ran will only net you life imprisonment, but defiling the sacred
name of the Prophet Muhammad will almost certainly guarantee death.
Homosexuality and piracy also brings the death penalty, as well as leaving the Islamic religion
and joining a religion that is actively combating Islam, which is seen as treasonous.
Yemen
Yemen may be a small nation, but has one of the highest rates of executions per capita
in the world.
Here the death penalty is invoked for any capital crime such as rape, murder, or terrorism,
however it can also be enforced for violations of Islamic law such as adultery, sexual misconduct,
sodomy, prostitution and blasphemy- though unlike Pakistan, these are very rare.
While stoning, hanging, and beheading are all permitted under Yemani law, the firing
squad is the only form of execution in use today.
Egypt
Another prolific executioner, Egypt maintains the death penalty for a variety of instances
such as murder, terrorism, and rape.
The death penalty can also be mandated in cases where an offense later leads to death
or severe bodily harm to others, such as in the case of the Port Said Stadium riot.
This riot occurred when victorious football fans stormed the stands of the opposite side
and began to violently attack them with clubs, rocks, and other improvised weapons.
74 people were killed, though most were because of the police's refusal to open the stadium
gates, resulting in many people being crushed to death by the panicking crowd.
Ten defendants were condemned to death for their part in the riot, with execution carried
out by hanging.
Iraq
Frequently invoked by Saddam Hussein, ironically he himself would end up facing the death penalty
for his crimes against the Iraqi people.
In this country car theft can net you the death penalty, as well as “sabotage of the
national economy”, which is catch-all term for piracy, bootlegging and other forms of
economic crime.
Try to smuggle out large amounts of ancient artifacts from the country, and you too could
be facing the death penalty in Iraq.
The preferred method of execution here is by hanging, and after his capture Saddam Hussein
found his own end this way- a mercy for a man who brutally tortured and murdered thousands.
United Arab Emirates
Another country with fundamentalist roots, the UAE maintains the death penalty for capital
crimes such as treason, murder, aggravated robbery and rape.
However, the UAE also considers adultery and apostasy as capital crimes which carry the
death penalty.
The death penalty is rarely invoked however, as the law requires that three judges all
agree on the application of the death penalty.
Like other fundamentalist countries, the UAE also gives the family of a victim the option
of receiving a cash repayment rather than the offender facing the death penalty.
If repayment is agreed upon, the sum for murder is about $54,450 USD, and the accused still
faces two to three years of prison time.
Most surprising of all though may be that the UAE enforces the death penalty for environmental
crimes as well.
Those facing the death penalty will met their end via firing squad, with the execution often
attended to by the victim's family.
North Korea
One of the last four countries to still make its executions public- the others being Iran,
Saudi Arabia, and Somalia- North Korea is a strict adherent to the death penalty, perhaps
unsurprising given the Kim family's tyrant grip on the nation.
While you'll find capital offenses familiar to you already on the list of crimes deserving
the death penalty, such as drug smuggling, treason, and murder, other crimes such as
consumption of foreign media and attempting to convert people to a religion and away from
the Juche ideology also merit the death penalty in the hermit kingdom.
The main methods employed in North Korea include the firing squad, hanging, and decapitation,
though many criminals see themselves condemned- often along with their families- to lifelong
imprisonment in camps where they'll be worked or beaten to death, and sometimes even medically
experimented on.
Personally offending the Dear Leader can also lead to the death penalty, such as when actress
Woo In-hee who was married but having an affair with Kim Jong-il, cheated on him by having
an affair with a third man, and was publicly executed via firing squad.
Now go check out what life on death row is like in Death Row: Japan vs United States-
What's The Difference?
Or click this other video instead!