The death penalty is one of the hottest and most controversial topics in the world today. Supporters of the death penalty often see it as a necessary punishment to ensure the safety of society from individuals who commit heinous crimes. On the other hand, many opponents view the death penalty as a form of murder and argue that it has little effect on reducing crime rates. They believe that the ends do not justify the means, especially in cases where innocent people are wrongly convicted. Whether or not the death penalty is considered ethical largely depends on an individual’s beliefs and political views.

According to the Center for Information on the Death Penalty, more than 70% of countries in the world have legally or practically abolished the death penalty. As of July 2022, the newest countries to have abolished the death penalty are Kazakhstan and Papua New Guinea. The laws abolishing the death penalty in these countries were implemented on December 29, 2021 and January 22, 2022 respectively. It is expected that Malaysia will also join this path during 2022. (1).

The list of countries that have abolished or suspended the death penalty is growing. Statistics from Amnesty International show that by the end of 2021, 108 countries have completely abolished the death penalty for all crimes, 144 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, 28 countries have effectively abolished the death penalty by not executing anyone in the past 10 years, and 55 countries still use the death penalty for ordinary crimes.

List of countries that still allow execution.

Guide:

The law – capital punishment is legal and is used.

“Execution is a legal punishment, but in the past 10 years no one has been executed.”

Nader – Capital punishment is legal, but it is only used in very special cases such as war crimes.

Cancellation – The law on capital punishment has been completely abolished.

1) Afghanistan – Legal.

2) Algeria – Suspended.

3) Antigua and Barbuda – Legal.

4) Bahamas – Legal.

5) Bahrain – Legal.

6) Bangladesh – Legal.

7) Barbados – Legal.

8) Belarus – Legal.

9) Please – Legal.

10) Botswana – Legal.

11) Brazil – Rare.

12) Brunei – Suspended.

13) Burkina Faso – Nader.

14) Cameron – Suspended.

15) Central African Republic – Suspended (3).

16) Chile – Rare.

17) China – Legal.

18) Comoros – Legal.

19) Cuba – Legal.

20) Dominica – Legal.

21) Republic of Congo – Legal.

22) Egypt – Legal.

23) El Salvador – Rare.

24) Equatorial Guinea – Legal.

25) Eritrea – Suspended.

26) Eswatini – Suspended.

27) Ethiopia – Legal.

28) Gambia – Legal.

29) Gana – Suspended.

30) Granada – Suspended.

31) Guatemala – Rare.

32) Speakers – Legal.

33) India – Legal.

34) Iran – Legal.

35) Iraq – Legal.

36) Israel – Rare.

37) Jamaica – Legal.

38) Japan – Legal.

39) Jordan – Legal.

40) Kazakhstan- (4).

41) Kenya – Suspended.

42) Kuwait – Legal.

43) Laos – Suspended.

44) Lebanon – Legal.

45) Lesotho – Legal.

46) Liberia – Suspended.

47) Libya – Legal.

48) Malawi – Suspended.

49) Malaysia – Legal.

50) Maldives – Suspended.

51) Financial – Pending.

52) Mauritanian – Suspended.

53) Morocco – Suspended.

54) Myanmar – Suspended.

55) Niger – Suspended.

56) Nigeria – Legal.

57) North Korea – Legal.

58) Oman – Legal.

59) Pakistan – Legal.

60) Palestine – Legal.

Papua New Guinea – (5).

62) Pro-Nader.

63) Puerto Rico – Legal.

64) Diameter – Legal.

65) Russia – Suspended.

66) Saint Kitts and Nevis – Legal.

67) Saint Lucia – Legal.

68) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Legal.

69) Saudi Arabia – Legal.

70) Sierra Leone- (6).

71) Singapore – Legal.

72) Somali – Legal.

73) South Korea – Suspended.

74) Sudan – Legal.

75) Syria – Legal.

76) Taiwan – Legal.

77) Tajikistan – Suspended.

78) Tanzania – Suspended.

79) Trinidad and Tobago – Legal.

80) Tunisia – Suspended.

81) Uganda – Legal.

82) United Arab Emirates – Legal.

83) United States of America – Legal.

84) Vietnam – Legal.

85) Western Desert – Nader.

86) Yemen – Legal.

87) Zambia – Suspended.

88) Zimbabwe – Legal.

Execution statistics are often not officially announced and the published numbers are lower than the actual numbers.

Although the report of the International Amnesty Organization is enlightening, this organization firmly warns that many of the reported numbers are considered the lowest possible estimates and the actual number of executions, issued death sentences, and prisoners under death sentences is actually much higher. An accurate count of executions and death sentences is impossible due to the fact that several countries in the world refrain from disclosing details about their executions.

For example, we know that China executes thousands of people annually and is the world’s top executioner by a large margin in terms of numbers. However, the information about these executions is considered a state secret and kept hidden from the public. Therefore, even though we know that China has a higher number of executions compared to other countries, even experts can only guess at the true extent of executions in China.

While China may be the most well-known example of serial executions, it is not alone and many other countries also hide or filter information related to the death penalty, including North Korea, Vietnam, Syria, and Afghanistan under Taliban control (as of August 2021).

One of the most concerning issues about hidden execution statistics is that many countries that conceal execution numbers are accused of carrying out executions in cases that violate international laws. Unlawful cases of execution, according to international laws, include lesser crimes such as drug offenses, cases where the accused are under the legal age, for individuals with mental illnesses, and in cases where the trial process is unfair.

Countries that use the death penalty:

China.

China continues to have the highest number of executions in the world. Although the exact number of executions in the country is kept as a state secret, it is estimated that thousands of people are executed each year. Unlike the United States, which publicly announces execution cases and dates, the Chinese judicial system keeps all executions confidential and secretive. Even the families of those executed are often only informed after the execution has been carried out.

China still uses the method of shooting for carrying out executions; a method that has been replaced by more ethical and reliable methods in most countries around the world. Another method that Chinese officials can use is execution by lethal injection, which is used as a more humane alternative in most countries due to its less painful nature.

Iran

Due to the fact that 88% of executions in Iran are carried out secretly, obtaining accurate numbers of executions in Iran is difficult. However, the available numbers indicate approximately 246 executions in 2020, and at least 314 executions in 2021 in Iran. These numbers include at least 4 juvenile offenders, whose executions violate international laws. (7).

Iran is also often accused of obtaining forced confessions and using the death penalty for lesser crimes under pressure and torture. For example, it is estimated that 40% of executions in 2021 were related to drug offenses and another 4% were related to religious issues.

Egypt

Executions in this African country have significantly increased after the revolution in 2011 and especially after President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power in 2014. Many human rights organizations have accused the Egyptian government of using executions, often carried out in secret after unfair trials and forced confessions obtained through torture, as a means of suppressing political opinions among the people.

Iraq

Iraq is also considered one of the top and most secretive executioners in the world. This country is known for its vague and extensive anti-terrorism laws that make the execution of convicts mandatory. Similar to Iran, the legal system in Iraq does not only use the death penalty for very serious crimes, and individuals who commit crimes such as car smuggling, looting of ancient artifacts, theft of government documents, theft from military forces, or “organizing for the purpose of debauchery” may be sentenced to death. Another similarity between Iraq and Iran is the use of forced confessions through pressure and torture to issue death sentences. Most executions in Iraq are carried out by hanging.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is the only country that carried out beheadings in 2020. Reports show that this country executed 27 people in 2020 (a significant decrease compared to the past five years, where at least 146 people were executed each year). This decrease has been attributed to several factors: the spread of COVID-19, the abolishment of the death penalty for drug-related crimes or for individuals who were under the legal age at the time of their crime, and the theory that the kingdom accepted a decrease in executions during the hosting of the G-20 summit.

In any case, it seems that this decrease in executions has been temporary. Saudi Arabia executed more than 65 people in 2021 and then in March 2022, with the execution of 81 people (the largest mass execution in the country’s known history), caused international shock. Like many other countries with a history of executions, the legal system in Saudi Arabia is criticized for lack of transparency, violations of defendants’ rights in court, and the use of torture to extract confessions.

Japan

Like China, the date of execution in Japan is not announced before it is carried out. Additionally, the timing of the execution is kept secret from the prisoner until 1 or 2 hours before it is carried out, and it is only announced to the public after the execution has been carried out that the prisoner has been executed.

In Japan, the only method of execution is hanging, and the condemned are blindfolded and have a black cloth placed over their heads before the execution. Between 1993 and 2021, 131 prisoners were executed in Japan, but only six were executed between 2019 and 2021. Most cases of execution in Japan involve serial killings or multiple murderers. In a few rare cases, the death penalty has been imposed for the murder of one person, but the nature of the crime was considered severe and heinous enough to justify the death penalty.

South Korea.

The method of execution in South Korea varies depending on the type of crime. In most cases, executions are carried out by hanging. However, if someone is convicted of criminal activities that have somehow influenced the armed forces of the country, the method of execution by firing squad is used. This method is very violent and has been abandoned in many other countries as an unreliable method.

As of mid-2021, the number of prisoners sentenced to death in South Korea was 60. Despite this number, the last execution in South Korea took place in December 1997. Since then, the only deaths of prisoners sentenced to death have occurred due to suicide or illness.

United States of America

The death penalty was reinstated in the United States in 1976 and since then, approximately 1,543 executions have been carried out. Texas has had the most executions in the country with 573 from 1976 to 2021, followed by Oklahoma with 116 and Virginia with 113. In the past twelve years for which data is available (2009-2021), the United States has been the only country in America to use the death penalty as a form of punishment.

A growing number of American states have currently abolished the death penalty. The latest one (and the 23rd state to do so) was Virginia on July 1, 2021. The death penalty is legal in 27 out of 50 states in America. Executions are carried out on a state level in the United States, however the federal government also participates in the death penalty when necessary.

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world with 629 prisoners per 100,000 population. This means there are over 2 million prisoners in the United States. As of January 2022, there were 2,463 prisoners under death sentence in federal or state facilities in the United States. The majority were in California (692), Florida (330), and Texas (199). Prisoners often wait for years or even decades under the pressure of death sentences while their cases go through the process of appeals and other bureaucratic pathways.

From 1976 until now, the United States has used five different methods for carrying out executions. The majority of executions are done through lethal injection, which is the default method used in almost all states. However, executions in this country can still be carried out through electrocution, lethal gas, hanging, and firing squad.

Notes:

Translator’s note: On April 3, 2023, the Malaysian Parliament voted decisively to abolish mandatory death penalty for 12 crimes and completely abolish the death penalty for 7 crimes. Previously, the Malaysian law allowed for the death penalty to be imposed for 34 criminal offenses, with mandatory death penalty for 11 of these crimes.

2- Translator’s note: The latest published statistics from Amnesty International show that by the end of 2022, the number of countries that have completely abolished the death penalty for all crimes has reached 112.

3- This country abolished the death penalty in 2022.

4- Same..

5- The same…

6- The same…

Note from the translator: In 2022, the International Amnesty has reported 576 executions in Iran and the human rights activists in Iran have warned that on average, Iran has executed 10 people per week since the beginning of 2023. These statistics show a sharp increase in executions in Iran.

8- This article is translations from.

Website.

World Population Review, whose goal is to provide statistics on countries with the death penalty in 2023.