Countries With Death Sentence Today

Death sentence or the death penalty is the execution of a criminal who has been convicted in court. It is a punishment for the most serious criminal acts.

The death sentence has created a number of internal and external conflicts in the countries that still enforce them. The international community has in fact adopted new reservations banning this kind of punishment.

In this article, we will talk about the primary international standards that govern the enforcement of the death penalty, as well as the cases for which it is relevant in today’s society.

Policies related to the abolition of the death penalty

Throughout history, the death penalty has evolved, both in relation to its execution and in the cases for which it is relevant. The death penalty actually refers to specific criminal acts and it is often a solution to a conflict between people from a society.

The death penalty was the axis on which tribal societies were based. It was the means used to restore peace thanks to its deterrent effect. Nowadays  , however, most democracies have abolished it.

In Denmark, the death penalty was abolished in 1930 with the Penal Code. The last execution in Denmark, however, took place in 1892. In the military criminal law, the death penalty was abolished in 1978.

In addition, the international community has adopted several standards that prohibit its application:

• The Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, with the aim of abolishing the death penalty.
• Protocol to the US Convention on Human Rights for the Abolition of the Death Penalty.
• Articles 6 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights. These articles are about the abolition of the death penalty in any case.

International law states that the  death penalty should be limited internationally. However, many organizations, such as Amnesty International, believe that the death penalty should never be an option, as they claim that it is a symptom of a violent culture.

Enforcement of death sentence

Nowadays, more than 2/3 of the world’s countries have abolished the death penalty. The tendency to execute criminals is declining. For 20 years, more than 50 countries have removed it from their legislation. 

A total of 108 long have removed it, seven have abolished it for offenses under ordinary law and 29 hold a postponement of executions. However, it can still be enforced in 55 countries.

Although it is difficult to determine the total number of executions due to lack of official data in some countries,  Amnesty International recorded 690 executions in 20 countries,  which was 31% less than the year before and the lowest figure so far.

The countries with the most executions were China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Iraq in the specific order.

Execution of persons who were minors at the time of the criminal act

Some countries still enforce the death penalty for persons who were minors at the time they committed the criminal act. This is still happening today, even though international human rights laws prohibit the death penalty in these cases.

Since 1990, Amnesty International has documented  145 executions of minors in ten countries: Saudi Arabia, China, the United States, Iran, Niger, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen.

Although the number of child executions has decreased compared to the total number, its importance is greater than the data, as this action calls into question the executioners’ dedication to complying with international law.

In any case, this is a very controversial topic, which has a major impact on political campaigns in developed countries, such as the United States. It is therefore important to keep the debate going.