Execution day in many countries is extravagant and a public affair. Handcuffed and shackled, the convicted men and women are paraded (sometimes in public) to the execution grounds. There-they are either hung, electrocuted, given a legal injection, shot or beheaded. Here are 10 crimes which are still punishable by death penalty. Each one sites examples of where it is used.
1. Terrorism:
Terrorism is a crime punishable by death penalty. India and the United States have taken drastic actions to make certain that people know terrorism is a serious crime deserving high punishments. In March of 2010, Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was sentence to hang for his role in the Mumbai Bombings.
2. Honor Killing:
If anyone has been accused of adultery, they are sentenced to death by their own family. They are stoned and sometimes shot to death publicly. The practice is a growing problem in both Western and Eastern countries.
3. Espionage:
No one likes spies, including the United States. Iran arrested a University of Texas student on grounds of espionage. The sentence carries a death penalty. Similarly, China’s criminal code carries a death sentence for espionage. In the past Israel wrongfully executed Meir Tobianski and US executed the Rosenbergs on counts of espionage and treason.
4. First Degree Murder:
Interestingly enough, a myriad of countries like the United States still include common crimes such as murder as punishable by death penalty. Many states like Pennsylvania have outlawed other types of murders as cause for capital punishment. Michigan does not perform capital punishment for any common crimes committed.
5. Treason:
Treason crimes against the government, nation and the states are punishable by death penalty. The most famous case was the Rosenberg Case in the 1950s. The couple was accused of spying for the Soviet Union.
6. Sex Crimes/Rape:
Iran is a country that has legalized capital punishment for sex crimes and rape. Anything to do with rape, incest are punishable by death penalty in both countries. In 2008, the Supreme Court in USA declined the death penalty for child rape.
7. Looking at foreign media outlets:
Many people in North Korea do not know what the internet is. The government forbids the populace from using internet that are foreign to the country. If people are caught bypassing the security restrictions, they are eligible for execution.
8. Trafficking:
Many countries like China and Iran hunt down drug traffickers. This is one of the most common uses for death penalty. In 2011, China beheaded 3 Philippine men for drug trafficking and Iran hung 22 people for the same crimes.
9. Waging war against ruler:
Those who live in North Korea and Malaysia are unable to wage war against the ruler. If they are caught, they are sentenced to die.
10. Being Radical:
Many countries like China and Burma are strict when it comes to radicals who try to inflame their country. Burma executed a monk who tried to bring down the Junta in 2004.
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