Facts about the death penalty -

Capital punishment remains one of the most controversial sentences around the world. Some countries have abolished this practice, but others are staunch supporters of it.

Click here to learn more about the death penalty. 

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Severe sentence - According to DW, in 2013 some 2,400 prisoners were sentenced to death in China, more than all other countries combined.

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Highest number of death sentences - According to Amnesty International, a record of 158 prisoners were executed in Saudi Arabia in 2014.

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Controversy - In 1944, a 14-year-old George Junius Stinney Jr. was executed after a brief trial with little proof in South Carolina, USA.

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Innocent - The wrongful conviction and execution of Timothy John Evans in 1950 was one of the reasons the UK abolished the death penalty.

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Execution vans - According to the Daily Mail, in China, there are so-called execution vans to avoid transporting condemned prisoners to another location.

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Mistake - According to the Guardian, in 1989, an American man was sent to death row because he was mistaken for someone with the same name and a similar physical appearance.

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Abolition - According to Amnesty International, 108 countries have abolished the death penalty as of December 2021.

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Atheism - According to The Atlantic, in 2013, a person could be sentenced to death for being an atheist in 13 countries.

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Morbid technique -

The Guardian revealed that in 2005, a Chinese company used the skin from prisoners who were sentenced to death to develop beauty products.

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Firing squad - In 2010, prisoner Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by firing squad in Utah.

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Opposed - Mexico is one of several countries that will not extradite prisoners to a country with the death penalty.

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Firing squad - Execution by firing squad is legal in the state of Oklahoma.

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Cats - In ancient Egypt, you could be sentenced to death for killing a cat, even if accidentally.

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Anonymous - In the state of Florida, the executioner is a private citizen who is paid $150 per execution. His or her identity must remain anonymous.

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USA - In the United States, the death penalty is legal in 27 states.

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Europe - According to the BBC, the death sentence is still legal in Belarus and convicts are executed by firing squad.

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Hanging - According to the Guardian, people sentenced to death in the state of Washington can choose hanging as the execution method.

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Last day - In Japan, prisoners sentenced to the death penalty aren't told when they'll be executed. They must wake up every day wondering if it will be their last.

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Innocent prisoners - According to a 2014 Newsweek article, in the US at least one person out of every 25 sentenced to capital punishment is innocent.

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Pioneer country - Venezuela was the first modern country to abolish death penalty, in 1863.

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Restriction - The Daily Mail revealed that in North Korea, dozens of people have been sentenced to death for owning bibles and watching South Korean movies.

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Islam - People in Iran have been sentenced to death for leaving Islam.

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White-collar criminals - According to Business Insider, hundreds of people have received the death penalty in China after being convicted of fraud and corruption crimes.

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Strict law - Reuters claims that hundreds of people have been executed in Singapore for substance trafficking in the last 20 years.

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Food - According to the website Psychology Today, ice-cream and pie were the most-requested deserts by death row criminals for their last meal.

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Lethal injection - The Dallas News revealed that the chemical used for lethal injections in Texas cost approximately $83.

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Harsh sentence -

Newsweek published an article that said corruption crimes in Iran can be punishable by death.

See also: The death penalty: a justified response to serious crime, or inhuman punishment?

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