Death Penalty: Global Status and Methods

In Denmark where I live, death penalty was abolished in 1978. The last civil execution happened in 1892.

In the years after Second World War reintroduced Denmark death penalty temporarily.

A special law retroactively made it possible to punish crimes committed, during the German occupation 1940-45. 46 persons were on that background executed by volunteer police officers.

Death penalty in the world

Today maintains 58 of the world's 197 countries the death penalty. 9 countries sentence to death only for particularly serious crimes - such as crimes against military law. 34 countries refrain from using the death penalty, even if their legislation so permits. In 96 countries, the death penalty is abolished for all crimes.

Although the statutory, maximum penalty is executed in fewer countries than before, more than half of the world population still areas where capital punishment is practiced.

The five countries which carried out most executions in 2010, according to Amnesty International China with at least 1,000 executed, Iran with 252, North Korea with 60, Yemen 53 and U.S. 46 executed.

Amnesty international is a global movement of more than 3 million supporters, members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights.