Capital punishment in Mauritania

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Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Mauritania. However, the country is considered "Abolitionist in Practice" due to having a moratorium on executions since 1987. Mauritania last executed in 1987. [1]

Mauritania has an unenforced death penalty for homosexuality; there have been no reported death sentences for homosexual acts. [2] [3] Mauritania also has the death penalty for blasphemy. A law was passed in 2018 making capital punishment the mandatory sentence for blasphemy. [4]

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Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned practice of killing a person as a punishment for a crime, usually following an authorised, rule-governed process to conclude that the person is responsible for violating norms that warrant said punishment. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in such a manner is known as a death sentence, and the act of carrying out the sentence is known as an execution. A prisoner who has been sentenced to death and awaits execution is condemned and is commonly referred to as being "on death row". Etymologically, the term capital refers to execution by beheading, but executions are carried out by many methods, including hanging, shooting, lethal injection, stoning, electrocution, and gassing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital punishment by country</span> Overview of the use of capital punishment in several countries

Capital punishment, also called the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as a punishment for a crime. It has historically been used in almost every part of the world. By the 2020s, many countries had abolished or discontinued the practice. In 2022, the 5 countries that executed the most people were, in descending order: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United States.

Freedom of religion in Mauritania is limited by the Government. The constitution establishes the country as an Islamic republic and decrees that Islam is the religion of its citizens and the State.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Malaysian law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Mauritania</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Mauritania face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female kinds of same-sex sexual activity are illegal in Mauritania. Openly homosexual Muslim men face stoning to death, though there have been no known cases of executions caused by homosexuality charges in the country; whereas women who have sex with women face prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital punishment for homosexuality</span> Death penalty for same-sex sexual activity

Capital punishment as a criminal punishment for homosexuality has been implemented by a number of countries in their history. It currently remains a legal punishment in several countries and regions, most of which have sharia–based criminal laws except for Uganda.

Capital punishment in Brunei Darussalam is a legal penalty of death, applicable to a number of violent and non-violent crimes in the Sultanate. Along with offences such as murder, terrorism, and treason, other crimes have become liable to the death penalty since the phased introduction of sharia from 2014. This includes homosexual activity since April 2019. Legal methods of execution in Brunei are hanging and, since 2014, stoning. The last execution in Brunei occurred in 1957, while it was still a British Protectorate.

Capital punishment for offenses is allowed by law in some countries. Such offenses include adultery, apostasy, blasphemy, corruption, drug trafficking, espionage, fraud, homosexuality and sodomy, perjury, prostitution, sorcery and witchcraft, theft, and treason.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Grenada. Despite its legality, there have been no executions since 1978. Grenada is considered "abolitionist in practice", and is currently the only country in The Americas in this category. There is currently one person on death row in Grenada, as of August 30, 2021. During its United Nations Universal Periodic Review on January 27, 2020, Grenada told the UN that it is a de facto abolitionist state with a de facto moratorium with effect since 1978, and that it will not carry out any executions. Abolishing capital punishment in law was part of one of the amendments during the failed 2016 Grenadian constitutional referendum. Grenada voted against the United Nations moratorium on the death penalty in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and most recently, in 2020. Grenada is not a member state of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Myanmar. It is classified as "Retentionist." Before 25 July 2022, Myanmar was considered "Abolitionist in Practice," meaning a country has not executed anyone in the past ten years or more and is believed to have an established practice or policy against carrying out executions. Between 1988 and 2022, no legal executions were carried out in the country. In July 2022, four democratic activists, including Zayar Thaw and Kyaw Min Yu, were executed.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Eritrea. The execution methods allowed under the law of the country are hanging and shooting. However, Eritrea is considered "Abolitionist in Practice." Eritrea's last execution took place in 1989. There is currently no one under sentence of death in Eritrea. Eritrea voted in favor of the 2020 United Nations moratorium on the death penalty.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Trinidad and Tobago. The method of execution is hanging. Its last execution was of Anthony Briggs for murder on 28 July 1999. However, the country is still considered "retentionist' due to a lack of "an established practice or policy against carrying out executions." Trinidad and Tobago is the only country in the Americas that retains the mandatory death penalty for murder.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Uganda. It was last executed in 2005. The country is considered a "retentionist" state with regard to capital punishment, due to absence of "an established practice or policy against carrying out executions."

Capital punishment was a legal penalty in Zambia until 2022. Despite its former legality, the country had not carried out any execution since 1997. Zambia was considered "Abolitionist in Practice".

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Ghana only for high treason. Ghana last executed a criminal in 1993. It is considered "abolitionist in practice." Capital punishment was a mandatory sentence for certain ordinary criminal offenses until 2023.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Niger. Despite its legality, the last known execution in the country was carried out in 1976 for treason. Niger is classified as "Abolitionist in Practice." There were no new death sentences recorded in 2021. There were 4 people on death row in Niger at the end of 2021.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland. Despite its legality, no executions have been carried out since 1983. Therefore, Eswatini is classified as "abolitionist in practice."

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Tanzania. Tanzania has two capital offences: treason and murder. The death penalty is the mandatory sentence for murder.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Tunisia. Despite its legality, no executions have been carried out since 1990. Tunisia is classified as "Abolitionist in Practice."

Capital punishment has been abolished in Benin. It was abolished in 2016, as a result of a Constitutional Court of Benin ruling.

References

  1. "Abolitionist and retentionist countries (as of July 2018)". Amnesty International. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  2. Bearak, Max; Cameron, Darla (16 June 2016). "Analysis – Here are the 10 countries where homosexuality may be punished by death". The Washington Post. Lawyers in the country and other experts disagree on whether federal law prescribes the death penalty for consensual homosexual sex or only for rape. In a recent Amnesty International report, the organization said it was not aware of any death sentences for homosexual acts.
  3. Mendos, Lucas Ramón (2019). State-Sponsored Homophobia 2019 (PDF). Geneva: ILGA. p. 347.
  4. "Mauritania: Mandatory Death Penalty for Blasphemy". Human Rights Watch. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2022.