Capital punishment in Myanmar

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Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Myanmar. It is classified as "Retentionist." Before 25 July 2022, Myanmar was considered "Abolitionist in Practice," [1] 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. [2] [1] In July 2022, four democratic activists, including Zayar Thaw and Kyaw Min Yu, were executed. [3] [4]

There have been at least 25,000 extrajudicial killings since the start of the Rohingya genocide on 9 October 2016. [5] Also, two de facto autonomous states, Wa State and Mong La, are reported to carry out executions.

Myanmar abstained from voting regarding the 2020 United Nations moratorium on the death penalty. [6]

There were at least 86 new death sentences in Myanmar in 2021. This was a significant increase on previous years; Amnesty International credits this to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, and the subsequent martial law since February of that year. [7]

Myanmar is one of only three countries believed to have people on death row for crimes committed as juveniles as of 24 May 2022; Myanmar is believed to have at least two, along with Iran with 80, and the Maldives with five. [7] Myanmar also sentenced people to death in absentia in 2021, and sentenced people to death in trials considered unfair, according to Amnesty International. [7]

Related Research Articles

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 2010s, many countries had either abolished or discontinued the practice.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Guatemala, and is carried out by lethal injection and, to a lesser extent, the firing squad. It is only in military codes of justice, and was abolished for civilian offences in October 2017.

Capital punishment in Kazakhstan was abolished for all crimes in 2021. Until 2021, it had been abolished for ordinary crimes but was still permitted for crimes occurring in special circumstances. The legal method of execution in Kazakhstan had been shooting, specifically a single shot to the back of the head.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in South Sudan. It is covered under the Penal Code Act of South Sudan and allows for executions of individuals to occur in the event of convictions for numerous crimes including murder and terrorism. The sentences can be imposed by either civilian courts or the military. Between 2011 and 2018, at least 140 people have been put to death in South Sudan with hundreds more awaiting their sentence on death row, though due to a lack of reporting within the country exact numbers remain unknown. The country has faced criticism from international rights groups and multinational organizations for its use of capital punishment on juveniles. Not a party to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, South Sudan remains one of sub-Saharan Africa's largest users of the death penalty.

Capital punishment is no longer a legal punishment in Rwanda. The death penalty was abolished in Rwanda in 2007.

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 Eritrea. Its execution methods 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 Guyana. Despite its legality, no executions have been carried out since 1997. However, due to a lack of "an established practice or policy against carrying out executions," Guyana is classified as "Retentionist." Guyana is the only country in South America that retains capital punishment for ordinary crimes.

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 Liberia. However, Liberia is classified as "Abolitionist in Practice." Liberia last executed in 2000.

Capital punishment is only a legal penalty in Ghana 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 Mali. Despite its legality, Mali has not executed anyone since 1980. Mali is considered "Abolitionist in Practice."

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

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 offenses: 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 in Gabon was officially abolished for all crimes in 2010. Gabon's last execution took place in 1985. Prior to abolition, Gabon was classified as de facto abolitionist, or "abolitionist in practice," due to the length of time since their last execution.

Capital punishment was abolished in Namibia in 1990. The last execution was in 1988 under the rule of South Africa.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Zimbabwe. Despite its legality, Zimbabwe has not carried out any executions since 2005. However, the country is classified as "Retentionist" due to a lack of "an established practice or policy against carrying out executions." Zimbabwe abstained during the 2020 United Nations moratorium on the death penalty resolution.

References

  1. 1 2 "Abolitionist and retentionist countries (as of July 2018)". Amnesty International. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  2. ↑ "Myanmar: First executions in decades mark atrocious escalation in state repression". Amnesty International. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Myanmar junta executes democracy activists in first such killings in decades". the Guardian. 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  4. ↑ time.com: Myanmar Executes Activists in Its First Use of the Death Penalty in Decades
  5. ↑ "Myanmar's military accused of genocide in damning UN report | Myanmar | The Guardian". TheGuardian.com . 27 August 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "UN Resolution for A Universal Moratorium on the Use of the Death Penalty" (PDF). ecpm.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-09-24. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  7. 1 2 3 "Death sentences and executions 2021". Amnesty International. 24 May 2022.
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