Reply #44: Have you reviewed a list of countries who still carry out the DP [View All]

and their record on human rights. I don't think that would put them up there in the echelons of "civilized" society.

Here's the company we're keeping:
In 2004, 97 per cent of all known executions took place in China, Iran, Viet Nam and the USA.


Here's the path the rest of the civilized world is on:

Abolitionist and retentionist countries
Over half the countries in the world have now abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
Amnesty International's latest information shows that:

* 86 countries and territories have abolished the death penalty for all crimes;
* 11 countries have abolished the death penalty for all but exceptional crimes such as wartime crimes;
* 25 countries can be considered abolitionist in practice: they retain the death penalty in law but have not carried out any executions for the past 10 years or more and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions,

making a total of 122 countries which have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.

* 74 other countries and territories retain and use the death penalty, but the number of countries which actually execute prisoners in any one year is much smaller.

http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty-facts-eng