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-------- By Overseas Registry Staff Writer
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In the 21st century only 58 nations actively carry out capital punishment and astonishingly more than 50% of the entire world population actually live in countries where such punishment still takes place. The US, Indonesia, India and the People’s Republic of China are the most populous in the world and currently retain the death penalty and are considered unlikely to abolish it in the near future. The USA carried out 52 executions in 2009. In March 2010, New Mexico became the 15th state to end the death penalty when the state governor signed a new law. The European Union requires that member states do not practice capital punishment.The death penalty as the ultimate punishment is unequivocally banned under International Law for persons who were under 18 years old when convicted of their crimes, although in some countries juveniles are still executed...7 in Saudia Arabia and Iran in 2009. According to Amnesty International figures, in 2009, a total of 714 executions were carried out in 18 nations...this excludes the figure for China, which refuses to release any records, although estimates are in the thousands. Worldwide figures: Abolitionist- 95: these are countries where the death penalty is not used for any crime. Abolitionist for ordinary crimes only - 9: the death penalty may be used in exceptional circumstances or crimes committed under military law. Abolitionist in practice - 35: these are countries where the death penalty is still in place but have not undertaken any executions during the past 10 years and have a practice of not doing so. This includes some countries who have internationally committed not to use the death penalty. Retentionist - 58:Countries and territories that retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes. Across the world, more than 20,000 prisoners await their fate on death row. Below is a table with our featured countries and their position with regard to capital punishment.
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In the past, capital punishment or the death penalty has been practiced by every society. Capital is from the Latin wordcapitalis-regarding the head; the severing of the head was the common form of carrying out the punishment.
