Today we will talk about one of the most cruel in modern world punishments and about the country that most often applies these types of punishments.
I must say that China in general is a bloodthirsty country, it has always been distinguished, if not by the eerie execution of punishment, then by the number of executions for sure. To date, more than 5 thousand people are executed in China annually, more than 46 crimes at the beginning of 2016 included the highest measure punishment.
According to Wikipedia, in China today, when carrying out the death penalty, they do not shoot, but use lethal injection. In 2006, according to the same Wikipedia, lethal injection was used as often as shooting: 50 to 50.
However, despite the media reports, witnesses say that even now mass executions are still practiced.
Death row organs are often used for transplants. China is one of the most advanced countries on transplantology and the number of transplanted organs. As of 2009, 65% of transplanted organs were from murdered prisoners.
According to information from official sources, since mid-2014, the consent of the sentenced person should have been required for the procedure for removing organs from a prisoner after his execution (it is not known to what extent this is actually carried out):
“It is known that many more transplants are performed in China, about 10-20 thousand per year, than, according to official data, organs from voluntary donors are available. For example, in 8-10 thousand kidney transplants, only about 3-4% of the organs were received from volunteers. Since mid-2014, according to the Chinese authorities, such organ harvesting death penalty will be carried out only with the consent of the sentenced.
I think that even now they don’t ask the prisoner for any permission, because the death penalty in China and organ transplantation in this country are closely interconnected. Exactly mass shootings and lethal injections provide a lot of "material" for organ transplants, the development of science and medicine. We will return to this issue a little later.
First, about the execution procedure. China is one of the few countries where the death penalty is officially applied today, and on such a global scale.
"The death penalty is not applied in Hong Kong or Macau, which are subject to separate jurisdictions in accordance with the 'one country, two systems' principle."
In Iran and Singapore, for example, there are more executions per capita, but in China there are much more total number executed. In China, they do not execute except those under 18 (those who were under 18 at the time of the crime), it was previously forbidden to execute pregnant women, they were executed after childbirth, now they can have an abortion and be executed.
Currently, the death penalty in China is provided for 49 crimes (most of those executed were convicted of drug-related crimes). Full list given below.
There are many versions on the Internet of which articles now provide for the death penalty in China (after all, there were 59 of them before, then 55, now 49). Here is a list from reliable sources:
“Currently (January 2016), the death penalty in China is provided for the following types crimes:
high treason (Article 102 of the Criminal Code of the People's Republic of China);
separatism (part 1 of article 103);
armed riots and riots (art. 104);
going over to the side of the enemy (art. 108);
espionage (art. 110);
intelligence activities in foreign interests(Art. 111);
helping the enemy war time(Art. 112);
arson, flood, explosion, ejection hazardous substances, causing harm public safety in a generally dangerous way (actions that caused a fire, flood, explosion, release of toxic or radioactive substances, pathogens infectious diseases, as well as other acts that harm public safety in a dangerous way, in the presence of especially grave consequences) (Article 115);
harm vehicles, transport objects ( transport communications), electrical equipment, flammable or explosive equipment (Article 119);
seizure of an aircraft (art. 121);
illegal manufacture, sale, transportation, mailing, storage of weapons, ammunition, explosives(part 1 of article 125); illegal sale, transportation, storage of hazardous substances ( toxic substances, radioactive substances, pathogens of infectious diseases) (part 2 of article 125);
theft of weapons, ammunition, explosives, hazardous substances (toxic substances, radioactive substances, pathogens of infectious diseases) (Article 127);
production, sale of counterfeit medicines (art. 141);
premeditated murder (art. 232);
intentional infliction of bodily harm (art. 234);
trafficking in human organs (art. 2341);
rape (art. 236);
hostage-taking associated with their death (Part 2, Article 239);
kidnapping and sale of women and children (art. 240);
robbery (art. 263);
escape from prison using violence (art. 317);
smuggling, sale, transportation, manufacture of drugs (Article 347);
damage to military equipment, military installations or military communications (Article 369);
supply of unusable military equipment, creation of unusable military installations (Article 370);
embezzlement of state property (art. 384);
bribery (art. 385, 388);
disobeying an order in wartime (Article 421);
concealment or misrepresentation military information, refusal to transfer or falsification of military information (art. 422); surrender (art. 423);
desertion in wartime (art. 424);
desertion of a soldier (art. 430);
military espionage for foreign countries(part 2 of article 431);
theft of military equipment, material supplies of the army, weapons, ammunition, explosives (Article 438);
illegal purchase and sale or transfer of military equipment (art. 439);
looting in wartime (art. 446).”
The imposition of a death sentence is a banal and hasty procedure. The verdict is often given after a first trial (by an intermediate people's court), then a double appeal may follow, almost always futile. 7 days after the sentence is passed, a person can be executed. Since 2007, every death sentence has been submitted to the Supreme Court for review.
AT exceptional cases the sentence can be replaced with life imprisonment, or with a deferment of the sentence (and if a person does not commit any intentional crime during this period, the death sentence can be replaced with a different punishment, but the life of the criminal is left), but there are actually very few such "lucky ones" percentage of the number of convicts: for example, 100 thousand people over several years (for comparison, 5 thousand people are executed annually).
Prosecutors are then notified and special personnel are sent to supervise the execution. The direct execution of the sentence (shot or lethal injection) is carried out by members of the legal police. According to information from Internet sources, death sentences are not carried out in in public places. However, according to a lot of evidence, as well as videos that can be easily found on YouTube, executions were often carried out and are carried out in public.
For example, on the outskirts of the village, but with a crowd of spectators. Cases of demonstrative executions are widely known, when criminals (corrupt officials, drug dealers, rapists, murderers) were executed in crowded places - in stadiums, before the start of football match. So, in 2001, dozens, hundreds of criminals, mostly convicted of economic crimes, were executed in public.
In general, in the 1980s, demonstration executions were normal in China, starting in 1929, when for speeding with aggravated consequences, the heads of the executed were simply hung on the roads so that potential violators speed limit it was disrespectful. Since 1986, such executions and public deprivation of life have been banned in the country, but in 2001 there were several high-profile mass executions at stadiums, according to evidence, this still exists today, it is simply not advertised.
Before the execution of the sentence, the prisoner is hung around the neck with a sign with his name and the articles of the law under which he was convicted. The prisoner is given the last word, then lead directly to the executor of the sentence. if it is an execution, then in places specially designated for this, if an injection - in a van, or a prepared medical room.
“The execution of the death sentence must be announced publicly, but it is not carried out in public places.
After the execution, the judge's secretary must make a written record of the matter. The people's court called to carry out the death penalty shall submit a report on the execution of the sentence to the Supreme People's Court.
The people's court, called to carry out the death penalty, after execution notifies the family of the offender.
In some areas of China, there are no specific rules and regulations for the execution of the death penalty. The scout team chooses in advance a place that will become the place of execution. In this case, usually, the execution area has three perimeters: inner - 50 meters - for execution; a radius of 200 meters from the center - for the People's Armed Police, and within a radius of 2 km from the execution area - the line of responsibility of the local police. The public is generally not allowed to "look" at the performance.
The role of the executioner in the past was performed by the People's Armed Police. AT recent times, legal effect The police took on this responsibility."
Lethal injection is more often applied to those who have committed economic crimes, such as corruption. More often than not, people who commit murder and drug trafficking are shot. China is keen to switch to lethal injection, since the cost of the latter is lower than executions, it is also more humane way executions in the opinion of human rights activists and psychological point view for the relatives of the prisoner, and execution by injection prevents workers from contracting HIV and other infections during the cleaning process after executions. A lethal injection is carried out in two stages: first, an anesthetic is injected into the prisoner, after a few minutes potassium cyanide death occurs within a minute or two.
“The China Daily reported in 2009 that a special execution center was built 20 km from Beijing, where executions are carried out in a new way, and the Chinese automaker Jinguan Auto is producing minibuses specially equipped for executions by lethal injection.”
If the execution is carried out by shooting, after a while the family of the executed person receives a bill “for a bullet”. Such is the bureaucracy...
Known corrupt officials, swindlers, drug dealers among the executed - the sea. Some of the Biggest Names: Ma Xiangdong, Former Mayor administrative center Northeast Liaoning Shenyang City (2001), Former Chairman government controlled China Food and Drug Administration Zheng Xiaoyu (2007, bribery), ex-president Capital Airports Holding Co Li Peiying (2009, bribery, misappropriation of funds), Head of Hong Kong and Macau Liaison Office under the Hubei Provincial Government (2001, fraud), entrepreneur Wang Zhengdong (2008, fraud), businessmen Zhang Yujun and Geng Jiping (2008, made poor-quality products, poisoned several children with spoiled infant formula).
Of the most recently executed big names Liu Han is a billionaire former head one of the largest mining corporations in China, Hanlong Group, who was accused of organizing a criminal group, three of his close associates were executed along with him. Liu Hanb ranked 230 among the richest people in China.
Also, Svetlana Kulbaeva, a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, who was detained for transporting 7 kg of heroin, was also executed in February 2016. There was a lot of debate about Kulbaeva on international level, they tried to save her life (by at least so the diplomats say), she says that she was simply used to transport drugs that she did not know about.
Now back to organ transplants. The fact is that there is a so-called “incomplete execution”, when a prisoner is shot, he is taken to the hospital, where donor organs are removed, after which he is declared dead. This practice was widespread in China. And they manage to remove organs from prisoners who have just died from a bullet.
The lethal injection allows you to reduce the time of delivery of either the deceased or the wounded prisoner to the hospital - organs can be taken directly in a special van. However, the heart becomes unusable as a result of the toxins from the injection.
In general, the number of executions in China and organ donation are inextricably linked. For China, this is a huge business, after all, as a rule, wealthy foreigners use organ transplant services, and not the Chinese themselves. Sometimes in no country will they give as many chances for life as in China ... Potential executed people are the base of hearts, kidneys, etc. for the state and foreigners.
According to some sources, the situation is even more inhumane:“Until 2007, anesthesia was done before the operation, but then they decided that this was excessive humanism and extra expenses from the budget, and now the executed are only tied tighter and the gag is pushed deeper.
Even before the operation, those sentenced to death are given immunosuppressive drugs, which increases the chances of organ survival in future recipients. Thanks to the organs of the executed, Eastern Center organ transplantation has become largest center in organ transplants in Asia, and China has more than three times the number of organ transplants in the United States.”
I believe that such an unceremonious attitude towards death is connected with a disregard for life. The Chinese generally treat other people's lives as if others are not people, but cockroaches. I don’t know how they treat their lives, but they definitely don’t value someone else’s. Some soups from babies are worth something .. Birth control program ... And the fact that the representatives of this nation "bred" is immeasurable. They lose the value of life.
Sometimes the line between life and death is not understood. Executions are treated normally, for them this is an ordinary action. They will not have such a shock as the Russians from watching the execution with their own eyes.
For example, Chinese bloggers even rank the beauty of executed criminals.
Even on Chinese television every Saturday there is a program "Interview before the execution", the main characters are sentenced to death. The program is very loved by the audience, the release collects at least 40 million viewers. At the end of the article there is a release of this program in the Russian version - a very interesting video.
Among those executed, there are many victims who were simply swept up in the meat grinder of dashing Chinese justice. For example, from the stories of executed women: the husband was a monster, kept a girl in slavery, let her friends rape her, from one of them she gave birth to a child, whom the common-law husband strangled in a fit, beat her, as a result, her nerves gave out - she killed him. She was shot. Where is the justice here? Thousands of such stories.
Only the executions of stealing officials are indicative. But this only means that they did not make friends with someone, for which they were swept away from the path. And in the bulk - executed ordinary stumbled people who themselves are victims, without a chance of appeal in their favor.
Many Russians are celebrating watching a video from China of a death sentence being carried out. For example, they write: “Perhaps the death penalty is the best educational event in China".
We have a different country! We are not 1.5 billion. We have a different mentality. But the Chinese, even at their level of accepting death as a norm, became brutalized, life lost its value for them.
According to statistics, crime in some areas has increased by 20%. Where are the preventive measures and the edifying effect? Treat like animals - get animals.
Video:
China hosts TV broadcast of preparations for death row convict
The parliamentary faction "Onuguu-Progress" submitted for public discussion a draft law on amending the current Constitution regarding the possibility of applying the death penalty to persons who have committed crimes against the sexual integrity of young children.
It is proposed to supplement Article 21 of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic with the words - "The death penalty is prohibited, except for crimes committed against the sexual inviolability of young children."
The issue of introducing the death penalty has been raised in Kyrgyzstan more than once, but has never reached the parliament.
website I decided to find out in which countries of the world the death penalty exists.
Who administers the death penalty?
Depending on the legislation of each country, they can be divided into four groups:
- 58 countries retain the death penalty within the law.
- 98 abolished this type of punishment.
- 7 canceled only for ordinary crimes.
- 35 do not apply it in practice.
Thus, the only country in Europe where the death penalty is used in practice remains Belarus. In America - USA. The rest of the countries are located in Africa and Asia - Afghanistan, Vietnam, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, North Korea, China, Malaysia, UAE, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Japan, Palestine, Taiwan, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea.
According to Amnesty International, at least 1 634 people in 25 countries. This is a sharp increase in the number of executions, more than 50%, compared to 2014. In 2014, Amnesty International recorded 1,061 executions in 22 countries around the world.
Most executions were carried out in China, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United States, in order of decreasing number of executions.
China continued to carry out the most executions in the world last year, but the true extent of China's use of the death penalty is unknown because the information is a state secret.
The claimed 1,634 executions do not include the thousands believed to have taken place in China.
Excluding China, almost 90% of executions were carried out in three countries - Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
In 2015, according to available data, executions were carried out in 25 countries, that is, in every 10th country in the world, in 2014 there were only 22 such countries. But this is significantly less than two decades ago (in 1996, executions were carried out in 39 countries ).
In 140 countries, which is more than two-thirds of the countries of the world, the death penalty has been abolished in law or in practice.
In 2015, four countries - Fiji, Madagascar, Republic of the Congo and Suriname - abolished the death penalty for all crimes. In total, they did so 120 countries- most countries of the world. In 2015, Mongolia approved a new criminal code abolishing the death penalty, which will come into force at the end of 2016.
And further. There is no information on executions in general statistics" Islamic State", which are now often covered by the media.
The following common methods of execution were used in the world:
- decapitation;
- hanging;
- lethal injection;
- shooting.
Why can criminals be executed?
In the United States, the death penalty is legal in several states. Depending on the state, the sentenced may be executed through shooting, lethal injection, hanging, electric chair or gas chamber . They can be sentenced to death for murder, treason and terrorist activities.
Israel can execute for organizing the genocide, mass kill and treason. Nevertheless, in the entire history of the existence of the state, only two death sentences were pronounced, one of them - Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann.
In Japan, those sentenced to death are hanged. Some prominent figures of the terrorist sect "Aum Shinrikyo" were sentenced to hanging.
In China, the death penalty not only exists on paper, but is widely used. As a rule, those sentenced to death are shot. You can lose your life for bribery, prostitution, murder, possession and distribution of drugs and much more.
in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Arab countries common enough exotic species executions. So, men guilty of theft and murder are beheaded with a sword. And women who are guilty of treason are stoned to death. AT last case if the victim survives, then re-execution is prohibited. The laws of Saudi Arabia consider homosexuality and religious apostasy. The perpetrators of these acts face the death penalty.
September 29 in jail American city Jackson, Georgia, in regards to a 47-year-old Kelly Rene Giessendeine R. The woman was killed by lethal injection.
Kelly Gissendeiner was sentenced to death for the 1997 murder of her own husband. The court ruled that she had conspired with her lover and deliberately stabbed her husband to death.
Kelly Rene Giessendeiner. Photo: EPA
Giessendeiner's lawyers used every opportunity to get the death sentence overturned. They noted that the woman repented of her deed and is a model prisoner in prison. Various human rights organizations sought to have the sentence overturned, and her children asked for pardon.
Kelly Gissendeiner remained the last hope of the defenders Pope Francis, who also decided to participate in the fate of the American suicide bomber. Through your diplomatic representative, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, he sent a letter to the Georgia Parole Board urging the woman's sentence to be reduced. In addition, during his visit to the United States, the pontiff, during a speech to legislators in the US Congress, called on them to abolish the death penalty in the country.
However, none of the appeals helped. The day before, the US Supreme Court rejected three petitions for a stay of Giessendeiner's execution, and human rights activists were also denied a suspension of the court decision against the prisoner. Thus, the green light was given to the execution of the sentence.
Kelly Renee Gissendeiner became the first woman in the state of Georgia to be executed in 70 years, and the 16th woman in the United States to be executed since the death penalty was reintroduced in 1976.
People protesting against the death penalty. Photo: EPA
In total, 1,414 people were executed in the US between 1976 and September 2015, and women make up only about 1 percent of that number. Therefore, every case when the death sentence against a representative of the weaker sex is carried out is exceptional.
1984 Velma Barfield, serial killer
Velma Barfield. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Officially, 45-year-old Velma Barfield was convicted of murdering her 56-year-old common-law husband Stuart Taylor. A woman slipped arsenic-based rat poison into her victim's tea. It is also believed that in a similar way, Velma sent her mother and two more elderly people to the next world, for whom she worked as a nurse.
At the trial, the accused claimed that she was driven to the crime by a desire to hide her own machinations - she had previously forged checks and took out loans in the name of her victims. At the same time, Velma assured that she did not want to kill anyone. According to her, she expected that the victims would get sick for some time, and during this period she would have time to repay the debts. The court sentenced Velma Barfield to death.
The sentence was carried out by lethal injection on November 2, 1984, seven years after the crime, when Velma was already 52 years old. Her last wish was to go to her execution in pink pajamas.
Velma Barfield became the first woman to be executed in the United States since 1962.
1998 Karla Faye Tucker, double homicide in a robbery
In the summer of 1983, 23-year-old Carla Tucker was having fun with her biker friends. Friends have a plan to rob the house of their friend.
The owner ended up at home with a woman he had met at a party a few hours before. Carla Tucker was not embarrassed by this turn of events. Armed with a pickaxe, she beat them both to death. The court found her crime worthy of the death penalty.
Payback time has come 15 years later. 38-year-old Carla Tucker claimed that she had long repented of her deed, human rights activists petitioned for her, but on February 3, 1998, her life was terminated by a lethal injection.
Karla Fay Tucker. A photo: Frame youtube.com
1998 Judy Buenoano, killing her husband for insurance
In 1971, 28-year-old Judy poisoned her husband with arsenic in order to collect insurance for his life. The idea was a brilliant success, and for almost a decade and a half, no one knew about the crime. In 1984, Judy Buenoano decided to repeat the stunt, this time blowing up her roommate's car.
Judy Buenoano. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
However, the man survived, and the police, investigating the crimes, went to Judy. It turned out that the woman tried to poison her roommate with arsenic, but he turned out to have a strong enough body, and the killer, having lost patience, switched to more rude methods.
In the course of further investigation, guilt was established in the murder of her husband in 1971. It also turned out that Judy's son and another lover died under strange circumstances. She also received insurance for their deaths. total amount, which Judy Buenoano earned on the deaths of men, amounted to 240 thousand dollars.
In 1985, she was sentenced to death. March 30, 1998 54-year-old Judy Buenoano died on electric chair.
year 2000. Betty Lou Beets Husband Murder
In 1983, in the garden of the house of 46-year-old Betty Lou Beets, the buried body of her fifth husband was found with two bullet wounds. The woman admitted that she dealt with her husband, but assured that she was forced to do so, because he mocked her and threatened her with reprisal.
Perhaps Betty would have been able to convince the jury of a similar version of events, but another corpse was found during a search of the garden. It turned out to be the remains of Betty's previously missing fourth husband.
The woman also tried to deal with two more of her husbands - she shot one in the back of the head, and hit the other with a car. In these cases, the victims managed to survive.
The court considered that Betty's adventures deserved the death penalty.
Betty Lou Beets was lethally injected on February 24, 2000. The death of a 62-year-old woman was mourned by five children, nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Betty Lou Beets. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
year 2000. Christina Riggs, killing her own children
In November 1997, 26-year-old nurse Christina Riggs decided to commit suicide by sending her own children to the next world.
The medical worker hoped to end the life of her son and daughter with the help of drugs. After pumping them up with antidepressants, she gave both of them an injection that would kill the children.
The injected drug caused terrible agony in the unfortunate, from which they woke up and began to scream. Then Christina brought the plan to the end, strangling her son and daughter with a pillow.
Then Christina Riggs tried to commit suicide, but after taking the drugs she survived.
The reason that pushed the woman to the crime was severe depression. In court she didn't try to fight for own life On the contrary, she asked for a death sentence. The court granted her request.
Unlike other cases, this time the wait for the verdict was not too long. On May 2, 2000, 28-year-old Christina Riggs was killed by lethal injection.
year 2001. Wanda Jean Allen, mistress murder
Wanda Allen was a non-traditional sexual orientation. Wanda met her mistress Gloria Lethers in prison. After the release of the relationship of lovers continued. In 1988, there was a conflict between the ladies on the street, which then continued at home. The scandal flared up so much that the police squad decided to take the ladies to the station. At the exit of the police car, 29-year-old Allen took out a gun, which the police did not take from her, and shot 28-year-old Leters in the stomach. The wound turned out to be fatal.
The court considered the crime worthy of the death penalty. On January 11, 2001, 41-year-old Wanda Allen was executed by lethal injection.
Wanda Jean Allen. A photo: Frame youtube.com
year 2001. Marilyn Planz, killing her husband for insurance
In 1988, 27-year-old Marilyn Planz, a typical American housewife, mother of two children, decided to get rid of her annoying husband for her own benefit. In the event of the death of a spouse from an accident, Marilyn was owed 300 thousand dollars. The woman offered to arrange an "accident" to her 18-year-old lover and his friend. After severely beating a man with bats in own house Marilyn was dissatisfied and ordered to burn her husband in his own car. As the examination established, the unfortunate man was still alive at the time of burning.
Of the three participants in the conspiracy, Marilyn Planz and her lover were sentenced to death, the third participant in the crime “got off” with life imprisonment.
Marilyn Planz. A photo: Frame youtube.com
year 2001. Lois Nadine Smith, murder of son's ex-girlfriend
In 1982, 41-year-old Lois Smith suspected ex girlfriend son, 21-year-old Cindy Bailey, intent on killing her offspring. After luring Cindy into her own car, she interrogated her with prejudice, during which the girl denied everything. Lois then proceeded to choke and then slit the victim's throat. 
Still alive, Cindy was brought to the house ex-husband Lois Smith, where the torture continued. Lois' son, Cindy's former boyfriend, also participated in it. They put nine bullets from a pistol into the girl, jumped on her body.
At trial, Lois Smith took full responsibility. Thanks to this, her son, instead of the death penalty for complicity in a brutal murder, received a life sentence.
2002 Linda Lynn Block, Cop Murder
In 1993, Linda Blok, along with her common-law husband, were hiding from the authorities, who were looking for them on charges of battery.
Block got out of the car in a parking lot near shopping center to call. At that moment, the car they were driving attracted the attention of a policeman. The civil husband of Linda Block, George Sibley, could not clearly answer the questions of the policeman and put a gun into action. A 45-year-old woman also joined the ensuing shootout, inflicting mortal wound Sergeant Roger Motley.
Both Linda Block and George Sibley were sentenced to death. On May 10, 2002, 54-year-old Linda Block was put in the electric chair.
2002 Eileen Wuornos, murder of six men
Eileen Wuornos, 33, killed men. The investigation managed to prove her guilt in six murders of the stronger sex, in another case the body of the victim could not be found.
Initially, Eileen claimed that in all cases she acted in self-defense, since all of her victims tried to commit rape.
Despite this, in 1992 the court sentenced her to death.
After ten years of waiting for the death of Eileen Wuornos, she completely changed her testimony. According to her, she worked as a prostitute and cracked down on her clients out of hatred for men and all of humanity.
Eileen Wuornos. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
2005 year. Francis Newton, murder of husband and two children
On April 7, 1987, three members of the family of 21-year-old Frances Newton were shot dead: a 23-year-old husband, a seven-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter. Francis accused the drug dealer of the massacre, to whom her husband owed a large sum.
The investigation, however, found that the relationship of the spouses was bad, both had affairs on the side. In addition, shortly before the murder, Francis insured the life of her husband and child for 100 thousand dollars. As a result, the charge was brought against the woman herself.
The court sentenced her to death. And during the investigation, and at the trial, and even before the execution, the woman continued to claim that she was not involved in the murder of her loved ones. But on September 14, 2005, 40-year-old Francis Newton was executed.
Francis Newton. A photo: Frame youtube.com
2010 Teresa Lewis killing her husband and stepson for insurance
On October 30, 2002, Julian Lewis and his son were shot dead in their own home. When the police arrived at the scene, Julian Lewis was still alive and managed to say: "My wife knows who did it."
Teresa Lewis. Photo: EPA
During interrogation, 33-year-old Teresa Lewis quickly admitted that she organized the murder. With Lewis Sr., they began to live together in 2000, and a year later one of the man's three sons died in a car accident. His life was insured, and the family was paid $200,000.
In the summer of 2002, the second son of Julian Lewis was preparing to be sent to Iraq and insured his life for 250 thousand dollars. The recipients of the money were to be the father and stepmother of the serviceman.
Teresa Lewis decided that for a quarter of a million dollars, two loved ones could be sacrificed. She took two young lovers, whom she gradually persuaded to commit murder. However, Julian Lewis managed to send the police on the right track.
The court sentenced the woman as the organizer of the crime to death, and the perpetrators of the murder to life imprisonment. Teresa Lewis, 41, was executed on September 23, 2010.
year 2013. Kimberly McCarthy, Neighbor Murder
Kimberly McCarthy. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
In 1997, 36-year-old black drug addict Kimberly McCarthy was trying to raise money to buy a new dose. Kimberly attacked her 71-year-old neighbor, a former college teacher. Hitting the victim on the head with a candelabra, she stabbed the old woman with a knife, which is usually used by butchers. To take wedding ring deceased, the killer cut off her finger. Then, in the car of a neighbor, Kimberly hurried to the drug dealer for cocaine.
The main argument of the lawyers in court was the color of Kimberly's skin. The defenders insisted that the harsh sentence would be caused not by the gravity of the deed, but racist views jurors.
A similar tactic, widely used in the United States in the defense of African Americans, this time did not help - the court pronounced a death sentence.
year 2014. Suzanne Basso, Murder of the Groom
In 1997, 44-year-old Suzanne Basso persuaded 59-year-old mentally retarded Luis Musso to move in with her. A woman assured a man with an intellect at the level of an apprentice elementary school in her passionate feelings and persuaded her to marry her. In the end, Louis agreed and moved in with his fiancee.
Two weeks later, Musso's body with multiple fractures, signs of beatings and torture was found in the park.
As it turned out, Suzanne Basso organized a group that intended to force the man to transfer his property to the criminals, as well as to insure his own life in their favor. For two weeks, the unfortunate invalid was subjected to beatings and torture, from which he died.
Suzanne Basso, as the organizer of the crime, the court sentenced to death. On February 5, 2014, a 59-year-old woman was given a lethal injection.
Suzanne Basso. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
year 2014. Lisa Coleman, Child Murder
In July 2004, the body of a 9-year-old was found at the home of Lisa Coleman, 28, in Arlington. Devonte Williams. The boy was the son of a friend, Lisa Coleman, Marcela Williams. A friend with her son lived in the Coleman house for a long time.
Pathologists found that the child died of exhaustion. Before his death, he weighed only 15 kg, which is half the normal weight for children of his age. In addition to exhaustion, doctors found on the body of the unfortunate traces of severe beatings and torture.
The police arrested both the mother of the deceased and her friend.
The defendants' defense insisted that the child's death was an accident. Devonte Williams, according to lawyers, allegedly suffered from severe mental illness, and the mother of the child and her friend did not know how to care for the sick.
However, the defense version was unconvincing against the background of the evidence presented by the prosecution.
In 2006, the court issued a guilty verdict against both women. Marcela Williams pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. Lisa Coleman, who, according to the court decision, is the main blame for the death of a child, was sentenced to death.
On September 17, 2014, 38-year-old Lisa Coleman was killed by lethal injection.
Yes, executioner.
An interesting interview with a Sharia executioner from Saudi Arabia
Al-Beshi's work does not interfere with his life
Saudi Arabia's chief executioner says he is "very proud of doing God's work" by beheading several people a day and has no conscience.
In an unusual interview with the Saudi newspaper Arab News, 42-year-old Mohammed Saad al-Beshi said he executed many women and men.
“Despite the fact that I hate violence against women, when we are talking about the will of God, I must fulfill it,” says the executioner.
At the same time, al-Beshi does not care how many heads he has to cut off in one day: “It doesn’t matter to me: two, four or ten - if I do the will of Allah, it doesn’t matter how many people I execute.”
I sleep very well...
I live normal life like everyone else
Mohammed Saad al-Beshi, executioner
Under strict Islamic Sharia law established in Saudi Arabia, the death penalty is punishable for murder, rape, apostasy, armed robbery, drug trafficking and drug use.
Despite constant criticism from Western human rights organizations, executions in Saudi Arabia occur regularly.
Choice of death
Al-Beshi said that several times he shot women sentenced to death under Sharia law.
“It depends on what the condemned themselves ask me to do. Sometimes they ask me to use a saber, and sometimes a pistol. But more often I use a saber,” said al-Beshi.
When they arrive at the place of execution, their strength leaves
Mohammed Saad al-Beshi, executioner
In an interview, the executioner said that he became interested in execution when he worked in a prison in Taif, where he put on handcuffs and blindfolded those sentenced to death.
In 1998, when al-Beshi first acted as an executioner, he was very nervous because many people came to see the terrible spectacle. But now, as the executioner explains, his “stage fright” is gone.
“The offender was bound, and his eyes were covered with a bandage. With one blow of the saber I cut off his head. She rolled away a few meters,” recalls al-Beshi.
Valuable saber
Mohammed Saad al-Beshi is the happy father of seven children.
Executioner Mohammed Saad al-Beshi (photo: Arab News)
People are surprised at how quickly it [saber] can separate the head from the torso
Mohammed Saad al-Beshi, executioner
In his interview, he said that he received the saber as a gift from the government. The executioner constantly makes sure that it is sharp as a blade, and his children sometimes help him clean a valuable gift.
“People are surprised at how quickly she can separate her head from her body,” says the executioner.
“I always hope for a pardon, until the very last minute, and I always ask God to give the criminal another chance,” says al-Beshi. - When they arrive at the place of execution, their strength leaves. I read the execution order and on command I cut off the head.
New generation
A skilled executioner, Mohammed Saad al-Beshi now teaches others this grim profession. He is proud that one of his sons decided to follow in his footsteps.
Training, as a rule, comes down to how to hold a saber and where to strike.
Sometimes al-Beshi has to cut off the hands or feet of the condemned.
“In such cases, I use a sharp knife instead of a saber. I cut off my hands from the joint, and when it comes to the leg, the authorities themselves decide where to cut and I just follow the order, ”said the Saudi executioner.
I think that's what it is ideal model justice: so that not the Authority decides on the pardon of the offender, but the victim:
Before each execution, al-Beshi visits the victim's family, trying to convince the relatives to forgive the perpetrator. If the family forgives the condemned, then his life can be saved.
“I always hope for a pardon, until the very last minute, and I always ask God to give the criminal another chance,” says al-Beshi. - When they arrive at the place of execution, their strength leaves. I read the execution order and on command I cut off the head.
The electric chair is no longer considered the most humane way to carry out death sentences.
The unsuccessful attempt to execute the American sentenced to death Romel Brum in September 2009 caused quite a stir. big wave protests against the death penalty. It's no joke - they failed to give him a lethal injection 18 times in a row. However, this is far from an isolated case: from time to time, the technologies for carrying out death sentences fail, and as a result, some convicts die in terrible agony. Pravo.Ru talks about the most resonant cases from American practice.
Romel Broom: failed execution attempt
Romel Broome, convicted in 1984 of the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl (documents in this case are available), had been waiting for the execution of a death sentence for almost 25 years. All this time he spent in a prison in Lucasville, Ohio. Time X for him came at 14.00 on September 15, 2009 - on this day, the doctors were supposed to inject the criminal with a lethal injection.
The forensic doctors tried to give Broom an injection at exactly the right time. However, they did not succeed: instead of a vein, the needle hit the muscle. Several subsequent attempts also did not bring results: the veins on the hands of the convict seemed to have disappeared. The needle of the syringe broke, and Broom's hands literally began to swell before his eyes. The 53-year-old criminal screamed in pain.
The nurses who came to the rescue tried to remove the tumors with wet compresses, while the doctors continued to try to give an injection. The execution lasted over two hours. Broom began to writhe in pain. His swollen hands were punctured, but death still did not come. The prison authorities were forced to stop the execution and appeal to the governor of the state. He appointed a reprieve.
Cases like this have repeatedly ignited a public discussion about the permissibility of the death penalty and the technique of its execution. However, not all suicide bombers, whose cases spurred debate, were "lucky" like Broom. The vast majority of them died, if not on the first, then on the second attempt.
Willy Francis: you can be executed twice
The last person to appear twice before the executioners before Broome was 17-year-old African American Willie Francis. A court in Louisiana sentenced him to the electric chair for killing his employer. Human rights activists began to protest even at the stage of consideration of the case: they were embarrassed that the court dealing with this crime consisted entirely of white Americans. However, the protests had no effect: Francis was sentenced to death.
When the convict was put on an electric chair and the current was turned on, death did not occur. "Take off your hood, let me breathe! I'm alive!" shouted Francis. The execution was stopped. Despite the fact that human rights activists tried to use the incident to overturn the sentence (some even referred to "providence that does not allow the innocent to die"), a year later, Francis again sat on the electric chair: the Supreme Court decided that the second procedure was not contrary to the constitution. The second time everything went without a hitch.
The electric chair did not always justify the hopes for a humane execution
In 1889, the state of New York passed a law according to which the execution of criminals should be carried out only in the electric chair. Under pressure from the public, the authorities recognized that death by electric discharge was much more humane than the gallows used hitherto. But the first execution new technology brought the convict even greater torment than death in a loop: William Kemmler, who was executed on August 6, 1890, convulsed for several minutes. Death did not come immediately, because the guards did not calculate the voltage. As a result, more than twenty witnesses were forced to watch as Kemmler was literally roasted alive. The journalists who were present at the execution wrote that the new "death machine" should be improved, otherwise unpleasant incidents in the future are inevitable.
But even modern technologies executions in the electric chair do not guarantee failures. In April 1983, during the execution of John Evans in Alabama, there was a malfunction with the electrodes. The convict died in the electric chair only on the third attempt, when the entire room where the execution took place was saturated with the smell of burning flesh. A few years later, the authorities of the city of Atmore in the same Alabama needed to give twice electrical discharge to kill Horace Franklin Dunkins. "Terrible execution" lasted as much as 19 minutes, wrote The New York times.
Allen Lee Davis: "the man tortured to death by the citizens of Florida"
The real scandal caused the execution of Allen Lee Davis in 1999 in Florida. The offender weighed 130 kilograms, and his lawyer warned the authorities that death in the electric chair for a person of this weight could turn into torture. And so it happened: in the photographs of the execution of Davis, employees Supreme Court The US saw "a man tortured to death by the citizens of Florida." According to witnesses, during the execution, Davis screamed loudly in pain, and from his chest blood gushed out. The photo clearly shows that the face of the criminal turned blue, and the body was very swollen.
From the electric chair to lethal injections
Today, only Nebraska executes in the US in the electric chair. Other American states have been killing criminals by lethal injection since the late 1980s. It is generally accepted that this is a more humane way. However, the risk that last minutes the lives of the executed will become the most painful for him, exist even with the use of injections. Painkillers, which are injected into the condemned at the same time as lethal injection, lasts no more than 15 minutes, and after the administration of the correct dose of a lethal drug, at least 9 minutes pass until the moment of death. However, the real time limits of these "no more" and "at least" depend on individual characteristics organism, and it is impossible to exclude the possibility of death after the effect of painkillers stops.
But while the United States, unlike European countries, are not going to remove the death penalty from the arsenal of punishments. As for the second attempt to execute Romel Brum, it is not yet clear whether there will be one. On the one hand, there are voices against, however, on the other hand, in 1946, in the case of Willie Francis, American justice already answered the question of whether it is possible to execute twice.
