Bizarre facts about the death penalty
Severe sentence: According to DW, in 2013 some 2,400 prisoners were sentenced to death in China, more than all other countries combined.
Highest number of death sentences: According to Amnesty International, a record of 158 prisoners were executed in Saudi Arabia in 2014.
Controversy: In 1944, a 14-year-old George Junius Stinney Jr. was executed after a brief trial with little
Innocent: The wrongful conviction and execution of Timothy John Evans in 1950 was one of the reasons the UK abolished the death penalty.
Execution vans: According to the Daily Mail, in China, there are so-called execution vans to avoid transpo
Mistake: According to the Guardian, in 1989, an American man was sent to death row because he was mistaken for someone.
Abolition: According to Amnesty International, 108 countries have abolished the death penalty as of December 2021.
Atheism: According to The Atlantic, in 2013, a person could be sentenced to death for being an atheist in 13 countries.
Morbid technique: The Guardian revealed that in 2005, a Chinese company used the skin from prisoners who were sentenced to death to develop beauty products.
Firing squad: In 2010, prisoner Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by firing squad in Utah.