Final numbers

April 23, 2012
Fact: #

In 2011 China executed more than 1,000 people. The figure for Iran was 360+, Saudi Arabia 82, Iran Iraq 68 and the U.S. 43. There were no executions in South Africa. (econ.st/HYI519)

This week’s theme: The law

(Corrected Iran/Iraq)

18 responses to “Final numbers”

Abraham

12 years Ago
We all now there is no legal executions in SA but what about necklacing?
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Abraham

12 years Ago
know
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Elizabeth

12 years Ago
And we still trade with China… amazing how we can turn a blind-eye to human rights when money is involved… very sad!
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1. Abraham
  
  12 years Ago
  China’s population is 1.5 BILLION !
  1000 executions a year is a very small price to pay to maintain law and order in such a vast country.
  It is time the west stops being politicaly correct and stop thinking their so called morality is superior to anyone else.
  Our township falks believe in necklacing the thief who steals a TV.
  
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  1. ThinkStraight
    
    12 years Ago
    
    Thanks Abraham. When a country’s populace feels that they have to take the law into their own hands in order to get “justice”, human rights atrocities actually increase. It is also interesting that the people feel the need to act this way in a “democracy”. Surely the state’s laws should mirror the feelings of the citizenry?
    
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  2. De Wet
    
    12 years Ago
    
    I agree with Abraham.
    What is their murder Rate as a % of population
    
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2. Sam
  
  12 years Ago
  Surely a considered decision by sober judges to kill someone at an appointed time on an appointed date using a specific method is more heinous than any crime of passion
  
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  1. ThinkStraight
    
    12 years Ago
    
    Hi Sam. You seem to misunderstand the “Rule of Law”. The Judge (appointed by the people – in theory, since they voted for the powers-that-be in a democracy) is making his decision based on what the law says. It is the law (supposedly of the people/society) that decrees death (or imprisonment or loss of societal priveledges or whatever) as a just punishment for those found guilty of CRIMES. Also, capital punishment is generally reserved for premeditated crimes.
    
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John Coetzee

12 years Ago
Just maybe we should re-look this
It seems that there is a case to be made.
Getting soft prison sentences in a corrupt prison service just does not have the same ring to “you will hang by your neck until you are dead”
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Mathilda

12 years Ago
What are the figures proportional to that country’s populations?
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ThinkStraight

12 years Ago
A better comparison would be the number of MURDERS relative to the population in each country with capital punishment vs SA and other countries without capital punishment. It’s interesting that the Human Rights of the true victims of crime conveniently get ignored when capital punishment is discussed.
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tom

12 years Ago
Few topics get this much attention!

1) Andries Tatane was executed by SAPS on camera last year. Not official but should still count. A police student shot and killed a cuffed man recently in Soweto I think. These may be “ex judicial” killings by officials there to enforce justice!

2) The stat above mentions Iran twice!
3) John Grisham’s book “Innocent man” is a very serious indictment of the death penalty.
4) Whether by law or mob it remains murder. Unless you have witnessed the brutality of killing a human you are unlikely to understand how hard it is.
5) Iran and China has a wide variety of crimes that can get you killed. In Iran being gay or insulting Islam is punishable by death.
6) The death penalty is considered a “deterrent” for crime by its defenders but you would think that for example killing people for smuggling drugs would deter it when in reality the price just goes up a bit. Ask a number of South Africans in jail overseas and the family of the lady that got executed overseas.
7) Google the video of a Pakistani ranger execution an innocent and unarmed man on camera. This is an officer that knows the law and he knows in Pakistan he would be hanged. Yet he did it. He will be dead soon and all his co-workers got life sentences. The death penalty is revenge, that is all.
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Zai

12 years Ago
My Kneejerk reaction was that we aren’t counting Murder Victims as passive Victims of Government Policy.
So while we don’t hang 1 000 guilty people, we let 10 000 innocents get murdered,100 000 innocents be raped – This is for our 50 million people to China’s 1 500 million.

Still so smug ??
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1. Zai
  
  12 years Ago
  Hi Tom
  
  It wasn’t addressed @ you 😉 – it was a comment & it appeared under yours.
  I was commenting on “the fact” – it seemed a bit like they’re saying were better because No-one gets executed here.
  
  Crime in SA CAN’T be solved without addressing it’s Socio-political Context – Until there is Economic Empowerment, we have not yet dealt with the Legacy of Apartheid.
  
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tom

12 years Ago
Zai, 2 wrongs don’t make a right. Of that 1000 how many deserved the punishment? We do not know.

People murder people regardless of there being a death penalty or not. We need to look at the underlying reasons and address those.

The previous government did a great job in selling fear… fear and blood thirst is the main driver for the death penalty.

More violence simply will not solve the problem it is the root of the problem. A Cape Town woman was murdered recently because she witnessed a robbery (her dad tracked the killers). How many more people will die if the death penalty kicks in?

Violence breeds violence simple as that. So no I am not smug. Just of the opinion that hiding behinds stats is not going to reduce crime. Solving it with more violence is unlikely to improve the situation.

On a more fundamental level the question is “what have we done to reduce it?”

Note: I am not proponent necessarily of either for or against capital punishment. Both has merits and both is wrong and right.
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Nic van Deventer

12 years Ago
People are executed daily in South Africa by criminals and murderers.
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tom

12 years Ago
lol, the evil of blogs… yes I get your interpretation. Officially the answer is zero. Officially?

Having said though it is comforting to know that the government is not grinding its axe… like in some other countries under the illusion that it is justice. Iran? Can count on never seeing me there as a tourist.
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Paul Chinchen

12 years Ago
Good!
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