Which G20 countries still have the death penalty?

India is among the 100-plus countries where the death penalty is still legal. However, it is usually awarded only in the rarest of rare cases. Globally, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the US make up for the vast majority of executions every year.

Among the G20 nations, the death penalty is legal in only nine countries. Among these, Russia and South Korea no longer award the death penalty as it is under moratorium. In Brazil, the punishment is only reserved for military crimes during wartime like treason, murder, genocide, crimes against humanity, war crime and terrorism.

The remaining six G20 members where the death penalty is valid include India, Indonesia, Japan, the US, China and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Indonesia – The death penalty in the Southeast Asian nation of Indonesia is still carried out by firing squad. Prisoners are given a choice of sitting or standing before they’re shot in the back of the head.

Japan – Japan awards the death penalty through death by hanging. Prisoners are not told the date of their execution and executions are carried out in one of the few designated execution chambers. These chambers are located in major cities.

The US — The death penalty’s status and method depend from state to state in the US. The country uses all common methods of execution, ranging from lethal injection, electrocution, and lethal gas to hanging and firing squad.

China — Death sentences are highly secretive in China, but the country is executing thousands of inmates each year. While China had adopted the use of lethal injection as its preferred method of execution, death by firing squad remains just as prevalent.

Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia is the only nation in the group of 20 nations to still hold public executions. The executions are carried out by either beheading or through a firing squad.