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Vietnam: White-collar crimes -

The April 2024 trial of billionaire Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan, sentenced to death at a court in Ho Chi Minh City for a US$44 billion (£35 billion) bank fraud case, highlights the risks involved in some countries of carrying out white-collar crimes.

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China: White-collar crimes -

In China, white-collar criminals can be given the death penalty under aggravating circumstances, as being convicted of "fraudulently raising funds" is regarded as a capital offense.

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Iran: White-collar crimes -

Amnesty International cites a case where four Iranian men were sentenced to death after being convicted of corruption and "disrupting the country's economic system" for their role in a massive bank fraud.

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Sudan: Consensual sexual relations outside marriage -

In Sudan, a country under Islamist rule, a woman caught engaging in consensual sexual relations outside marriage can be sentenced to death by stoning. A man can also meet the same fate.

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Iran: Consensual sexual relations outside marriage -

Similarly in Iran, people can be put to death if found guilty of adultery while married. According to Amnesty International, several women have ended up on death row awaiting stoning for this crime.

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Afghanistan: Consensual sexual relations outside marriage -

Anyone convicted of committing adultery in Afghanistan risks death by stoning. And this form of punishment has made a resurgence in the country under Taliban rule.

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Somalia: Consensual sexual relations outside marriage -

Members of Somalia's Islamist group al-Shabaab have in recent years sought to bring back stoning as a punishment for violating sharia law. In 2017, a 30-year-old mother of eight was publicly stoned to death for cheating on her husband, reports Reuters.

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Nigeria: Consensual sexual relations outside marriage -

Stoning is used in several northern states in Nigeria to punish those caught engaging in consensual sexual relations outside marriage. Pictured is a woman sitting on a bench facing judges of the Sharia Islamic Court waiting to hear whether she should be stoned to death for committing adultery in accordance with strict Islamic law.

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Brunei: Consensual sexual relations outside marriage -

In 2019, Brunei introduced strict new Islamic laws that made adultery and gay sex offenses punishable by stoning to death. But in an apparent climb down in response to international condemnation of the move, the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, insisted his country would not impose the death penalty in such cases.

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Yemen: Homosexuality -

Several countries impose the death penalty for those caught indulging in homosexual acts. In Yemen, for example, according to the 1994 penal code, married men can be sentenced to death by stoning for homosexual intercourse. Unmarried men can expect a whipping or one year in prison. Women face up to several years in prison.

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Saudi Arabia: Homosexuality -

In Saudi Arabia, all sex outside marriage is illegal. But a married man engaging in sodomy or any non-Muslim who commits sodomy with a Muslim can be stoned to death.

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Qatar: Homosexuality -

In Qatar according to sharia law, Muslims can be put to death for extramarital sex, regardless of sexual orientation.

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Iran: Homosexuality -

Similarly, sharia law in Iran dictates that homosexual intercourse between men can be punished by death, and men can be flogged for lesser acts such as kissing. Women run the risk of being flogged publicly.

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Other countries: Homosexuality -

Other countries where practicing homosexuality could endanger your life include Nigeria, Mauritania, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Somalia.

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China: Trafficking drugs -

At least 467 people were executed for drug offenses in 2023, a new record, according to Harm Reduction International (HRI), an NGO that has been tracking the use of the death penalty for drugs since 2007. China is one country that regularly imposes death sentences for drug offenses.

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Iran: Trafficking drugs -

In Iran, at least 481 executions—more than half of the total 853 executions recorded in 2023—were carried out for drug-related offenses, reports Amnesty International.

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North Korea: Trafficking drugs -

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in North Korea and is used for many offenses, including drug smuggling. But no accurate figures can be provided for North Korea regarding the number of people caught and convicted of trafficking drugs.

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Saudi Arabia: Trafficking drugs -

In November 2022, after the authorities in Saudi Arabia ended a 21-month unofficial moratorium on the use of the death penalty for drug-related offenses, executions of convicted traffickers resumed on an almost daily basis, according to a press release issued by the United Nations. Pictured is an immigration form containing a warning about the death penalty for drug traffickers operating in the kingdom.

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Thailand: Trafficking drugs -

Drug-related offenses drive the imposition of capital punishment in Thailand, reports the Bangkok Post. Official figures indicate that more than half of all the people on death row in the country are there for drug-related offenses, the newspaper adds. Pictured are seized bags of heroine waiting to be destroyed by Thai law enforcement.

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Singapore: Trafficking drugs -

Singapore drew international criticism after resuming the use of the death penalty in March 2022, following a two-year hiatus during the pandemic. According to Human Rights Watch, 11 executions, carried out by hanging, took place that year, and at least 16 people had been hanged as of November 2023, although it's not clear how many of those were for drug-related offenses.

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Indonesia: Trafficking drugs -

Indonesia's application of the death penalty for trafficking drugs is high, although sentencing depends on severity of the drug-related crime (drug trafficking, possession of large amounts of drugs, etc.).

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Sudan: Opposing the government -

Opposing the government, or promoting sedition, can be a crime punishable by death in Sudan.

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Iran: Opposing the government -

Likewise, demonstrating against the government in Iran is high-risk. Amnesty International cites a case where the country's Supreme Court upheld the death sentence imposed on a man under charges of "enmity against God" for his alleged ties to a banned Iranian opposition group.

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Mauritania: Offending or abandoning religion -

Offending or abandoning religion (apostasy) is illegal in many countries, and in some a crime punishable by death. In Mauritania, abandoning Islam is a veritable death sentence.

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Nigeria: Offending or abandoning religion -

Twelve Muslim-majority states in northern Nigeria have laws invoking sharia, which have been used to persecute Muslim apostates. Death is a very real possibility for those rejecting Islam.

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Somalia: Offending or abandoning religion -

Apostasy is a crime in Somalia. There have been numerous reports of executions of people for apostasy, particularly Muslims who have converted to Christianity. In 2009, Islamist militia executed a Somali politician, who they accused of betraying his religion by working with non-Muslim Ethiopian forces, according to a report by the BBC.

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Saudi Arabia: Offending or abandoning religion -

Apostasy law is actively enforced in Saudi Arabia. Offending or abandoning Islam is a serious crime. Justifying the social exclusion and killing of apostates is in accordance with sharia law.

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Iran and Iraq: Offending or abandoning religion -

Both Iran and Iraq have laws in place to punish by death apostates, especially those who convert from Islam to Christianity.

Sources: (BBC) (Reuters) (The Washington Post) (HRI) (Amnesty International) (United Nations) (Bangkok Post) 

See also: Bizarre facts about the death penalty

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