Capital punishment for drug trafficking
Being involved in the illegal drug trade in certain countries, which may include illegally importing, exporting, selling or possession of significant amounts of drugs constitute capital offences and may result in capital punishment for drug trafficking. A March 2018 report by Harm Reduction International (HRI) says: "There are at least 33 countries and territories that prescribe the death penalty for drug offences in law. ... Between January 2015 and December 2017, at least 1,320 people are known to have been executed for drug-related offences – 718 in 2015; 325 in 2016; and 280 in 2017. These  estimates do not include China, as HRI claims that "reliable figures continue to be unavailable for the country." According to a 2011 article by the Lawyers Collective, an NGO in India, "32 countries impose capital punishment for offences involving narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances." A 2015 article by "The Economist" says that the laws of 32 countries provide for capital punishment for drug smuggling. Overview. Being sentenced for drug-related crimes, especially for trafficking, are the strictest in Asian countries. In 2014, then President Thein Sein of Myanmar commuted all of the country's death sentences to life imprisonment in  January 2014. In South Korea, the law continues to provide for the death penalty for drug offences, although it currently has a moratorium on capital punishment as there have been no executions since 1997, even though there are still people on death row and new death sentences continue to be handed down. While capital punishment has been abolished in the Philippines, the Philippine Drug War has led to thousands of extrajudicial executions against drug traffickers, which are endorsed by president Rodrigo Duterte and his government. Developed nations that engages in capital punishment regularly are Japan, Singapore, the United States and  Taiwan. External links. Methods of execution: Resources for references: