Worth noticing that the date for Germany is East Germany. For the West, the last execution was in may 1949, only days before the new constitution came into effect (which banned capital punishment).
EDIT: As another Redditor pointed out, I was thinking about executions under German jurisdiction and thus forgot about the last war criminals, executed by the Americans. These went until 1951.
The last legal execution in Romania took place in 1987 (a man named Ion Pistol who was executed for matricide).
I take it in 1911 France made Sweden give back their guillotine?
Worth mentioning about Norway that we abolished the death penalty during the 1800s — when the instrument of choice was still the good ol’ executioner’s axe — but then brought it back when the Germans were booted out so we could shoot Quisling and his band of Quislings only to promptly abolish it again. They were just *that* much of a nuisance. Much the same goes for Denmark, I think.
The last execution date for Germany is a bit more complex than shown in your map. Maybe to keep that date shown in the map with the amendment (DDR) or writing the date of last execution in Germany in 1949/51 (Western Allies executed until 1951).
Reason is, the execution in your map happened in East-Germany-DDR. Death penalty was legal there until 1987 under the DDR-law. DDR was not recognized by West-Germany as a sovereign state. In West-Germany the death penalty was abolished 1949 by article 102 GG, the German constitution.
DDR disappeared 1990 and the whole territory came under West-German law and was unified with West-Germany to the Germany of today.
The Germany of today, as shown in your map then, is the country where article 102 GG has been in force since 1949.
Honestly, of all of these, the most sure and least risky method is the guillotine. 10/10 work France.
Why is Moldova in the ocean?
1667 – San Marino
1785 – Liechtenstein
1830 – Iceland
1847 – Principality of Monaco
1870 – “Vatican City”
All the pre-1900 last execution jurisdictions
San Marino knows something.
Damn, France was still beheading people in 1977. Brutal
Surprised how recent Kazakhstan and the Baltics are…
France with the guillotine in 1977?????????? lmao
France, Monaco, Vatican, Sweden, le team guillotine
Iran and Iceland get an honorable mention for a less refined but still beheading method.
Fun fact; The Guillotine was only used once in Sweden, before we abolished capital punishment.
I had no idea that there are countries out there still beheading people in 2022
France used thr Guillotine that late??
Execution by N/A, sounds terrifying. I assume you just slowly fade out of existence.
The date for Finland is wartime execution though. The last one during peace time was in 1820s. Over 90% of the ones in 1900s were for enemy spies/saboteur or traitors. The rest field executions for mutiny/not following orders/etc. The last executions were in 1944 for 3 Soviet paratroopers who were caught around Helsinki trying to destroy civilian infrastructure.
Same probably applies for a lot of these I think.
As always when maps like these come about – for a looot of European countries the last executions were not by normal legal laws but were from war crimes (WWII). That’s still legal, the title is technically correct, but I feel it is a bit strange as in most countries the death penalty was abolished a **long** time before. Example: I’m Dutch. Last execution not related to WWII was in 1860. Map says 1952. Map is correct, but only because someone was executed for war crimes committed during WWII. By a Special Court of Justice. Their executions didn’t fall under law applicable in non-war-time.
Whatd with Europe and firing squadz
the one from Portugal should have had two dates because the one from 1917 was a Portuguese soldier executed in Belgium or France during the First World War (allegedly for having sympathetic feelings towards the Germans) The last execution in Portugal was in 1846 and the death penalty was abolished in 1867
Trivia: an Italian philosopher (Giovanni Beccaria) was one of the first writer to gain success after writing that torture and capital punishment should have been abolished. His thoughts became extremely popular and, as a result, some of the Italian reigns (e.g. Granducato di Toscana) were among the first to abolish death sentences. Because of this philosopher practices such as branding people who had committed crimes were abolished.
28 comments
[Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_recent_executions_by_jurisdiction#Europe).
Famous last executions:
Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu (Communist dictator and his wife) in Romania;
Eichmann (Nazi and major architect of the Shoah) in Israel.
What’s up with Kazakhstan?
The last peace-time execution in Finland was in 1825.
[Tahvo Putkonen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahvo_Putkonen)
Worth noticing that the date for Germany is East Germany. For the West, the last execution was in may 1949, only days before the new constitution came into effect (which banned capital punishment).
EDIT: As another Redditor pointed out, I was thinking about executions under German jurisdiction and thus forgot about the last war criminals, executed by the Americans. These went until 1951.
The last executions in Spain were fast-tracked just a couple of months before the dictator’s death and caused an outcry both domestically and abroad. [Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_use_of_capital_punishment_in_Spain).
The last legal execution in Romania took place in 1987 (a man named Ion Pistol who was executed for matricide).
I take it in 1911 France made Sweden give back their guillotine?
Worth mentioning about Norway that we abolished the death penalty during the 1800s — when the instrument of choice was still the good ol’ executioner’s axe — but then brought it back when the Germans were booted out so we could shoot Quisling and his band of Quislings only to promptly abolish it again. They were just *that* much of a nuisance. Much the same goes for Denmark, I think.
The last execution date for Germany is a bit more complex than shown in your map. Maybe to keep that date shown in the map with the amendment (DDR) or writing the date of last execution in Germany in 1949/51 (Western Allies executed until 1951).
Reason is, the execution in your map happened in East-Germany-DDR. Death penalty was legal there until 1987 under the DDR-law. DDR was not recognized by West-Germany as a sovereign state. In West-Germany the death penalty was abolished 1949 by article 102 GG, the German constitution.
DDR disappeared 1990 and the whole territory came under West-German law and was unified with West-Germany to the Germany of today.
The Germany of today, as shown in your map then, is the country where article 102 GG has been in force since 1949.
Honestly, of all of these, the most sure and least risky method is the guillotine. 10/10 work France.
Why is Moldova in the ocean?
1667 – San Marino
1785 – Liechtenstein
1830 – Iceland
1847 – Principality of Monaco
1870 – “Vatican City”
All the pre-1900 last execution jurisdictions
San Marino knows something.
Damn, France was still beheading people in 1977. Brutal
Surprised how recent Kazakhstan and the Baltics are…
France with the guillotine in 1977?????????? lmao
France, Monaco, Vatican, Sweden, le team guillotine
Iran and Iceland get an honorable mention for a less refined but still beheading method.
Fun fact; The Guillotine was only used once in Sweden, before we abolished capital punishment.
I had no idea that there are countries out there still beheading people in 2022
France used thr Guillotine that late??
Execution by N/A, sounds terrifying. I assume you just slowly fade out of existence.
The last execution in Italy was for the perpetrators of the [Villarbasse massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villarbasse_massacre).
The date for Finland is wartime execution though. The last one during peace time was in 1820s. Over 90% of the ones in 1900s were for enemy spies/saboteur or traitors. The rest field executions for mutiny/not following orders/etc. The last executions were in 1944 for 3 Soviet paratroopers who were caught around Helsinki trying to destroy civilian infrastructure.
Same probably applies for a lot of these I think.
As always when maps like these come about – for a looot of European countries the last executions were not by normal legal laws but were from war crimes (WWII). That’s still legal, the title is technically correct, but I feel it is a bit strange as in most countries the death penalty was abolished a **long** time before. Example: I’m Dutch. Last execution not related to WWII was in 1860. Map says 1952. Map is correct, but only because someone was executed for war crimes committed during WWII. By a Special Court of Justice. Their executions didn’t fall under law applicable in non-war-time.
Whatd with Europe and firing squadz
the one from Portugal should have had two dates because the one from 1917 was a Portuguese soldier executed in Belgium or France during the First World War (allegedly for having sympathetic feelings towards the Germans) The last execution in Portugal was in 1846 and the death penalty was abolished in 1867
Trivia: an Italian philosopher (Giovanni Beccaria) was one of the first writer to gain success after writing that torture and capital punishment should have been abolished. His thoughts became extremely popular and, as a result, some of the Italian reigns (e.g. Granducato di Toscana) were among the first to abolish death sentences. Because of this philosopher practices such as branding people who had committed crimes were abolished.
Unfortunately the map is already outdated.
Belarus, 2022
https://news.un.org/ru/story/2022/03/1419612