they might catch up to the US in executions this year...
Iran is #2 after China in terms of executions. In 2004, per Amnesty International, Iran officially executed 159 people, the US 59, and China, the world champion, at least 3,400.
So, on a per capita basis, Iran executes 12 times more people than the US, and China executes 13 times more.
In Iran they execute a lot of political dissidents and sex "criminals". Sometimes they execute the victims of the sex crimes rather than the perpetrators. For example, young girls, after they get raped -- they provoked the rape, you see. Gays caught in the act are also executed.
In China they execute people for rather trivial crimes, like "corruption". Corruption is everywhere, but if you happen to be caught in the glare of publicity, tough luck. That's what happened recently to the hapless head of the Chinese bureau responsible for food and drug safety.
US executes people convicted of murders, some of them serial killers. It takes many years to execute somebody in the US. There is an exhaustive appeals process that may last up to two decades. Many states have suspended executions, in order to apply DNA tests, which were not available when the original death sentence was passed (but not carried out) decades ago.
These are the facts, as opposed to the propaganda.
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