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Communist Vietnam's secret death penalty conveyor belt: How country trails only China and Iran for 'astonishing' number of executions

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Prisoners are dragged from their cells at 4am without warning to be given a lethal injection Vietnam's use of the death penalty has been thrust into the spotlight after a real estate tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to be executed in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's history. Truong My Lan, a businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022.

Death penalty is torture: U.N. expert

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Death Row In Japanese Prison
The U.N. special rapporteur on torture has said the death penalty is increasingly being viewed as cruel, inhuman treatment that is tantamount to torture, and called for a thorough examination of its legality.

In presenting a report Tuesday to the human rights committee of the U.N. General Assembly, Juan Mendez touched on the treatment of death-row inmates kept in solitary confinement without knowledge of their date of execution.

Such treatment "contributes to the risk of serious and irreparable mental and physical harm and suffering to the inmate," Mendez said, although he didn't single out any countries.

His remarks could be interpreted as a warning for Japan, which continues both of these practices for inmates sentenced to hang.

Source: Japan Times, October 25, 2012
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