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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.

Finland's incoming justice minister says he approves of death penalty for major crimes

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Finland's incoming justice minister from the populist Finns Party says he approves of the death penalty in "some circumstances."

Jari Lindstrom was expressing his personal opinion and not speaking on behalf of the incoming government. 

He said Thursday that capital punishment could be acceptable for "extremely heavy crimes, such as against small children."

The 49-year-old lawmaker says the death penalty wasn't "one of the main issues" on his agenda when he is due to take up his ministerial post on Friday.

The death penalty, banned in Finland in 1949, has been abolished in all EU countries.

Lindstrom is 1 of 4 new ministers from the EU-skeptic Finns Party, which is in a ruling coalition for the 1st time.

Source: Associated Press, May 28, 2015

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