10大法律最严厉的国家

Top 10: Harsh Legal Systems

Have you ever stolen a pack of gum, cheated on your girlfriend, owned a porn website, or owed money on taxes? Believe it or not, plenty of countries could have killed or injured you by now for committing any of these acts. To highlight these cutthroat countries, we’ve put together our list of the top 10 harsh legal systems from around the world. To make the list, countries have to severely punish their citizens for minor offenses that would be considered no big deal in the U.S. or Canada. So find out which countries rule with an unforgiving iron fist with our list of the top 10 harsh legal systems.

No.10 - Malaysia

Common criminal act: Possessing one marijuana seed
Jail sentence in Ohio: Light to non-existent
Jail sentence in Malaysia: Up to five years in jail

Malaysia has a majority Muslim population who are ruled by Sharia law, while the rest work under civil law. In the past few years, Malaysia’s Muslim population has demanded Sharia law rule the entire population. This shift in the legal system would mean that Muslims and non-Muslims could be punished -- either with prison time, fines or caning -- for things such as public displays of affection and serving non-halal food. Also, Malaysia recently arrested male cross-dressers for wearing women’s clothing.

No.9 - Indonesia

Common criminal act : Trafficking marijuana
Jail sentence in Ohio: Between six months and five years (depending on the amount)
Jail sentence in Indonesia: Death sentence

To ring in this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Indonesia executed two Nigerians for heroin smuggling. While they hadn’t put a drug trafficker to death in a while, there has been a resurgence in the practice recently. Also, since 2003, the Indonesian province of Aceh has employed Sharia law, which cracks down on everything from improper use of Islamic dress to opposite-sex couples hanging out in public.

No.8 - Singapore

Common criminal act: Possession of pornography
Jail sentence in Ohio: None
Jail sentence in Singapore: Three months plus potential fines

Singapore was once described by sci-fi writer William Gibson as, “Disneyland with the death penalty.” The reason? Its city and culture is virtually spotless of any real and cultural dirt thanks to its rigid, rigid laws. Forget to flush a public toilet? Jail. Drop a candy wrapper on the ground? You're behind bars. Decide to jaywalk? Jail. Plus, Singapore uses caning as a punishment. Back in 1994, a young American was charged with vandalism for graffiti and received four whacks of the cane on top of eight months in prison. Even then, President Bill Clinton couldn’t do much. His appeals only reduced the guy's caning by two strokes.

No.7 - China

Common criminal act: Owning a porn website
Jail sentence in Ohio: None
Jail sentence in China: Life imprisonment if site has over 250,000 hits

All eyes are on China for the 2008 Summer Olympics Games, but human rights groups have been watching it for a long time. The big reason for the negative attention China draws is that it has one of the highest rates of capital punishment, the numbers of which seem to go up and down depending on the political climate. Serious crimes like murder, white-collar crimes like embezzlement and less serious crimes like tax evasion are all punishable by death. While it has a history of poor jail conditions, China has made some improvements concerning the diet and medical treatment of prisoners. Yet, one problem remains in prisons that will be tough to solve: overcrowding.

No.6 - Sudan

Common criminal act: Insulting a religion
Jail sentence in Ohio: Nothing
Jail sentence in Sudan: Six months plus 40 lashes

Sudan has a modern history of harsh treatment. In 1983, the Sudanese government put a version of Sharia law into effect which severely punished crimes like theft, drinking alcohol and prostitution. Thieves had their hands amputated, while some who engaged in prostitution were put to death. Last year, a British school teacher was charged with insulting religion for allowing her class to name a teddy bear Muhammad. She spent time in a Sudanese jail which the U.S. State Department described as “harsh and overcrowded.” Add to the harsh legal system the fact that Sudan’s current president is up on charges of genocide and this country is a strict no-fly zone.

No.5 - Nigeria

Common criminal act: Adultery
Jail sentence in Ohio: Nothing
Jail sentence in Nigeria: Death by stoning

In 2000, Nigeria instituted Sharia law that punishes alcohol consumption in public and adultery. Plus, Nigeria also makes sure it's not mistaken as progressive by punishing homosexual acts with death. Its prisons and judicial systems' conditions are notoriously awful: 65% of its inmates have not been convicted of a crime and are awaiting trial, and some wait as long as 10 years. On the inside, prisoners sleep on bare floors and have a high incidence of tuberculosis. Plus, prison officials are said to torture innocent inmates into confessions. In all, Nigeria severely smacks down its wrongdoers.

No.4 - Iran

Common criminal act: Drinking alcohol
Jail sentence in Ohio: Nothing
Jail sentence in Iran: Fines and 80 lashes for first-time offenders; repeat offenders are put to death

Iran operates under Islamic penal law, which exercises a huge number of capital punishment cases that are second only to China. For instance, drug trafficking and sodomy are punishable by death, as well as selling alcohol and drinking it. Two years ago, a woman and a man were stoned to death for adultery, and while a moratorium has been put on the practice, many human-rights groups claim the practice persists. In fact, one report claims that at least nine people were sentenced to stoning in 2008.

No.3 - Afghanistan

Common criminal act: Converting to a religion other than Islam
Jail sentence in Ohio: Nothing
Jail sentence in Afghanistan: Death sentence

Afghanistan’s new constitution includes both Shariah and secular law, but it has strict rules about religion. Citizens cannot denigrate, insult or convert from Islam or else they will be punished by death. In the past few years, two cases made headlines: The first involved a man who converted to Christianity and was sentenced to death. The other “heretic” was a 23-year-old journalist who was charged with distributing an article that insulted Muhammad. Of course, under the Taliban, Afghanistan residents were under even stricter conditions: Women had to wear burqas and couldn’t work or pursue education after the age of 8.

No.2 - Saudi Arabia

Common criminal act: Practicing witchcraft
Jail sentence in Ohio: None (though you will probably be laughed at)
Jail sentence in Saudi Arabia: Death sentence

Saudi Arabia subscribes to Sharia law and punishes the following acts with death: homosexuality, sodomy, adultery, and the practice of witchcraft. Its strict interpretation of the law is carried out with public beheadings. Also, women aren’t considered trustworthy witnesses for trial because, according to Saudi culture, women will distort their testimony.

No.1 - Yemen

Common criminal act: Homosexuality
Jail sentence in Ohio: Nothing
Jail sentence in Yemen: Death penalty

Similar in shape to Saudi Arabia’s laws, Yemen enforces capital punishment for: adultery, homosexuality and apostasy. The country recently made headlines for its “child bride” case in which a 10-year-old girl was raped and beaten by her 30-year-old husband. In Yemen, it’s a common practice for young girls to marry older men who hold dominion over them. In this case, the abusive husband was compensated for “losing” his wife through divorce while avoiding prosecution for rape.