Legal Definitions - hanging

Hanging refers to a method of execution where an individual is put to death by being suspended from a rope placed around their neck. This act results in death either through asphyxiation (deprivation of oxygen) or by a rapid fracture of the neck vertebrae, depending on the specific technique used.

Examples:

• In a country where capital punishment remains legal, a court sentences a convicted serial murderer to death by hanging after all appeals have been exhausted. The execution is carried out in a secure facility, consistent with the nation's penal code.

  This example illustrates hanging as a legally sanctioned method of capital punishment within a domestic criminal justice system for severe offenses.

• Following a major international conflict, a special tribunal convicts a former dictator of crimes against humanity and genocide. The tribunal, exercising its authority, orders his execution by hanging, a method deemed appropriate for the gravity of his offenses under international law.

  This demonstrates hanging being applied as a form of capital punishment in the context of international justice for exceptionally severe violations of human rights.

• During a historical period of war, a soldier is found guilty of treason and espionage by a military court-martial. He is subsequently sentenced to death by hanging, a common form of execution for such serious breaches of military discipline and loyalty at that time.

  This highlights hanging as a historical method of execution specifically within a military justice system for grave offenses against the state or military command.