Legal Definitions - lapidation

Lapidation refers to the act of executing a person by pelting them with stones. It is a form of capital punishment where the condemned individual is killed by blunt force trauma inflicted by multiple stones thrown by a group of people.

Here are some examples illustrating the term:

• In certain ancient civilizations, historical legal texts indicate that specific offenses, such as blasphemy or adultery, were punishable by lapidation, where the community would gather to stone the convicted individual to death as a public spectacle of justice.

  This example demonstrates lapidation as a formally prescribed method of execution within a historical legal system.

• A recent international human rights report highlighted concerns about a country where the judiciary, applying a strict interpretation of religious law, occasionally sentences individuals convicted of certain crimes to death by lapidation, leading to widespread international condemnation.

  This illustrates lapidation as a contemporary, albeit highly controversial, form of capital punishment still enforced under specific legal frameworks in some parts of the world.

• In a fictional historical drama, a character accused of witchcraft is subjected to lapidation by an enraged mob, acting outside any formal court process but believing they are carrying out divine justice, ultimately resulting in the character's death.

  While this example depicts an extra-judicial act, it clearly shows the physical act of execution by stoning, which is the core meaning of lapidation, even when performed by a community without formal legal sanction.