352:
capital punishment was abolished in military law at the same time. There were no capital sentences after 1950. Capital punishment was still mentioned in the preamble of the law text, however, a new amendment confirming the removal of the death penalty from all Danish law was approved in
Parliament on 22 December 1993, effective from 1 January 1994. Subsequent polls have shown varying levels of support for reintroducing capital punishment, generally amounting to one fifth or one fourth of the population. No major political actors support the reintroduction of capital punishment.
19:
145:
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basis should
Denmark again come under foreign occupation. The amendments reserved capital punishment for crimes committed with particular malice during wartime (murder, treason and denunciation, limited to offenders over the age of 21). This legal basis for civil executions was abolished in 1978 and
265:
first issued their thoughts about
Denmark's return to democracy after the war. Among their demands was prosecution of war criminals and of those responsible for the violation of Denmark's legal system and independence. They endorsed retroactive legislation but were then opposed to the death penalty.
269:
Shortly before the German surrender, however, the
Freedom Council worked with a clandestine committee of lawyers to elaborate a proposal for a war crimes Act that included the death penalty. The Prime Minister appointed another committee, consisting of civil servants and judges. These two proposals
317:
If anyone in 1939 had claimed that in six years from then I would be endorsing a bill about the death penalty, with retroactive force no less, I would not have regarded him as sane. But since then, barbary and lawlessness have occurred, the normal state of law has been violated deeply, and I feel
179:
About 13,500 people were sentenced as collaborators, denouncers or traitors under these laws. About 400 were killed, mostly in extralegal reprisals, with 76 formally sentenced to death and 46 of the capital sentences carried out. The 30 remaining were pardoned. The sentences were carried out by
270:
were merged in a subsequent bill. A major point of difference was whether the law would be retroactive to only 29 August 1943, when the Danish government resigned, or all the way back to 9 April 1940 when the occupation had begun. The resistance movement got its way and the latter was decided.
323:
The purge after World War II has been widely debated, partially because small offences were sentenced quicker and generally more severely than trials for greater offences which lasted longer, while moods were cooling down after the end of the war. Another point of critique was the
293:
of the
Justice Party. Pedersen proposed an amendment which would postpone any executions until a referendum had confirmed the new law. Subsequently, he received threats from former resistance fighters. The only politician who actually ventured to cast a 'no' vote was
99:
of Anders "Sjællænder" Nielsen, by decapitation in 1882. The spectacle generated called for the abolishment of the death penalty, particularly since the headsman, Jens
Seistrup, had to swing his axe several times in order to complete the job.
107:. Jens Nielsen, sentenced to a long prison term for arson, allegedly wished to commit suicide by provoking his execution and accordingly made three attempts to murder a guard over the years. His
318:
then more tied to a deeply violated public conscience than to normal conditions. We must deal with these criminals, not of a lust for revenge, but so that we soon may return to normal conditions.
1029:
136:, to replace the older code from 10 February 1866. When the new code came into force on 1 January 1933, capital punishment was abolished except for capital punishment under military law.
129:. After 1892, death sentences were handed down but not carried out. This also applied to the last death sentence prior to 1945 which was handed down in a civil court on 13 June 1928.
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62:- "death penalty") was abolished in 1933 (except for military law), with no death sentences having been carried out since 1892, but restored from 1945 to 1950 in order to execute
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77:. According to an opinion poll from 2006, one fifth of Danes supported capital punishment for certain crimes. The number was unchanged since another poll in 1999.
962:
368:
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536:
487:
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The first penal code appendix bill came before
Parliament from 26 to 30 May 1945, just three weeks after the liberation on 5 May. 127 members of the
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606:
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Between 1945 and 1947, three special laws were enacted to bring capital punishment back into the penal code, to address crimes committed during the
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of the law. Contrarily, proponents in the 1945 debate argued that if the death penalty was not re-applied, war criminals would be subject to
1039:
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1322:
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336:. According to a 1945 opinion poll, about 90 percent of the population were in favour of a death penalty for certain war criminals.
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Cultural
Histories of Crime in Denmark, 1500 to 2000 edited by Tyge Krogh, Louise Nyholm Kallestrup, Claus Bundgård Christensen
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For the most part, Denmark followed the style of other
European nations, with government-employed executioners, called
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672:
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550:
1024:
290:
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539:[Gallup : Very strong popular support for capital punishment for informers, Hipo and Gestapo staff]
70:
was abolished in 1978 (and in all cases since 1 January 1994). The last execution was carried out in June 1950.
164:) attempting to meet public opinion demanding severe punishment for wartime offenders, in particular certain
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abstained because of opposition to the death penalty, and 19 were absent. On 31 May it was confirmed by the
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The last person to be executed in
Denmark was Ib Birkedal Hansen, shot by firing squad on 20 July 1950.
153:
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In 1952, the post-war penal code provisions were amended in order to avoid again amending the law on a
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The acts #259 enacted on 1 June 1945, #395 enacted on 12 July 1946 and #423 enacted on 7 October 1947
246:
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who held the position from 27 August 1906 until 1 April 1926, but never performed any executions.
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22:
Europe holds the greatest concentration of abolitionist states (blue). Map current as of 2022
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537:"Gallup : Meget stærk Folkestemning bag Dødsstraf til Stikkere, Hipoer og Gestapofolk"
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by 67 votes for, 1 against and 8 were absent. Among the opponents were J.K. Jensen of the
185:
55:
383:
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Currently reinstitution of capital punishment is not supported by any political party in
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802:
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89:(headsman) in Denmark. The headsman had the status of a Royal government employee.
144:
212:, Dyssen area) where a concrete floor and drain can still be seen at coordinates
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Starting during the first decade of the 1800s, death penalties were increasingly
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The last execution prior to 1946 was on 8 November 1892, in the courtyard of the
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Société Jean Bodin pour l'histoire comparative des institutions (1991).
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In 1751, the last known execution for bestiality in Denmark happened.
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Remnants of the Christianshavn execution shed used from 1946 to 1950
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The background been documented in depth by historian Ditlev Tamm.
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312:, himself a lawyer, expressed the general viewpoint in this way:
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Dødsstraf i Danmark : Retsopgøret efter 2. Verdenskrig
1030:
Resolutions concerning death penalty at the United Nations
180:
firing squads of 10 voluntary police officers, either in
362:
Parliamentary question S 2023 to the Minister of Justice
369:
Death Penalty in Denmark and Europe after World War II
608:
The Barbaric Punishment: Abolishing the Death Penalty
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or on the military training grounds at Margreteholm,
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Political background to the post-World War II purges
176:
officers responsible for brutal murders or torture.
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490:[When Denmark is Free Again] (in Danish).
196:(29). The latter execution area is today inside
132:On 15 April 1930, Denmark legislated for a new
111:by Seistrup's axe followed the third attempt.
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66:. Capital punishment for most instances of
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247:Freetown Christiania#Barracks and ramparts
432:Birkedal. En torturbøddel og hans kvinder
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1035:Capital punishment for drug trafficking
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549:(in Danish). p. 8. Archived from
658:By act #1097 enacted 22 December 1993
160:and were part of the purges (Danish:
7:
1040:Capital punishment for homosexuality
277:voted for the law, 5 members of the
208:, Enveloppen (in Christiania called
535:Hjelm-Hansen, Aage (15 June 1945).
476:Picture of original execution shed
14:
1486:1994 disestablishments in Denmark
963:Most recent executions by country
595:By act #195 enacted on 3 May 1978
406:Law #126 enacted on 15 April 1930
386:, Danmarks Radio, 6 November 2006
95:The last public execution was in
384:Hver femte vil straffe med døden
114:The last headsman in office was
40: Retains capital punishment
28: Abolished for all offences
1015:Religion and capital punishment
611:. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
465:Picture of execution shed floor
451:(The shooting shed on Amager),
1491:1945 establishments in Denmark
1481:Human rights abuses in Denmark
1:
1082:Capital punishment in Europe
958:Enforcement or use by country
576:Retsopgøret efter besættelsen
586:Act #227 enacted 7 June 1952
488:"Naar Danmark atter er frit"
125:to life imprisonment by the
885:Hanged, drawn and quartered
512:Morten Christian Andersen:
34: Abolished in practice
1507:
605:Hans Göran Franck (2003).
455:, 29 May 2007 (in Danish)
261:In 1943, the clandestine
704:Current judicial methods
638:. De Boeck Université.
105:State Prison of Horsens
1131:Bosnia and Herzegovina
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263:Danish Freedom Council
231:55.679871°N 12.61363°E
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448:Skydeskuret på Amager
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287:Radical Liberal Party
154:occupation of Denmark
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556:on 23 September 2015
182:Undallslund Plantage
1352:States with limited
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777:Damnatio ad bestias
236:55.679871; 12.61363
227: /
1471:Society of Denmark
1020:Wrongful execution
932:Suffocation in ash
788:Blowing from a gun
696:Capital punishment
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525:, 2006 (in Danish)
521:2011-07-19 at the
428:Peter Øvig Knudsen
158:ex post facto laws
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47:Capital punishment
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84:
72:
45:
44:
15:
1419:Isle of Man
1354:recognition
1323:Switzerland
1258:Netherlands
978:Executioner
818:Crucifixion
793:Brazen bull
783:Blood eagle
764:Ancient and
744:Gas chamber
453:Information
349:retroactive
330:mob justice
234: /
198:Christiania
162:Retsopgøret
87:skarpretter
1460:Categories
1293:San Marino
1253:Montenegro
1233:Luxembourg
1213:Kazakhstan
1116:Azerbaijan
942:Waist chop
906:Mazzatello
900:Ishikozume
895:Impalement
890:Immurement
880:Guillotine
828:Decimation
635:Punishment
618:904112151X
356:References
343:After 1950
222:12°36′49″E
219:55°40′48″N
194:Copenhagen
168:and those
166:informants
75:Parliament
68:war crimes
1409:Gibraltar
1228:Lithuania
1000:Last meal
973:Death row
875:Gibbeting
749:Beheading
435:Gyldendal
334:lynchings
300:Landsting
283:Landsting
275:Folketing
140:1945–1950
60:Dødsstraf
1429:Svalbard
1414:Guernsey
1361:Abkhazia
1308:Slovenia
1303:Slovakia
1278:Portugal
1136:Bulgaria
1005:Penology
917:Scaphism
855:Elephant
843:Drowning
823:Crushing
717:Shooting
519:Archived
123:commuted
1333:Ukraine
1283:Romania
1243:Moldova
1201:Ireland
1196:Iceland
1191:Hungary
1181:Germany
1176:Georgia
1166:Finland
1161:Estonia
1156:Denmark
1141:Croatia
1126:Belgium
1121:Belarus
1111:Austria
1106:Armenia
1101:Andorra
1096:Albania
927:Stoning
870:Garrote
865:Flaying
860:Falling
813:Burning
798:Boiling
768:methods
754:Stoning
712:Hanging
308:of the
206:rampart
174:Gestapo
97:Lolland
51:Denmark
1424:Jersey
1366:Kosovo
1328:Turkey
1318:Sweden
1298:Serbia
1288:Russia
1273:Poland
1268:Norway
1248:Monaco
1218:Latvia
1186:Greece
1171:France
1146:Cyprus
912:Sawing
808:Burial
642:
615:
560:11 May
498:11 May
437:(2004)
186:Viborg
56:Danish
38:
32:
26:
1399:Åland
1313:Spain
1238:Malta
1208:Italy
968:Crime
554:(PDF)
541:(PDF)
245:See:
202:Redan
127:Crown
983:list
640:ISBN
613:ISBN
562:2015
500:2015
289:and
172:and
170:HIPO
332:or
243:. (
49:in
1462::
543:.
430:,
420:^
302:.
250:)
192:,
58::
1074:e
1067:t
1060:v
688:e
681:t
674:v
648:.
621:.
564:.
502:.
54:(
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