Death Penalty in Georgia and Former Eastern Bloc Countries

Abstract

The article reviews death penalty as a type of punishment that has been used in Georgia from the ancient times till the end of the 20thcentury. It contains a brief description of legislation in both feudal and soviet eras. The article also discusses the way Georgian state andlaw have been passed concerning the important issues such as rejection of death penalty as the capital punishment. Along with the Georgianexample, the research deals with experience in utilizing and abolishing of death penalty in the countries of former socialist block.The article provides the research results concerning the societal attitude towards the death penalty conducted by different organizationsin different periods of time.The research emphasizes international legislation, particularly international conventions and agreements that regulated and still regulatepossibility of use of death penalty in the civilized world. Namely, it is applied to crimes and cases that were committed for which internationallegislation allowed death penalty as a possible measure of punishment. The article also talks about the modern worldviews, argumentsoften presented by the supporters and opponents of the abolition of death penalty, principles of humanism and state competenceon using the capital punishment.In conclusion, the article stresses author’s opinion about the problematic issues.