June 16, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in the Czech Republic are in favour of allowing capital punishment, according to a poll by CVVM. 58 per cent of respondents believe the death penalty should be legalized in the country, while 28 per cent disagree.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in the Czech Republic are in favour of allowing capital punishment, according to a poll by CVVM. 58 per cent of respondents believe the death penalty should be legalized in the country, while 28 per cent disagree.

More than 1,200 people were executed between 1945 and 1990 in Czechoslovakia. The death penalty was officially eradicated in May 1990. When the Czech Republic was instituted in 1993, the abolition of the capital punishment was enshrined in the new constitution.

The country's civil law system is derived from Austro-Hungarian codes, while its criminal law has been revised to conform to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) standards.

Last year, an Iraqi tribunal found deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein guilty of assassinating Shiite men and expelling women and children from the northeastern Iraqi town of Dujail in 1982. Hussein was sentenced to death and executed in Baghdad. Following the execution, Czech prime minister Mirek Topolanek referred to the punishment as "an act of justice" and a warning to other dictators.

Polling Data

Do you think the death penalty should be allowed in the Czech republic?

Yes	58%
No	28%
Not sure	14%

Source: CVVM
Methodology: Interviews with 1,132 Czech adults, conducted from May 5 to May 14, 2007. No margin of error was provided.