Historical Context of the Death Penalty in Serbia

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines the history of death sentences in Serbia (Yugoslavia). It begins by providing an illustration of the criminal legal system, focusing on the standards governing the death penalty. The article considers provisions for death sentences at the turn of the 20th century, focusing on political offences and offering a historical context to support its points. It examines the socialist era, concentrating on the years following World War II. The first two sections explain the political circumstances that affected the severity of death sentences, and the third section focuses on unique elements such as age and gender. It explains how the current system dealt with unique situations and whether these situations were considered when the death penalty was applied. The execution method is also described. This demonstrates a progressive change from extremely harsh punishment methods to those that employ more humanitarian strategies. The author concludes by explaining how the legal system operated at the time. The presentation of a few cases demonstrates how strongly the judiciary has been politicised and how communist ideology has influenced it. Finally, the article summarises the influence of the Council of Europe on the abolishment of the death penalty and streaming to the advocacy of common human values.