Government killing a human: an eye for an eye. Religious state sanctioned murder is draconian and belongs to a barbaric past that does not value human rights.
In China human rights are limited in China. China frequently uses the death penalty besides murder: economic sabboteur, stealing, rape, drug smuggling, spying and treason can all incur the death penalty. In China there is not much of a chance of having a fair trial: China is a one party government.
Islamic nations frequently use capital punishment when Islamic law is broken and Shari'a law requires the death penalty. Interpretation of Islamic law encourages the death penalty should be carried out in certain events.
Third world nations under a brutal dictatorship frequently uses capital punishment and abuse human rights.
The measurement of how civilised a nation is where there is a democracy, does not use the death penalty, most US staes do not have the death penalty: only a handful still use the death penalty, most European nations and western liberal democracies are against it.
A life time in prison with no parol is much more of punishment than a quick execution without trial. Capital punishment is too easy even for the most serious offenders.
Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, Mao China frequently used the death penalty for enemies of the state and a quick execution was carried out after a show trial with no legal defense. 20 to 30 million people were executed under each of Hitler, Stalin and Mao.
