The long list of capital crimes under Kuwaiti civilian law includes premeditated murder, terrorism giving in death (mandatory), perjury resulting in an innocent execution, destroying buildings belonging to the government or those known to be inhabited, rape, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and espionage.
As well as this, enemy soldiers can be executed if they commit war crimes or spy on the Kuwaiti military or government.
Mentally ill persons are excluded from this list because they cannot be held responsible for criminal charges under Kuwaiti law in any instance.
They are given measured drops in order to break their necks, a development of the method practised in the United Kingdom.
The press have been reported to publish images of the dead bodies in newspapers to serve as a deterrent against crime.