headhanging

Headhanging is not a widely defined term in official penal law. In common usage it may refer to two related but distinct practices: (1) the execution of a person by hanging, using a cord or rope to suspend the body from the neck; and (2) the display of decapitated heads, sometimes following beheading. Because the second practice is not a form of hanging, scholarly articles typically distinguish between hanging and beheading; the phrase "headhanging" thus lacks a precise, universal meaning.

Historically, hanging as a method of capital punishment has appeared in many cultures. Variants include the long drop and the standard drop, designed to cause rapid death by spinal injury or asphyxia. Public hangings were once common in Europe, the Americas, and parts of Asia and were sometimes used to deter crime or demonstrate state power. In parallel, some societies practiced beheading, sometimes accompanied by post-mortem display.

In the modern era, capital punishment has diminished or been restricted in many countries. Hanging remains a legally sanctioned method in a minority of places, often alongside other methods or under strict judicial procedures; elsewhere the death penalty has been abolished or suspended. International human rights bodies frequently criticize capital punishment for risks of wrongful conviction, unequal application, and potential for suffering in execution.