Shadowing Practice: Countries with the Worst Punishments Today - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Can you imagine being strapped to a tree and whipped 80 times for just drinking a little alcohol?
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What about having a foot removed after you were forced into a confession for stealing something worth a few dollars?
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How about being stoned to death because someone said you cheated on them?
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Or losing your head because you were accused of being a modern-day sorcerer?
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These punishments may sound ridiculous, but they have all happened, and continue to happen around the world today.
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Let’s start with Iran, a country where it’s illegal to consume booze.
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Not too long ago, a young man was indeed strapped to a tree and whipped 80 times, causing considerable damage to his back.
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His crime was being found at a wedding drinking alcohol when he was 15 years old.
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This is what Amnesty International had to say about the punishment: “No-one, regardless of age, should be subjected to flogging; that a child was prosecuted for consuming alcohol and sentenced to 80 lashes beggars belief.” Still, worse things have happened in recent years in Iran, and not always for what most would deem significant crimes.
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Take for instance the case of six Iranians that published a video of themselves dancing to Pharrell Williams' song “Happy”.
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They called the video, “Happy we are from Tehran”.
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It was supposed to be uplifting and patriotic.
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But that’s not how the courts saw it.
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They described it as “damaging to society.” The six people who appeared in the video, three men and three women, were sentenced to one year in prison and 91 lashes each.
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To understand this, you should know that around 100 crimes in the country are punishable by whipping.
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The net is a wide one, with the list of offenses including theft, assault, adultery, vandalism, and the one any partygoer might be accused of, breach of public morals.
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Iran may have become slightly less strict in recent times, but Amnesty International reported that in 2017, a journalist was sentenced to a whipping for incorrectly stating how many motorcycles had been confiscated by city cops.
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Amnesty International also wrote about a case in which two people got 100 lashes for being in an intimate relationship without being married.
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In 2016, 35 young people, both males and females, were arrested in Qazvin Province and sentenced to 99 lashes each.
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Their crime was drinking and dancing at a graduation party.
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You might wonder just how it feels to be lashed.
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A young woman who was arrested after attending a birthday party went on record and described the feeling.
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This is what she said: “With the impact of the first lash, I jumped out of my seat uncontrollably.
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I was so shocked that even my tears would not drop.
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I wanted to scream, but I could not even control my voice.
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Every time she hit me hard, she would ask me to repent so that God would forgive me.” But things could still be worse.
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In 2016, a man was sentenced to forced blinding in Iran.
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It was truly a case of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
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This punishment, though, was for a very, very severe crime involving the man pouring acid on someone.
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We doubt he had much support from the public, although human rights groups will often point out that some people don’t receive fair trials.
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Then you have the punishment of amputation in Iran.
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This happened in 2018 at the central prison in Mashhad city in Razavi Khorasan province, where a guillotine-like device was used to remove a man’s hand.
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Six years earlier he’d been arrested for stealing sheep and other valuables from villagers.
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Iran was roundly criticized for this, but countered by saying forced amputation wasn’t a form of torture.
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A spokesperson for the government also said it was the best deterrent for stopping thieves and was also “culturally and religiously justified”.
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According to an Amnesty International report, from 2007 to 2017 215 were sentenced to amputation and at the time of this video, 125 of them had been carried out.
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Iran doesn’t generally publish details about such things, but the stories still often come to the surface.
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Human rights organizations in 2021 reported that there were currently eight cases of people waiting to get their hands or fingers chopped off for the crime of theft.
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They also stated that the victims receive no anesthetic and are usually the poorest and most vulnerable of society.
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Human rights lawyers have also said that at times the confessions have been made after police torture.
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According to the Iranian penal code, what will be amputated is weighed against the particular crime.
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So, if it’s just a first-time theft, the person may lose four fingers.
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This is seen as lenient because that person can at least use the thumb and palm to manipulate objects.
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A worse crime or repeat crimes could result in the loss of a hand or even a foot.
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So how does it feel?
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One man, named Mohsen Sabzichi, described his ordeal like this: “The device was covered in blood; no disinfection at all, nothing.
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The device was a guillotine.
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They tied my hand under it and hit the knob.
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I was watching as my fingers fell to the ground.” Another man named Reza Safari said after he lost his fingers and he was free, he couldn’t go anywhere without people crowding around him since he wore the mark of a thief.
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He said it was impossible to find work because of this, and hunger drove him to steal another time.
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He was arrested again and sentenced to amputation of his left foot.
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Then there are the worse crimes, such as murder.
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But in Iran, serious crimes also include same-sex relationships that could be punishable up to death.
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This hasn’t happened for a while, but human rights groups have said somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 people were executed in the country for same-sex relations after the year 1979.
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What about stoning to death, does that still exist in Iran?
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According to human rights groups, the answer is yes and there are currently people on death row with a stoning sentence hanging over them.
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It’s not certain right now though, if that’s what they’ll get.
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According to that same report, the last instance of stoning was in 2018 after two women had been found guilty of adultery.
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Mohammad-Javad Larijani, the chief of Iran's Human Rights Council, defended the sentence in 2010 by saying at least the victims have a chance of pulling themselves out of the hole they’ve been placed in.
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Still, reports have said that even if that happens, they will be thrown back in.
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The stones are supposed to be small to make the ordeal last a while, with two hours being the most someone will usually survive.
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Article 110 of Iranian law also states two men engaging in penetrative sex can be sentenced to death and it is the judge who will decide what kind of sentence is carried out.
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Amnesty International wrote that in 2007 two men were executed by being thrown off a cliff, although they’d both been convicted of forcing a young man into sexual acts.
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We can’t find any other recent instances of this kind of sentence being handed down.
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Another issue Iran has been criticized for is executing people who are not yet adults.
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In 2006, a 16-year old girl was hanged for what was called, “crimes against chastity.” Her “crime” was being abused by a 51-year old man, and became a global controversy.
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Unfortunately, as you’ll now see, Iran is not alone in committing brutal acts of violence against people it deems criminals.
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Reports state that in 2020 the leading countries for executions were China, Iran, Egypt, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, followed by the United States.
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All over the world, executions were down 26 percent, which might have had something to do with the global pandemic but also a sign of the times.
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There was a huge decrease in Saudi Arabia, which was down from 184 to 27.
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But like Iran, in Saudi Arabia country, even adultery can lead to the death penalty, as can same-sex relations, or a smaller crime if it is repeated.
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Sometimes the kind of execution will be a person losing their head to the sword, with a former Saudi executioner once remarking to the BBC on just how easy the head comes off.
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It might be painless, but many people see it as a brutal form of punishment that makes us think of centuries gone by.
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When we think of the words “witchcraft” or “sorcery” we also think of a time from the past in which Europeans were burned at the stake for accusations of making deals with the devil.
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In Saudi Arabia, a person can still be accused of getting in touch with the dark side and they can be executed for it.
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In 2012, a man named Muree bin Ali bin Issa al-Asiri was beheaded for the crime of sorcery and also adultery.
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Not long before he lost his head, a woman faced the same fate after she was accused of sorcery and witchcraft.
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The latest case we could find was the beheading of Mohammed bin Bakr al-Alawi, who in 2014 was accused of dealing in the dark arts.
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Times change though, and hopefully it won’t happen again, but it is still part of the law.
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In 2012, a teenager in Saudi Arabia was sentenced to death for sending messages on his phone defending the pro-democracy movement.
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Reports said that he was tortured into a confession.
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He was sentenced to be beheaded and then crucified.
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Yes, you can still legally crucify someone in Saudi Arabia.
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That teen is now older and still in prison, so we don’t know what will happen to him.
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It’s unlikely he will be executed since some changes in the country now state that anyone convicted under the age of 18 can not be executed.
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Still, Human Rights Watch has reported that some people still face the death penalty even though their alleged crime was committed when they were still juveniles.
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As for crucifixion, it seems that particular method hasn’t been carried out for a while.
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In 2009, there was a case involving the leader of an armed gang, who was sentenced to beheading and his headless body to be displayed for three days on a crucifix.
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Unlike Iran, we can’t find any very recent cases of amputation for the crime of theft.
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In 2011, some thieves were convicted of theft and sentenced to something called, “cross-amputation”, which means losing the right hand and the left foot.
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We just can’t verify if this punishment was carried out.
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In 2003, an Indian man working in Saudi Arabia got into a fight with another man and that man lost an eye.
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The Indian man’s punishment was to have one of his eyes gouged out, another case of literally an eye for an eye.
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The victim took pity on him though and pardoned him.
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One can take the eye, or one can forgive.
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Forgiveness, though, will often involve the exchange of some cash, too.
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An eye for a Saudi Riyal just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
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From what we can see, amputation and eye-gouging don’t happen anymore in Saudi Arabia, even though technically they can.
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Stoning could also happen, but it hasn’t been carried out lately and likely won’t again any time soon.
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Even public flogging, which was a Saudi favorite in the past, is now off the table as a punishment.
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Physical pain and dismemberment are horrid, but could some punishments in the West be just as bad or worse?
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The US gets a special mention for a very specific type of punishment, and that’s prolonged time in solitary confinement.
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Amnesty International reported in 2016 that a newly released prisoner named Albert Woodfox had spent much of his 43 years behind bars in a very small, isolated cell.
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This is how Woodfox described it: “Solitary confinement is the most torturous experience a human being can be put through in prison.
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It’s punishment without ending… I do not have the words to convey the years of mental, emotional, and physical torture I have endured.” It also seems as though he was innocent of his crime, too, since he had his murder conviction overturned three times.
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Across the pond, Britain’s longest-serving prisoner, Robert Maudsley, is still locked up in a specially made bullet-proof glass box at the bottom of the prison.
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He lives in an incredibly spartan cell, with a concrete bed and one chair.
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He’s not allowed to talk with any other prisoners, ever, and he’s been down in that cell of isolation since the early 80s.
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He once got a message out, saying, “Why can’t I have a television in my cell to see the world and learn?
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Why can’t I have any music tapes and listen to beautiful classical music?” He said he’d rather die than be locked up in solitary, but he has no choice in the matter.
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You wouldn’t think the super-clean, shopping-mall-loving island-city state of Singapore would be harsh when it comes to crime.
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In fact, Singapore is actually really safe and doesn’t have much crime.
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What it does have, though, is caning, a remnant of the British colonial period.
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Just ask the two German students who in 2015 got whacked three times each with a cane for the crime of vandalism after they spray painted graffiti on the side of a train.
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It also happened to a 19-year old American in 1994 after he was charged with 50 counts of vandalism.
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He got six smacks on the backside with the cane, something which became an international incident and actually strained relations between Singapore and the US.
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Fay later told the media it wasn’t all that bad though.
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He was alone with a nurse and a doctor and it didn’t hurt very much, although he added, “The first couple of days it was very hard to sit.” But listen to how the American tabloids described it, “Bits of flesh flew, and the prisoner screamed in pain...
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The canings drew hundreds of people, including a lot of women, and everybody seemed to love it.” This of course, was an outright lie.
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While isn’t an outstandingly awful punishment, but it’s a surprising one for such a forward-looking nation.
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You can also be legally caned as an act of criminal law in Brunei and Malaysia.
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Stoning is still part of the law in the two African nations of Sudan and Somalia, although like in other nations where it’s legal, it doesn’t actually happen very much.
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Human Rights Watch says in Sudan the vast majority of cases involved women accused of adultery, some of whom weren’t given very good representation in the courts.
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Still, it seems the punishment in recent times was overturned in all the cases.
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It actually has happened in Somalia in recent years when women have been accused of adultery, although the cases we’ve seen were all carried out by a militant group.
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This group, al-Shabab, often conducts raids all over Somalia.
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As for amputations, both countries have this punishment written in law for the crime of theft, although it seems it hasn’t been applied in Sudan for quite a while.
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In Somalia, it’s a different story though, because that same militant group has been doing it for some time.
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One victim said he and four others had one hand and one foot cut off after being found guilty of theft without anything remotely close to a trial happening.
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He said he was taken out to a field and a machete was used.
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There was no medical help on hand and no pain relief, although someone helped him to get to a hospital after the fact.
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There are lots of reports of this happening, with one such report saying four teenagers had a hand and a leg hacked off for the crime of stealing mobile phones.
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Ok, so what about the most secretive state on the planet, North Korea?
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What kind of punishments happen there?
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Well, it’s hard to know with it being so secretive and all, but in 2015, there were reports all over the western media about the North Korean defense minister Hyon Yong-chol being executed by an anti-aircraft gun.
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His crime was apparently bad behavior including falling asleep in Kim Jong-un’s presence.
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But did that happen, really?
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The answer is it’s hard to know.
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After just about every big news media in the west reported it, other reports pointed out that this over-the-top kind of execution might not have taken place.
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Still, if it did happen, being shot to pieces by a huge gun would definitely earn the country a spot on this list.
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Prior to that, western reports suggested Kim Jong-un's uncle was executed by being fed to ravenous dogs, but those also turned out to be fiction.
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He was, however, executed by firing squad and it’s believed that members of his family were executed as well, with South Korean news media saying his nephew was burned to death by a flame-thrower.
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Recent cases of very severe punishments reported in North Korea included a man in 2020 being shot to death for not staying in quarantine, and in 2019, it was reported that two women were executed by firing squad for telling people’s fortunes.
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Tens of thousands of people were reportedly asked to watch the execution because the government wanted to instill social order.
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And speaking of getting a message out to the public, North Korea is said to now be one of just four countries that still carry out public executions, with the others being Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia.
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Thankfully that practice seems to have almost completely been wiped away, but we still have something for you to watch.
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Go check out “Why These Countries Are Almost Impossible To Visit.” Or, have a look at this instead!
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Understanding the Video's Context for Effective Learning
The video discusses severe punishments in Iran, using real-life examples to highlight legal and human rights issues. Its narrative style combines shocking anecdotes with factual details, making it a rich resource for practicing English comprehension and speaking. The dialogue includes formal terms (e.g., "amputation," "penal code") and emotional descriptions, which challenge learners to grasp both technical language and nuanced expression.
5 Key Phrases to Master for Daily Communication
- "Beggars belief": Expresses disbelief (e.g., "The idea of sentencing a child to lashes beggars belief").
- "Damaging to society": Describes actions deemed harmful (e.g., The court called the video "damaging to society").
- "Eye for an eye": Refers to retaliatory justice (e.g., The punishment followed an "eye for an eye" principle).
- "Lenient": Means less severe (e.g., Losing four fingers was considered lenient).
- "Deterrent": A measure to prevent crime (e.g., The government claimed amputation was a deterrent).
Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video
Shadowing—repeating speech immediately after the speaker—is a powerful way to improve English pronunciation and fluency, especially for IELTS speaking practice. Here's how to use this video effectively:
- Listen and identify stress patterns: The video uses emotional emphasis (e.g., "considerable damage," "no anesthetic"). Repeat these phrases, focusing on stressed words to match the speaker's tone.
- Break down complex sentences: Long descriptions like "A spokesperson said it was the best deterrent for stopping thieves and culturally justified" can be split into chunks. Practice each part until you can flow through the entire sentence.
- Mimic pauses and intonation: The narrator pauses after shocking details (e.g., "His crime was being 15 and drinking at a wedding"). Copy these pauses to convey gravity, a key skill for IELTS speaking.
- Use a shadowing site for feedback: Record yourself shadowing and compare it to the video. Tools on shadowing sites can help identify pronunciation gaps, such as vowel sounds in "amputation" or "confiscated."
- Practice daily with short clips: Focus on 30-second segments (e.g., the description of lashing) to build muscle memory. Over time, increase the length to improve stamina for extended conversations.
By engaging with the video's content through shadowing, you'll not only enhance your language skills but also gain confidence in expressing complex ideas—critical for success in IELTS speaking and real-world communication.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if that's what they'll get · if that happens, they will be |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have happened · have also said · hasn't happened |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being strapped · were forced · being stoned |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who appeared · woman who was · people who are |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.