The garrote is a device thatstrangles a person to death. It very common once, is no longer sanctioned by law in any country though training in its use is still carried out in the French Foreign Legion.
It was widely employed in 17th and 18th century India as an assassination device, particularly by the Thuggee cult. Around 1810the earliest known metallicgarrote appeared in Spain, and on 28 April 1828, the garrote was declared the sole method of executing civilians in that country.
The device was used in Spain until it was outlawedin 1978 with the abolition of the death penalty.
It normally consisted of a seat in which the prisoner was restrained while the executioner tightened a metal band around his neck until he died.
Some versions of the garrote incorporated a metal bolt which pressed in to the spinal chord, breaking the neck. The victim may pass into a state of severe and painful convulsions and then pass into death. This spiked version is known as the Catalan garrote.
The last execution by garrote was José Luis Cerveto in October 1977. Andorra was the last country in the world to outlaw its use, doing so in 1990.
Leave a Reply