Extrajudicial killings are killings committed by government officials without due process of law, including murders by private groups if instigated by the government.

This may include: deaths resulting from torture, military hazing, and killings explicitly referred to as “political” in US State Department reports. Killings that take place outside of immediate defense or due process of law, even if the victims are labeled as terrorists or insurgents, still count as extrajudicial killings. While they may be the result of different motives, both extrajudicial killings and political killings are to be treated identically for the purposes of scoring.

Exceptions include combat deaths and deaths as a result of legally sanctioned capital punishment such as the death penalty.

Scoring Scheme:
Political or Extrajudicial Killings are:
(0) Practiced frequently
(1) Practiced occasionally
(2) Have not occurred / unreported