26 Of The Craziest Laws From Around The World

To complete our series on weird and bizarre laws we now shift the focus from the U.S. and the U.K. to the rest of the world.

As you will see from our selection, there is no shortage of crazy laws internationally. One has to assume that most of these laws were created with the best of intentions in an effort to promote a basis for a civilized and orderly society.

Perhaps what is most disturbing are those offenses which call for the death penalty, particularly since the act they relate to would not be punishable at all in other societies.

Just be grateful you don’t live in Indonesia………

1. In Victoria Australia, only a licensed electrician is allowed to change a light bulb.
2. In Alberta, Canada, a released convict is entitled to a gun and a horse to ride out of town on.
3. In Switzerland it is against the law for men to urinate standing up after 10pm which is the same time that it is illegal to flush the toilet.
4. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation.
5. In Lebanon men are allowed to have sex with any other animal just as long as it is a female. If a man is caught having sex with a male animal then the penalty is death.
6. In San Salvador, drunk drivers can be punished by death before a firing squad.
7. In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman’s genitals but is forbidden from looking directly at them during the examination; he may only see their reflection in a mirror.
8. In Lebanon any man may legally have sex with any animal just as long as it is a female.
9. In Paraguay dueling is legal just as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
10. In Milan, Italy, there is still a law that requires citizens to smile at all times or risk a hefty fine. The only exceptions are visiting hospitals and funerals.
11. In Switzerland every citizen is required by law to have access to a bomb shelter.
12. In Burma it is illegal to get internet access. If a person is found in possession of a modem he can be imprisoned.
13. In Bangladesh it is against the law for schoolchildren to cheat at school exams. Pupils as young as 15 can be imprisoned for this.
14. Belgium is the only country that has never imposed censorship on adult films.
15. Karate films were banned in Iraq in 1979.
16. In Venice all gondolas have to be painted black unless they belong to a high ranking official.
17. In Singapore it is illegal for a person to walk around the house naked.
18. Also in Singapore oral sex is banned unless it is used only during foreplay.
19. In France, it is forbidden to call a pig Napoleon.
20. In Denmark it is not illegal for a convicted prisoner to escape from prison. If the escapee is caught he only serves the rest of his sentence.
21. In Denmark it is illegal to start your car without first checking to see if there are any children asleep underneath it.
22. In Victoria Australia it is forbidden to wear pink hot pants after mid-day on a Sunday.
23. In Thailand it is illegal to step on a banknote.
24. In Thailand it is illegal to leave your house without wearing underwear.
25. In Thailand all cinema patrons must stand up during the National Anthem before a film starts.
26. The Egyptian government banned male belly-dancing in 1837 because of the enthusiastic riots that it caused.

So, that completes our summary of the strangest laws in the world.

How many of them have you broken? Do you actually agree that they are weird or can you understand the motivation behind them?

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