Alarming rise in global executions: Report reveals shocking figures

Amnesty International raises the alarm. Last year, 1,153 executions were carried out, marking a 30 percent increase compared to 2022. Notably, this is the highest number in 10 years. In 2015, 1,634 executions were recorded. Unfortunately, Arab countries are leading in this respect.

Amnesty International prepared its annual report. China was not included due to state secrecy. According to the authors, this country is the world's main executioner. Data from North Korea and Vietnam were also not presented. This could mean that the actual number is much higher.

The organization reminds readers that drug trafficking and corruption are severely punished in China. North Korea, on the other hand, is strict with those who do not use the native language.

The huge spike in recorded executions was primarily down to Iran. The Iranian authorities showed complete disregard for human life and ramped up executions for drug-related offences, further highlighting the discriminatory impact of the death penalty on Iran’s most marginalized and impoverished communities – said Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

In Iran, 74 percent of all officially confirmed death penalties worldwide were carried out. In 2023, at least 853 people were executed there, an increase of 48 percent compared to 2022. Death penalties were carried out for drug-related crimes, among other offenses.

Saudi Arabia is in second place, officially conducting 172 executions, accounting for 15 percent of all executions worldwide.

Amnesty International notes a decrease in the number of death penalties in the USA. There were 24 executions. However, there was a worrying increase in Somalia, where 38 people were executed. In comparison, in 2022, 6 Somalis were executed.

President Joe Biden promised that if elected he would work for abolition of the federal death penalty and encourage the same at the state level. However, except for a temporary moratorium on federal executions, in the eighteen months since he entered the White House as President, little progress on his abolitionist pledge has been visible – commented Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

In 2023, executions were recorded in 16 countries, compared to 20 in 2022. Among the countries that did not carry out any executions were Belarus, Japan, Myanmar, and South Sudan.