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Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - A file picture of a South Carolina man convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat was put to death by firing squad on Friday in the first such execution in the United States in 15 years. — Reuters pic
LONDON, April 8 — The number of people known to have been executed last year was the highest in almost a decade, with Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia responsible for most executions, Amnesty International said today.
A total of 1,518 executions were recorded worldwide in 2024, the most since 2015 when 1,634 people were killed, the rights group said in its annual report on death sentences.
The figures represent a 32 percent increase in known executions compared to 2023.
They do not include thousands of people believed to have been executed in China—the world’s leading executioner—as well as in North Korea and Vietnam, Amnesty said.
“The death penalty is an abhorrent crime with no place in today’s world,” said Amnesty’s secretary-general, Agnes Callamard.
The non-governmental organisation found that for the second year in a row the number of countries executing citizens remained the lowest on record at 15.
It said that Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia were responsible for 91 percent of known executions last year, with increases in death sentences in all three countries spurring the global rise.
“While secrecy continued to shroud scrutiny in some countries that we believe are responsible for thousands of executions, it’s evident that states that retain the death penalty are an isolated minority,” added Callamard.
Iran alone accounted for 64 percent of all known executions, executing at least 972 people, up more than 100 on the previous year.
Saudi Arabia, where beheading was used, doubled its yearly total from 172 to at least 345, while Iraq almost quadrupled its executions from at least 16 to at least 63, Amnesty said.
The rights group said that some states were “weaponizing” the death penalty against protesters and ethnic groups.
It said Iran “persisted” in its use of death sentences to punish participants in the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests of 2022, including for a youngster with a mental disability.
Saudi Arabia continued to use the death penalty to silence political dissent and punish members of its Shiite minority, Amnesty added.
Drug crimes
“Those who dare challenge authorities have faced the most cruel of punishments, particularly in Iran and Saudi Arabia, with the death penalty used to silence those brave enough to speak out,” said Callamard.
The group also noted that 25 people were executed in the United States last year, up from one in 2023.
Amnesty said that drug-related offences accounted for more than 40 percent of all executions globally, noting they were “prevalent” in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore.
It added that humanitarian law deems such executions unlawful because drug offences should not be deemed one of the “most serious crimes”.
The NGO warned that the Maldives, Nigeria and Tonga are considering introducing capital punishment for drug-related offences.
It added the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burkina Faso have announced plans to bring back executions for ordinary crimes.
At present 145 nations have either outlawed the death penalty or no longer use it, according to the rights group. — AFP
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