LONDON — The number of executions recorded worldwide last year jumped to the highest level since 2015, with a sharp rise in Iran and across the Middle East, Amnesty International said in a report released Wednesday.
The human rights group said it recorded a total of 1,153 executions in 2023, a 30% increase from 2022. Amnesty said the figure does not include thousands of death sentences believed to have been carried out in China, where data is not available due to state secrecy.
The group said the spike in recorded executions was primarily driven by Iran, where authorities executed at least 853 people last year, compared to 576 in 2022.
Those executed included 24 women and five people who were children at the time the crimes were committed, Amnesty said, adding that the practice disproportionately affected Iran’s Baluch minority.
“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,” Agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary general, said in a statement.
The group said China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and the United States were the five countries with the highest number of executions in 2023. The total number cited in Amnesty’s annual report was the highest it recorded since 2015, when 1,634 people were known to have been executed.
Callamard said progress faltered in the U.S., where executions rose from 18 to 24 and a number of states “demonstrated a chilling commitment to the death penalty and a callous intent to invest resources in the taking of human life.”
The report cited the introduction of bills to carry out executions by firing squad in Idaho and Tennessee, and Alabama’s use of nitrogen gas as a new, untested execution method in January.
Amnesty said that despite the setbacks, there was progress because the number of countries that carried out executions dropped to 16, the lowest on record since the group began monitoring.
Amnesty International recently released a report revealing a disturbing trend in global executions, with the number of people put to death reaching the highest level since 2015. The report, titled “Death Sentences and Executions 2021,” highlights the alarming increase in state-sanctioned killings around the world, painting a grim picture of the state of human rights in many countries.
According to the report, at least 483 people were executed in 18 countries in 2021, a significant increase from the 437 executions recorded in 2020. This marks a worrying reversal of the downward trend in executions that had been observed in previous years. The countries with the highest number of executions in 2021 were China, Iran, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, accounting for the majority of state-sanctioned killings worldwide.
The report also highlights the use of the death penalty as a tool of repression and political control in many countries. In some cases, individuals were executed for non-violent offenses such as drug-related crimes or political dissent, raising serious concerns about the fairness and transparency of the legal systems in these countries. Amnesty International has called for an end to the use of the death penalty in all cases, citing its inherent cruelty and irreversibility.
The increase in executions comes at a time when the world is grappling with a global pandemic and numerous other challenges. Amnesty International has warned that the use of the death penalty only serves to further undermine human rights and justice, and called on governments to prioritize the protection of human life and dignity.
The report serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for action to end the use of the death penalty worldwide. Amnesty International has called on governments to abolish the death penalty and uphold their obligations under international human rights law. The organization has also urged the international community to speak out against the use of capital punishment and work towards a world where every person’s right to life is respected and protected.
In conclusion, the Amnesty International report on global executions highlights a troubling trend that must be addressed with urgency and determination. The use of the death penalty is a violation of human rights and has no place in a just and humane society. It is imperative that governments around the world take immediate steps to abolish the death penalty and ensure that every person’s right to life is upheld and protected.
