According to human rights organization Amnesty International, there were more executions worldwide last year than in five years. At least 883 executions will take place in 20 countries in 2022 – the highest number since 2017, according to the human rights organization’s death penalty report published Tuesday.
The increase is therefore mainly due to executions in the Middle East and North Africa. 90 percent of globally recorded executions took place in just three countries in the region: Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
More than 500 executions in Iran alone
There were at least 576 executions in Iran alone in 2022. In Saudi Arabia, the number of executions has tripled from 65 in 2021 to 196 in 2022. 81 people were executed in one day. Egypt recorded 24 executions last year.
“Countries in the Middle East and North Africa have shown how little respect they have for human life. Across the region, the number of people killed has increased dramatically; in Saudi Arabia, as many as 81 people were executed in one day. And Iran, in a desperate attempt to end mass protests there, has executed people simply for exercising their right to protest,” Agnès Callamard, the international secretary general of Amnesty International, said in a statement.
China leads the way when it comes to executions
According to Amnesty, the highest number of executions take place in China – although they have not been officially confirmed by the Chinese authorities. Even if the exact number is not known, Amnesty estimates that thousands of executions are carried out each year – putting China well ahead of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the US. Executions in North Korea and Vietnam are also not made public, according to the human rights organization.
Death sentences were also carried out again in 2022 after interruptions in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Myanmar, the Gaza Strip and Singapore. In the US, the number of executions has risen from 11 in the previous year to 18 in 2022, according to the report.
Six countries abolished the death penalty
However, more and more countries are also abolishing the death penalty. In the past year, six countries have abolished the death penalty in whole or in part: Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, while Equatorial Guinea and Zambia have abolished the death penalty only for ordinary crimes. Liberia and Ghana have taken legal action to abolish the death penalty.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
