According to Amnesty International, the number of judicial executions last year reached its highest level in five years. In its report on the global use of the death penalty, published on Tuesday, the human rights organization documents at least 2022 executions in 883 countries for 20. In addition, according to this information, there are thousands of executions in China, "which are kept under lock and key," as Amnesty announced on Tuesday. Six countries abolished the death penalty in whole or in part last year.
According to the available documentation, the increase is mainly due to developments in the Middle East and North Africa. The number of recorded executions in Iran has risen from 314 in 2021 to 576 in 2022. In Saudi Arabia, the number tripled from 65 (2021) to 196 last year. This is the highest figure recorded by Amnesty for the country in 30 years.
According to these figures, 18 people were executed in the United States last year – in 2021 there were 11 cases. Among the 883 cases known worldwide were 13 women executed, 12 of them in Iran and one in Saudi Arabia.
From Amnesty International's point of view, two developments are particularly worrying. "The increase in executions is primarily due to executions in the Middle East and North Africa region. The Islamic Republic of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are responsible for 90 percent of the executions documented worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, the number of executions has almost tripled compared to the previous year, and in Iran it has almost doubled," Julia Duchrow, deputy secretary general of Amnesty International in Germany, told the German Press Agency. In addition, the report shows that almost 40 percent of executions were based on drug offenses. Duchrow: "More and more people are being executed in connection with drug offences, for example in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia or Singapore. This number has also almost doubled compared to the previous year. Poor people and members of ethnic minorities are particularly affected."
Against the backdrop of the increase in Iran, the international community must noticeably increase political and diplomatic pressure on the Iranian government and vehemently advocate for the right to life, Amnesty demanded. The organization cited the case of German-Iranian Djamshid Sharmahd, who was sentenced to death in Iran. He had been arrested by the Iranian secret service in Dubai and brought to Iran. A revolutionary court had held the man responsible, among other things, for a terrorist attack. Amnesty demanded that German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock work for Sharmahd's immediate release.
Countries keep executions secret
In some countries, such as China, North Korea and Vietnam, which are known for the frequent use of the death penalty, execution figures have remained secret, so the scale of executions carried out worldwide is far greater, Amnesty said. Although the exact number of people executed in China is not known, there is no doubt that the country continues to carry out thousands of executions every year.
Six countries abolished the death penalty completely or partially in 2022, according to the report. In Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic, the death penalty was abolished for all crimes, in Equatorial Guinea and Zambia only for ordinary crimes. By the end of 2022, according to Amnesty, a total of 112 countries had abolished the death penalty for all crimes from their law, in addition to another 9 countries that no longer provide it for ordinary crimes. Last year, death sentences were carried out again in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Myanmar, the Gaza Strip and Singapore.