Global executions hit a peak in almost a decade, Amnesty reports

Shafaq News/ Executions surged to their highest number in nearly a decade in 2023, driven by a sharp rise in Iran and setbacks in the United States and sub-Saharan Africa, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.

The human rights group's annual report on the death penalty found that 1,153 executions took place globally in 2023, excluding thousands believed to have been carried out in China. This marks a 30% increase from 2022 and the highest figure since 2015.

"The huge spike in recorded executions was primarily down to Iran," said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General. Iran executed at least 853 people in 2023, a 48% rise and the most of any country. Amnesty said these executions were disproportionately applied to minorities and for drug offenses.

The United States also saw an increase in executions, with 24 carried out in 2023 compared to 18 in 2022. Amnesty criticized several U.S. states for pursuing methods like nitrogen asphyxiation and called on President Biden to fulfill his promise to abolish the federal death penalty.

Despite the rise, there were signs of progress. The number of countries carrying out executions reached a record low of 16, with Belarus, Japan, Myanmar, and South Sudan halting executions after doing so in 2022. The report said 112 have completely abolished the death penalty. Dozens of other countries have abandoned the practice even though still allowed by law.

"The inherent discrimination and arbitrariness that marks the use of the death penalty...must be abolished once and for all," said Callamard. Amnesty urged all governments to support a U.N. call for ending the death penalty at this year's General Assembly.