Amnesty International said Wednesday that the number of executions has soared to a 10-year high between 2015 and 2023, a surge that is being driven mainly by Iran and the United States, which is stalled in its efforts to move away from the death penalty.
Amnesty International predicts that 1,153 executions will take place worldwide in 2023, more than 30% more than in 2022. Annual report on the global use of the death penalty The figure is the highest since 2015, when 1,634 death sentences were recorded, and “does not include the thousands of executions believed to have been carried out in China.” according to Human rights groups said Vietnam’s data on executions was a “state secret.” The report said Vietnam, like China, classifies its data on executions as a “state secret.” Little or no data was also available on executions carried out in Belarus and North Korea in 2023.
The report found that China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and the United States carried out the most executions on record. The top three countries dominated, with China carrying out an estimated more than 1,000 executions, Iran more than 853 and Saudi Arabia 172. The U.S. executed 24 people, up 33% from 18 in 2022. While the number remains historically low, it indicates the U.S. is moving away from the death penalty, the report said.
“Some US states have demonstrated a chilling obsession with the death penalty and a ruthless willingness to devote resources to taking human lives,” said Agnès Callamard, Executive Director of Amnesty International. “Executions have also begun using a cruel new method – nitrogen asphyxiation – with Alabama shamefully using the untested technique to execute Kenneth Smith earlier this year, just 14 months after a botched execution attempt.”
“President Biden must stop delaying his promise to end the federal death penalty,” Callamard added.
Amnesty International also cited Idaho, Tennessee, Montana and South Carolina as states where executions may increase or take new forms. (RELATED: ‘The anxiety is unimaginable’: Oklahoma executes man who claims self-defense despite board’s clemency recommendation)
The report also sees the number of executions in sub-Saharan Africa more than tripling, from 11 in 2022 to 38 in 2023, a setback as no country in the region will abolish the death penalty.
A total of 2,428 death sentences were reported worldwide, a 20% increase.
According to the report, about 74% of all recorded executions in 2023 took place in Iran. These executions, up 48% (576 cases) from 2022, appear to target Iran’s Baluchi ethnic minority. Although this ethnic group makes up only 5% of the population, 20% of recorded executions were directed at them. Among those executed were also about 24 women and five children. At least 545 of the executions were for crimes that do not deserve the death penalty. The Iranian government is weaponizing the death penalty to incite a chilling effect on the population and strengthen its grip on power, Amnesty International reported.
Iran saw a surge in executions following protests over the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. according to British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
However, “112 countries have completely abolished the death penalty, and a total of 144 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice,” Amnesty International reports.
