Death Penalty: Due to secrecy in China, Vietnam, and North Korea, the organization for the protection of human rights, whose analysis exclusively covers legal executions, warns that it has not been able to incorporate specific statistics from those countries.
According to a study issued on Tuesday by Amnesty International (AI), the number of executions in the globe in 2022 reached its highest level since 2017, standing at 883, with Iran and Saudi Arabia leading the way. However, the total is likely to be higher because we lack statistics from China.
According to AI, these executions, which are 53% higher than in 2021, took place in about twenty nations, mostly in the Middle East and North Africa, where they increased from 520 in 2021 to 825 in 2022.
Due to the secrecy in those countries, the organization for the protection of human rights, whose inquiry only covers legal executions, cautions that it has not been able to incorporate specific data from China – which it puts first, with thousands of them-, Vietnam, or North Korea.
Despite an increase in executions last year to the highest level since 2017 (993), Amnesty International notes that death sentences issued internationally have decreased somewhat, falling from 2,052 in 56 countries in 2021 to 2016 in 52 countries in 2022.
DEATH PENALTY: THE PRIMARY EXECUTIONERS
90% of known executions outside of China occurred in three states: Iran, which increased from 314 death penalty in 2021 to 576 death penalty in 2022; Saudi Arabia, which increased from 65 to 196 (its AI record in 30 years, with 81 in a single day); and Egypt, which decreased from 83 death penalty to 24 death penalty.
“The (most prolific) countries in the Middle East and North Africa region violated international law by increasing executions, revealing their contempt for human life,” according to AI Secretary General Agnès Callamard.
They are followed in the table by the United States (the sole one in America), which increased from 11 in 2021 to 18 in 2022; Iraq (which decreased from 17 to 11); Singapore (11); Kuwait (7); Somalia (which has at least 6); South Sudan (5); the State of Palestine (5); and Yemen (4).
Bangladesh and Burma had four death penalty, Belarus and Japan had one death penalty, while Afghanistan and Syria had none, according to AI.
According to the research, executions resumed last year in five countries: Afghanistan, Kuwait, Burma, the State of Palestine, and Singapore.
Amnesty International claims that 37% of confirmed executions were for drug-related offenses, with 255 in Iran, 57 in Saudi Arabia, and 11 in Singapore, which may violate international law.
“It is important to highlight that people from disadvantaged backgrounds are often disproportionately affected by this cruel punishment,” adds Callamard, who urges the UN and states to “increase pressure on those responsible for these flagrant violations.”
THE DEATH PENALTY IS ABOLITED
The fact that six nations have eliminated the death sentence in whole or in part by 2022 is highlighted as a “ray of hope” by AI.
As a result, Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, and the Central African Republic abolished it for all offences, whereas Equatorial Guinea and Zambia abolished it just for minor offenses, he explained.
This implies that, as of December 2022, 112 nations have abolished the death sentence worldwide, with 9 having done so for common offenses, and others, like Ghana, Liberia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Malaysia, planning to do so.
“The atrocities committed by countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as China, North Korea, and Vietnam, are now in the minority.” Instead of people, they must adapt to the changes, preserve human rights, and carry out justice,” says Amnesty International’s chairman.
According to AI, 125 UN member nations (out of 195) have asked for a moratorium on executions, expressing “hope that this abominable punishment can be relegated to the annals of history.” /EFE
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