AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL DENOUNCES "ALARMING RISE" IN GLOBAL EXECUTIONS - VORAKA.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN VORAKA

Article Published on 29 May 2024 by Kelley Rose | www.vorakamag.com

The use of the death penalty worldwide is at its highest level since 2015, according to Amnesty International. In 2023, 1,153 people were executed in 16 countries, a 31% increase from the previous year. Most of these executions happened in Iran, which executed 853 people, a 48% rise from the previous year.

Saudi Arabia had the second-highest number of executions, with 172 people put to death, making up 15% of the global total. Somalia and the US also saw increases in executions, with 38 and 24 people executed respectively.

Despite the rise in executions, fewer countries are using the death penalty. In 2023, countries like Belarus, Japan, Myanmar, and South Sudan did not record any executions. However, the number of new death sentences increased by 20% to 2,428.

Amnesty International's Julia Duchrow welcomed the decrease in the number of countries using the death penalty but expressed concern over the increase in total executions. She criticized Iran for its high number of executions and Saudi Arabia for using the death penalty for minor offenses like critical social media posts.