Amnesty International: executions in the world skyrocketed in 2022 and leave a grim record

First modification: 05/16/2023 – 18:25

As “a callous disregard for human life”, Amnesty International (AI) describes the alarming rate of executions carried out by some States, which in 2022 reached their highest number in the last five years.

883 people were executed in 20 countries, which represents a significant increase of 53%, compared to the 520 known cases in 2021, highlights the organization in its latest report released this Tuesday, May 16.

But the group warns that the number could be much higher, due to secrecy policies in some nations where the questioned practice of capital punishment is most developed.

Most of those kinds of deaths occurred in nations in the Middle East and North Africa, but the United States also made the list. In the first power, this practice is legalized in 27 of its 50 states.

First comes China, whose exact figures are unknown due to its secrecy policies. The Asian giant is followed by Iran with 576 executions, Saudi Arabia, in third place with 196, Egypt ranks fourth with 24 and the United States ranks fifth with 18 executions.

“The use of the death penalty remained secret in a number of countries, including China, North Korea and Vietnam, countries known to use the death penalty extensively, meaning the true global figure is much higher. . While the exact death toll in China is unknown, it is clear that the country remained the world’s most prolific executioner, ahead of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United States.

The rise in numbers comes at a time when government repressions against protesting citizens are increasing in countries like Iran where “in a desperate attempt to put an end to the popular uprising, it executed people simply for exercising their right to demonstrate.” , said Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

In Iranian territory alone, executions skyrocketed from 314 in 2021 to 576 in 2022.

In addition, the human rights defense group highlights the case of Saudi Arabia that “executed an astonishing number of 81 people in a single day.”

“Countries in the Middle East and North Africa region violated international law by increasing executions in 2022, revealing a callous disregard for human life. The number of people deprived of life increased dramatically throughout the region, ”she stressed.

While some countries repeal executions, others resume them

Five nations resumed deaths from beheading, hanging, lethal injection or shootings. Is about Afghanistan, Kuwait, Myanmar, the Palestinian territories and Singapore, says Amnesty.

Drug-related charges became the factor that “more than doubled” executions in 2022 compared to the previous year. And often, it is people from disadvantaged backgrounds who are “disproportionately affected by this cruel punishment.”

“Drug-related executions violate international human rights law, which states that executions should only be carried out for the ‘most serious crimes’ – crimes involving intentional homicide. These executions were recorded in China, Saudi Arabia (57), Iran (255) and Singapore (11), representing 37% of the total number of executions recorded globally by the organization. It is likely that executions for drug-related offenses have been carried out in Vietnam, but these figures remain state secrets,” the report said.

Meanwhile, against a bleak backdrop, six countries abolished the death penalty in whole or in part.

Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic abolished the death penalty for all crimes, while Equatorial Guinea and Zambia abolished it only for common crimes.

As of December 2022, a total of 112 countries had abolished this type of sentence for all crimes and nine had done so only for common crimes.

“While many countries continue to send the death penalty to the dustbin of history, it is time for others to do the same,” Callamard urged.