Amnesty International: Iran Has Second-Highest Execution Rate in World After China
Amnesty International reported in its annual report on capital punishment worldwide that in 2019, Iran had the second-highest number of executions after China. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt rank among the following countries with the highest execution rates in the world.
According to Amnesty International’s report released on Tuesday, April 21, in 2019, China (thousands), Iran (at least 251 people), Saudi Arabia (184 people), Iraq (at least 100 people), and Egypt (at least 32 people) are the five countries that carried out the highest number of executions.
Amnesty International reported that in 2019 the number of executions decreased to 657 cases, but these countries are moving against the global trend of reducing executions.
Iran, which has the second-highest execution rate in the world after China, executed at least 251 people in 2019, while it executed at least 253 people in 2018 – at least four of those executed were under 18 years old at the time of the crime. However, due to lack of transparency by authorities, determining the actual number of executions in this country is difficult and may be significantly higher than the reported figures.
Previously, Amnesty International also reported that Iran alone has been responsible for 97 executions of children under 18 years old since 1990, which is equivalent to two-thirds of all such executions worldwide.
Amnesty International had reported that one-third of “recorded executions at the global level” in 2018, which totaled 253 cases, were carried out in Iran.
Clare Algar, Senior Director of Research, Legal Affairs, and Policy at Amnesty International, said that “a small number of countries, defying the global trend of reducing executions, have increasingly resorted to capital punishment. Saudi Arabia’s increasing use of capital punishment, including as a weapon against political opponents, is a concerning development. The sharp increase in executions in Iraq, and the near doubling of annual executions in that country, is also deeply concerning.”
The statistics of recorded executions worldwide do not include China, as this country does not publish information regarding the number of executions carried out.
Source: Voice of America
