Death penalty; Declining cases worldwide, Iran still in the lead
Amnesty International's survey of 18 countries shows that the number of executions last year was 26 percent lower than in 2019. However, Iran remains the vanguard of this inhumane punishment and is among the four countries where 88 percent of executions took place.
Amnesty International says the number of executions in 2020 decreased by 26 percent compared to the previous year, involving 483 convicts. This figure is based solely on cases that have been officially announced and recorded.
This rate of decrease in executions is unprecedented since 2007. In the same year, Amnesty International began documenting death sentences in countries.
In 2020, according to the organization's table, four countries accounted for 88 percent of executions: Iran with 246 cases, Egypt with 107 cases, Iraq with 45 cases, and Saudi Arabia with 27 cases. All of these figures are presented with the "at least" clause.
Eighteen countries have been monitored by Amnesty International, including India, Qatar, Oman and Taiwan. Executions have surged in Egypt.
The human rights organization says that despite the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people sentenced to death in Egypt tripled in 2020 compared to 2019. “The death penalty in the global coronavirus crisis confirms the absurdity of the death penalty,” says Marcus Biko, Secretary General of Amnesty International Germany.
China was not included in Amnesty International's review because this inhuman punishment is carried out in China in complete secrecy and is impossible to document. However, Amnesty International estimates that thousands of people are executed in China every year.
Source: DW
