According to Amnesty International’s report on the death penalty in the world, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia are the countries with the highest number of executions in 2022.
Amnesty did not give an exact number for China, but said the Chinese government is believed to have carried out thousands of executions in 2022. From 520 in 2021 to 825 in 2022.
Iran is the country that uses the death penalty the most 576 executions last yearin the context of the wave of popular protests that followed a death in custody, in September, Mahsa Amini, 22 years. As for Saudi Arabia, the authorities went ahead 196 executions last year.
In its latest global report on Death sentences and their implementation in 2022published on May 16, Amnesty International notes that these countries are guilty of “fatal insanity”.
“Saudi Arabia went so far as to execute 81 prisoners in one day,” she said. Agnes CallamardSecretary-General of Amnesty International and former Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. This statement refers to the events of March 12, 2022, in which dozens of people were killed for reasons ranging from murder to political opposition to the regime.
Another group, Reprieve, had previously said that the execution rate in Saudi Arabia had nearly doubled since the king Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his son Mohammed bin Salman He came to power in 2015.
“In recent months, in a desperate attempt to put an end to the popular uprising, the Iranian authorities have taken the lives of people who had only exercised their right to demonstrate,” added Agnes Callamard.
In addition to the large numbers in Iran and Saudi Arabia, Egypt has carried out 24 people And 18 prisoners were executed in the United States of America.
In total, 883 known executions worldwide in 2022, the highest number in five years and a 51% increase from the previous year. Only 20 countries are responsible for all of these deaths, but the true number is much higher due to the lack of transparency about the application of the death penalty in many countries. Besides China, figures for North Korea and Vietnam were not included in Amnesty International’s report because of the unclear frequency of sentencing.
New states join the abolitionist movement
While five countries (Afghanistan, Kuwait, Myanmar, Palestine and Singapore) have resumed executions in 2022, six others have completely or partially abolished the use of the death penalty.
Among these countries, Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, while Equatorial Guinea and Zambia have abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes only.
Other countries are moving in the same direction, such as Liberia and Ghana, which are taking steps to abolish the death penalty.
Other signs of improvement were noted. Amnesty International reported that the number of recorded executions had decreased 71% In Yemen last year, compared to 2021, due to the easing of the civil war in the country. In the United States, the number of executions by 64% compared to 2021, but this number is still relatively low compared to previous years.
However, Amnesty also said the number of people executed for drug offenses more than doubled in 2022, with offenders killed in China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Singapore. The organization said this was a violation of international human rights law, which states that executions should only take place for the “most serious crimes” involving intentional killing.
“By a cruel whim of fate, nearly 40% of executions recorded in 2022 followed death sentences for offenses against drug laws,” said Agnes Callamard. “It is important to stress that this harsh punishment often disproportionately affects people among the thousands of disadvantaged people.”
There are some signs that this trend may continue this year. In March, a Jordanian citizen, Hussein Abu Al-Khairin Saudi Arabia on drug charges, although his lawyers said his conviction was based on a confession extracted under torture.
Translated article from the American magazine Forbes – Author: Dominic Dudley
<< لقراءة أيضاً: قضية كاشقجي: إيمبروجليو حول اعتقال رجل مشتبه بقتل الصحفي السعودي >>>
