Amnesty International: Number of executions worldwide reaches record high
The human rights organization Amnesty International has published its new annual report on the death penalty. The results are concerning: last year, there were more executions worldwide than at any time in nearly ten years. This trend shows a significant deterioration of the human rights situation in several regions of the world.
According to the report, more than 1,150 executions were officially recorded last year. This is the highest level since 2015. However, it is important to know that the actual number is likely much higher. In countries like China, data on the death penalty is often treated as a state secret, which is why it is not fully included in official statistics.
A particularly high number of death sentences were carried out in Iran and Saudi Arabia. In Iran, there was a massive increase, often in connection with drug offenses. In the USA, too, more people were executed compared to the previous year. Amnesty International criticizes the fact that the death penalty is used in many cases as a means of oppression or deterrence.
One reason for the increase is stricter legislation in some states. In some countries, people are executed for crimes that, according to international law, should not be punishable by death. The organization emphasizes that the death penalty is a cruel and inhuman punishment that violates the fundamental right to life.
Despite the negative figures, there is also progress. More and more countries worldwide are renouncing the death penalty or have already completely removed it from their laws. Amnesty International appeals to the remaining states to follow this example. The organization's goal remains a world in which no human being is executed by the state anymore.