HE: World executions increasing

Executions worldwide in 2022 have reached the highest level in the last five years, with Iran performing the most executions. This data has dimmed the expectations that had been raised following the removal of capital punishment from six states, including Kazakhstan, said Human Rights Organisation Amnesty International (AI).

In the annual report on death sentences published on May 16th, the human rights group said that “in a disturbing way” last year 90 percent of the 883 confirmed executions in the world, except for China, were conducted by three states from 20 it is known that they apply capital sentences.

All three countries are in the Middle East, and Iran has mostly performed executions in 2022, 576, respectively. Executions conducted in 2022 in Iran coincide with massive nationwide protests in this state, organised due to worsening living conditions and because of the government's oppression of human rights. The number of executions in Iran in 2021 was 314.

After Iran, for the highest number of executions is Saudi Arabia. The number of executions in this country has tripled, up from 65 in 2021 to 196 in 2022. This is the highest rate of executions recorded in Saudi Arabia by Amnesty International in 30 years.

Meanwhile, in third place is Egypt, a country where 24 persons have been executed.

Amnesty International said that given the unclear data from some states applying the death sentences, the capital punishment use figures are minimal, and the true <x0 number of executions are likely higher”.

As in previous years, Amnesty International has not included the execution figures performed in China, even though Beijing applied capital punishment more than any other country. The organisation said the rate of use of the death penalty in China is unclear as the data on the issue is considered state secret. However, the annual report said the executions in China are believed to be thousands.

“States in the Middle East and the North African region have violated international law, as they increased the number of executions in 2022, displaying a disregard for people's lives”, said Agnès Callamard, General Secretary of Amnesty International.

The number of people deprived of life increased dramatically throughout the region; Saudi Arabia has executed 81 people in one day. Finally, in a desperate attempt to suppress popular discontent, Iran has executed people only because they exercised their right to protest”, she added.

Iran has faced turmoil, presenting the greatest threat to the religious leadership of the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution, which brought that leadership to power.

Human rights groups have accused Tehran of using executions to arrest “in the middle of the public, in order to stop the protests that won the moment after September 16th, when Mahsa Ammini died, who was in custody under charges of violating the rules of wearing hijab or headscarf.

Amnesty's report stressed that the application of capital penalties last year returned to at least five states, including Afghanistan. Meanwhile, in 2022 compared with the preceding year, the number of drug - related executions doubled.

Executions of drug-related charges constitute violations of international human rights law, in which capital sentences reportedly should apply only to the most serious “crimes” crimes involving intentional murder.

Nearly 40 percent of all recorded executions were linked to drug charges. Most importantly, often those who are disadvantaged are disproportionately affected by this harsh”, Callamard said.

It is time for governments and the United Nations to increase pressure on those responsible for these serious human rights violations and ensure international safeguard clauses are respected, she added.

Despite the increase in executions, Amenty said he noticed a thread of hope “as six states have relinquished capital punishment altogether, or in part.

Kazakhstan, Pope New Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Central African Republic last year have lifted the death penalty for all crimes, while Equatorial Guinea and Zambia have lifted the death penalty just for common crimes.

By December 2022, 112 states have lifted the death penalty for all crimes, and nine states no longer use capital punishment for common crimes, Amnesty said.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Myanmar, North Korea, Palestine State, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, South Sudan, the United States, Vietnam and Yemen in 2022 have served death sentences, Amnesty International's annual report said.