Global Executions Surge to Highest Level Since 2015: Amnesty

The death penalty saw its highest global use since 2015, with 1,153 people executed in 2023, according to Amnesty International. This represents a 31% increase from the 883 executions in 2022.

Iran led the executions, accounting for nearly three-quarters of the global total, with 853 people executed, a 48% increase from the previous year. Saudi Arabia followed with 172 executions, making up 15% of the global figure.

Somalia and the United States also saw rises in executions, with 38 and 24 respectively.

Interestingly, the number of countries using the death penalty fell to a record low in 2023. Nations like Belarus, Japan, Myanmar, and South Sudan reported no executions.

Despite this, new death sentences worldwide rose by 20% to 2,428.

Julia Duchrow, Amnesty International Germany’s secretary general, praised the decline in countries employing the death penalty but expressed alarm over the rising execution numbers. She condemned Iran’s disregard for human life and Saudi Arabia’s use of death sentences for social media posts.

Currently, 144 countries have abolished the death penalty either by law or in practice.