Number of executions in the world has reached a maximum since 2015 - Amnesty International
Kyiv • UNN
In 2024, 1,518 executions were recorded worldwide, which is the highest since 2015, with most of them occurring in the Middle East. The leaders in the number of executions are Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
The number of death sentences carried out in the world has increased to its highest level since 2015. Last year, more than 1,500 people were executed in 15 countries around the world. This is stated in Amnesty International's annual report on the practice of executions in the world, reports UNN.
Details
According to the report "Death Sentences and Executions 2024", 1,518 executions were recorded in 2024 – the highest number since 2015, when at least 1,634 people were executed. Moreover, the majority of death sentences were carried out in the Middle East.
At the same time, for the second year in a row, the number of countries carrying out death sentences remains at its lowest level in the history of monitoring.
Amnesty's statistics do not include the thousands of people believed to have been executed in China, which continues to carry out the most executions in the world. The report also does not take into account the death penalty in North Korea and Vietnam, where the death penalty is also actively used.
In addition, due to ongoing armed conflicts in Palestine and Syria, Amnesty International was unable to obtain reliable and verified information from these countries.
Based on available official data, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia are responsible for the increase in the number of executions worldwide. These three countries accounted for 1,380 executions in 2024.
Iraq nearly quadrupled the number of executions compared to the year before last (from 16 to 63), Saudi Arabia doubled (from 172 to 345), Iran - by 119 (from 853 to 972), which accounted for 64% of all recorded cases of the use of legally permitted murder.
"The death penalty is an odious crime that has no place in the modern world. Although in some countries, where we believe thousands of people are executed annually, data on the death penalty remains a state secret, which prevents us from obtaining the necessary information. But it is still obvious that states that still practice the death penalty are an isolated minority. In 2024, death sentences were carried out in only 15 countries. For the second year in a row, we are recording such a record low, and this suggests that humanity is gradually abandoning this cruel, inhuman punishment that humiliates dignity," said Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
Let us remind you
US President Donald Trump introduced a mandatory death penalty for persons who kill police officers in the United States. He signed an executive order introducing a mandatory death penalty for "anyone who kills a police officer".