Amnesty International has released its annual review on the use of the death penalty worldwide, and the numbers are alarming.
In 2022, 883 people were executed in 20 countries, the highest in five years, marking a 53% increase from the previous year.
Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt were responsible for 90% of those executions.
It is worth noting that the data excludes China, where thousands of people are believed to be executed each year.
Due to the country’s lack of transparency, Amnesty International was unable to obtain an accurate assessment of the numbers.
The report confirms that North Korea, Vietnam, Syria, and Afghanistan also carried out executions, but insufficient information was available to provide credible minimum figures.
Iran and Saudi Arabia, however, were primarily responsible for the sharp increase in executions, with Iran putting 576 people to death, while Saudi Arabia executed 196 people, the highest number recorded in the country in 30 years.
According to Amnesty’s report, 85 people were executed in Saudi Arabia after being convicted of terrorism offences, while 57 were put to death for drug offences.
The report also highlights that executions in Egypt decreased by 71% compared to 2021, with 24 people being put to death in 2022.
The report further revealed that 18 people were executed in the US, up from 11 in the previous year.
In Singapore, 11 people were put to death, as executions for drug offences resumed after a two-year hiatus during the Covid pandemic.
Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, condemned the increase in the use of the death penalty in the Middle East and accused the states involved of violating international law.
Callamard called for increased pressure on those responsible for the human rights violations and demanded that international safeguards be put in place to prevent future executions.
“It’s time for governments and the UN to up the pressure on those responsible for these blatant human rights violations and ensure international safeguards are put in place,” she said.
