Global executions at the lowest level in a decade: Amnesty

Executions fell nearly a third in the world last year, reaching their lowest level in at least a decade, but several countries recorded an increase, Amnesty International said Wednesday.

The application of the death penalty has been abolished in Iran – only 50 per cent, following a change in its anti-narcotics legislation – in Iraq, Pakistan and Somalia, the defense group said. human rights in its annual report.

But it has increased in Belarus, Japan, Singapore, South Sudan and the United States, while Thailand has resumed executions for the first time in a decade and Sri Lanka has threatened to do the same.

"Despite the regressive measures taken by some, the number of executions carried out by many of the worst perpetrators has significantly decreased," said Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

He added that the "dramatic" global downfall proved that "even the most unlikely countries are beginning to change their habits and realize that the death penalty is not the solution".

"It's an encouraging sign that it's only a matter of time before this cruel punishment is returned to history, where it belongs," said Naidoo.

In total, the number of death sentences has dropped from at least 993 in 2017 worldwide to 690 at least last year.

The Amnesty account excludes China – the world's first executioner – where these figures are clbadified in state secret.

The organization estimates that thousands of people are sentenced to death and executed each year.

Iran (253), Saudi Arabia (149), Vietnam (at least 85) and Iraq (at least 52) ​​were the other countries that used the most recourse to death penalty in 2018.

The decision of the Vietnamese authorities to release last year's figures was "unprecedented" for the nation of Southeast Asia, Amnesty said.

Elsewhere, Japan, Singapore and South Sudan reported the highest number of recorded executions in years.

Naidoo said that these three countries "now form a decreasing minority" and asked them "to act boldly and put an end to this abominable punishment".

Amnesty also expressed concern over the sharp increase in the number of death sentences handed down in some countries – particularly in Iraq and Egypt – in 2018.

But its annual review revealed that the worldwide trend towards the abolition of the death penalty has accelerated.

Burkina Faso has adopted a new criminal code effectively prohibiting executions, while The Gambia and Malaysia have declared an official moratorium.

At the same time, courts in the US state of Washington have declared the death penalty unconstitutional in this country.

Amnesty highlighted the vote of the United Nations General Assembly last December, in which 121 countries supported a global moratorium on the death penalty. Only 35 states opposed.

"Slowly but surely, a global consensus is preparing to end the application of the death penalty," Naidoo said.