Global Executions Reach Highest Level Since 2015
Amnesty’s annual report, Death Sentences and Executions 2024, revealed that 1,518 executions occurred across 15 countries. Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia were responsible for a staggering 91% of these executions, with Iran alone accounting for nearly two-thirds. Amnesty International cautioned that the death penalty continues to be used as a tool to suppress dissent and instill fear among vulnerable populations.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s Secretary General, emphasized the chilling implications of this surge, stating that those challenging authorities face severe punishments, particularly in Iran and Saudi Arabia. Notably, Amnesty’s figures do not include the thousands believed to have been executed in China, the world’s leading executioner, nor data from North Korea or Vietnam due to governmental secrecy.
The report highlighted a troubling increase in executions related to drug offenses, which constituted over 40% of all executions in 2024. Countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, and Singapore were identified as having disproportionately impacted marginalized communities through these unlawful penalties.
In Africa, concerning trends emerged, with the Democratic Republic of Congo planning to resume executions and Burkina Faso’s military government proposing to reintroduce the death penalty for ordinary crimes. In the United States, 26 executions were carried out in 2024, continuing an upward trend post-pandemic, with President Donald Trump publicly endorsing the death penalty as a crime-fighting measure.
Despite these alarming statistics, there are positive developments. Zimbabwe abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes, Malaysia’s reforms reduced the number of individuals at risk of execution, and Japan acquitted Hakamada Iwao after nearly 50 years on death row. As of 2024, 113 countries have fully abolished the death penalty, with 145 being abolitionist in law or practice, indicating a growing international consensus against capital punishment.
