“A total disregard for human life.” This is how Amnesty International defines the application of the death penalty in countries that live stuck in the past and continue to use this practice as a habitual tool of condemnation by the State. The organization has published the annual report on the use of the death penalty in the world and the data is not at all favorable: executions increased until reaching the highest number in 2023 (1,153) in almost a decade with a sharp rise in the Middle East.

A drama that survives in the 21st century. This represents that cases have increased by 30% compared to 2022. The figure is only surpassed by 2015 when about 1,634 people were notified. who were sentenced to death. Although it’s not all bad news. Despite this increase, the number of countries carrying out executions was the lowest recorded by Amnesty International.

“The huge spike in documented executions was mainly due to Iran. TheThe authorities of this country showed total disregard for human life and executions for drug crimes increased, further highlighting the discriminatory impact of the death penalty on Iran’s most marginalized and impoverished communities,” said Agnès Allamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

Iran is mainly responsible for the increase in executions during 2023; However, it is not the only country that has carried out executions during the past year. Saudi Arabia, China, the United States, Iran and Somalia were the five nations that used the death penalty the most times. It should be noted that within the data collected by Amnesty International, it has not been possible to compile data from China, although it is estimated that they carry out close to 1,000 executions in a year.

74% of all recorded executions had the same perpetrator: Iran. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia carried out 15% of the 1,153, while Somalia and the United States carried out more executions in 2023.

Executions soar in Iran

Amnesty International has been warning for several months about the atrocities that were being carried out in Iran, especially because the ultimate objective was to instill fear in the population and thus increase control. According to what the organization explains in its report, “At least 853 people were executed, which represents an increase of 48% compared to the 576 in 2022”. Not only is it, but the number of executions of members of Iran’s Baloch ethnic minority was disproportionate, making up 20% of recorded executions despite this ethnic group representing around 5% of Iran’s population.

Of the 853 people who were sentenced to the death penalty, approximately half were for crimes that under the legislation cannot be punished with the execution of the individual: “Of the executions recorded in Iran, at least 545 were carried out illegitimately for acts that should not carry the death penalty under international law, such as drug crimes, theft and espionage. Executions for drug crimes increased and constituted 56% of recorded executions in 2023, which represents an increase of 89% in relation to the 255 executions recorded in 2022″.

Iran is not the only country that has experienced a boom during 2023, but declines have also been observed in the United States and African countries. In the case of the North American country, executions went from 18 cases in 2022 to 24 in 2023.

“A certain number of US states showed a chilling adherence to the death penalty, as well as their ruthless intention to invest resources in taking human lives. TamExecutions also began to be carried out by the cruel new method of nitrogen asphyxiationand Alabama ignominiously used this untested method to kill Kenneth Smith earlier this year, just 14 months after subjecting him to a failed execution attempt,” said Agnès Callamard.

Finally, another example set out in the report is the rise in the number of death sentences and executions documented in sub-Saharan Africa in 2023. The executions recorded in the region have tripled, going from 11 in 2022 to 38. Furthermore, documented executions increased sharply 66%, going from 298 in 2022 to 494 in 2023.

Currently, the death penalty is something that the vast majority of countries have eliminated from their legislation and are opposed to its use. Currently, 112 countries are fully abolitionist and 144 have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. As far as progress is concerned, only documented executions in 16 countries the lowest number since it has been recorded, highlighting that during 2023 Belarus, Japan, Myanmar and South Sudan did not put the death penalty into practice, countries that had carried out executions in 2022.