700 executions outlined in Amnesty report

MORE than 700 people were executed in 18 countries last year and at least 2,000 people were sentenced to death, Amnesty International’s annual global report on the death penalty has found.

Among the worst offenders were Iran with at least 388 executions, Iraq with at least 120, Saudi Arabia with at least 69 and the USA with 52.

The report, Death Sentences and Executions in 2009, reveals that at least 714 people were executed in 18 countries last year. At least 2,000 people were sentenced to death across 56 countries.