Death penalty: ‘Thousands’ executed
The total number of executions officially recorded by the human rights group was at least 527, down from at least 714 people in 2009. However, China is believed to have executed thousands last year but keeps the number of people put to death a secret.
Colm O’Gorman, executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, said the tiny minority of states that continue to use the death penalty were responsible for the deaths of thousands last year in defiance of the international community.
The methods of execution used included beheading in Saudi Arabia, lethal injection in China and the USA and shooting in Bahrain, Belarus, China, Equatorial Guinea and North Korea, among others.
There were no reports of judicial executions carried out by stoning, although new death sentences by stoning were reportedly imposed in Iran, the Bauchi state of Nigeria and in Pakistan. At least 10 women and four men remained under sentence of death by stoning in Iran at the end of the year.
Amnesty pointed out that only one European country carries out execution. Last year Belarus executed two men and another three more prisoners are currently on death row.
O’Gorman said this would be the priority target for Amnesty International next year.
“We want to make Europe a death penalty-free zone. Putting pressure on Belarus to abolish the death penalty will be a key aim for us next year.
“While executions globally may be on the decline, a number of countries continue to pass death sentences for drug-related offences, economic crimes, sexual relations between consenting adults and blasphemy.”
A total of 31 countries have abolished the death penalty during the last 10 years.
China, Iran, North Korea, Yemen and the US make up the top five death penalty states, accounting for the vast majority of executions.
China remains the world’s most enthusiastic executioner and in 2010 killed thousands of people for a wide range of crimes that included non-violent offences. Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates imposed death sentences on individuals that were below 18 years of age when the crimes were committed.
“In spite of some setbacks, developments in 2010 brought us closer to global abolition,” O’Gorman said.
“Any country that continues to execute people is flying in the face of human rights and a strengthening global consensus,” he added.
Mongolia suspended all executions and Gabon abolished the death penalty completely. For the third time, and with more support than ever before, the UN General Assembly called for a global moratorium on executions.
