© Khalil Mazraawi
The number of countries that have abolished the death penalty has increased.
8 April 2016 12:45
Brilio.net/en - The number of people sentenced to the death penalty by the justice system increased by over 50% in the world in 2015, compared to 2014. Last year, at least 1634 people were executed, according to the latest report by the NGO Amnesty International. However, the number of countries that have abolished the death penalty has increased and as of today, there are 102 countries where the death penalty has been legally abandoned, which is in more than half of the countries in the world. The Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Suriname and Mongolia are part of the ones that have decided to fully abolish death sentence.
Each year, Amnesty International delivers an overview on the death penalty worldwide through its report. This year the 77-page document shows two contradictory trends: an unprecedented rise in executions and an increase in the number of countries that have ceased to apply the death penalty, leading to the simple conclusion that some countries have been massively executing its prisoners in 2015.
Image via Amnesty International
Without much surprise, the very repressing government of China, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are the countries were the most people were executed. Always part of the ranking, United States also remains stable and also has a quite high level of death sentence.
Even if Amnesty International cannot provide exact figures for China, the NGO estimated that several thousand people are executed there. According to the public data released lately, and therefore without taking China into account, the following countries: Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, represented more than 89% of the executions held worldwide just the three of them. Iran executed 977 people, while Saudi Arabia has executed 158 and Pakistan 326.
Amnesty International tries to remain positive in its last annual report, saying that Despite the shocking rise in executions in Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the long-term global trend is towards abolition of the death penalty.
Death penalty in 2015 worldwide mapping available here.
