Sharp Rise in Executions Bucks Declining Trend, Rights Groups Warn

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https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/03/27



A "sharp global spike" in executions in 2013 bucked an overall decrease in the death penalty over the last few decades, raising concerns among human rights campaigners that countries such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, U.S., and Iran are stubbornly holding on to the practice.

"Alarming levels of executions in an isolated group of countries in 2013—mainly the two Middle Eastern states [Iraq and Iran]—saw close to 100 more people put to death around the world compared to the previous year, a jump of almost 15 per cent," reports Amnesty International in their annual death penalty review.

“The virtual killing sprees we saw in countries like Iran and Iraq were shameful. But those states who cling to the death penalty are on the wrong side of history and are, in fact, growing more and more isolated,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

Among those states, the U.S. remained high on the list—with the fifth highest number of executions (39). The U.S. followed China, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia on that list.