Executions Surge Globally in 2023 as Iranian Numbers Soar
Amnesty International reported a significant rise in global executions last year, reaching the highest level since 2015. The human rights organization recorded 1,153 executions in 2023, marking a 30% increase from the previous year.
The majority of the increase occurred in Iran, where at least 853 people were executed, up from 576 in 2022. Amnesty highlighted that 24 women and five people who were minors at the time of their alleged crimes were among those executed. The report noted that these executions disproportionately affected the Baluch minority, a marginalized group in Iran.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary general, condemned the Iranian authorities for their “complete disregard for human life.” She specifically criticized the increased use of the death penalty for drug-related offenses, which primarily impacts impoverished communities.
This holiday season, give to:
Truth and understanding
The Media Line's intrepid correspondents are in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan providing first-person reporting.
They all said they cover it.
We see it.
We report with just one agenda: the truth.
The report also cited significant numbers of executions in China, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the United States.
Amnesty’s figures do not include China, where the number of executions is unknown due to state secrecy. The US-based Dui Hua Foundation estimated in 2015 that the number of executions had steadily declined in the 21st century, dropping from 12,000 to 2,400 annually. However, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty announced in 2022 that since 2007, at least 8,000 people per year had been executed in China.
In the US, the number of executions rose from 18 to 24, with some states showing renewed commitment to capital punishment through new methods like firing squads and nitrogen gas.
Despite these increases, Amnesty reported progress as the number of countries conducting executions dropped to 16, the lowest since the organization began its monitoring efforts.
