Alarming increase: executions worldwide at record high in 2024!

Alarming increase: executions worldwide at record high in 2024!

The report on the global use of the death penalty shows alarming trends and developments in 2024. Particularly striking is the increase in executions in countries such as Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which together account for over 90% of all documented executions. According to a report by the Small newspaper Iran executed 972 people, a 14% increase compared to 2023, while Saudi Arabia recorded 345 executions, more than double the previous year. In Iraq, the number of executions rose from 16 to 63.

The number of unreported executions could be even higher, as Amnesty International assumes that not all executions are documented. There are also no reliable figures in the conflict regions of Palestine and Syria.

Global trends and statistics

2024 marked the highest level of executions worldwide since 2015. In total, at least 44 women were executed, an increase from 31 in 2023. There were no executions in Bangladesh, while Oman had its first since 2021. In Europe, Belarus is the only country that continues to use the death penalty, and in 2023 one person was sentenced to death.

The United States remains the only country in North and South America that carries out executions. The 33% increase in US executions from 18 to 24 is a worrying trend. Florida has resumed carrying out executions since 2019, including six last year. According to the information from Amnesty International A total of 948 new death sentences were handed down in Asia-Pacific in 2023, an increase of 10% compared to 2022.

Execution methods and international legal framework

Five different execution methods were used worldwide in 2024. These include beheadings in Saudi Arabia and hangings in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Singapore and Syria. In addition, lethal injections have been practiced in China, the United States and Vietnam, and shootings have been practiced in Afghanistan, China, North Korea, Oman, Somalia and Yemen. The use of suffocation using nitrogen was new in the USA.

The use of the death penalty for drug offenses remains a key point of criticism. Over 40% of all executions in 2024 were related to such offenses, in violation of international law and norms. At least eight people were executed who were minors at the time of their crimes, and at least eight executions took place in public.

In conclusion, almost three quarters of all countries have abolished the death penalty or no longer use it. However, the situation has worsened in sub-Saharan Africa; the number of recorded executions increased from 11 in 2022 to 38 in 2023, all of which took place in Somalia. These developments highlight the complex and often troubling truths about the death penalty on a global scale.