Tue Apr 08 01:53:46 UTC 2025: ## Global Executions Surge to Highest Level in a Decade: Amnesty International

**London, April 8, 2025** – Amnesty International revealed today that global executions reached their highest level in almost a decade in 2024, with a staggering 1,518 recorded instances. This represents a 32% increase compared to 2023 and surpasses all but one year since 2015.

The dramatic rise is primarily attributed to Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, which accounted for 91% of all known executions. Iran alone executed at least 972 people, a significant increase from the previous year, representing 64% of the global total. Saudi Arabia’s executions doubled to at least 345, while Iraq’s nearly quadrupled to at least 63. Amnesty noted that these increases fueled the global surge.

While China’s execution figures remain undisclosed, Amnesty believes they are substantial, further emphasizing the scale of the global death penalty issue.

Amnesty Secretary-General Agnes Callamard condemned the use of capital punishment, calling it an “abhorrent crime” with no place in the modern world. She highlighted the concerning trend of states weaponizing the death penalty against protestors and ethnic groups, citing Iran’s use of executions against participants in the 2022 “Women, Life, Freedom” protests, including a mentally disabled youth. Saudi Arabia’s continued use of the death penalty to silence dissent and target its Shiite minority was also condemned.

The report also notes a rise in executions in the United States, from one in 2023 to 25 in 2024. Drug-related offenses accounted for over 40% of global executions, a practice Amnesty International considers unlawful under humanitarian law.

Despite the increase, the number of countries carrying out executions remained at a record low of 15. However, the organization warns that several nations, including the Maldives, Nigeria, and Tonga, are considering introducing capital punishment for drug-related offenses, while the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burkina Faso plan to reinstate executions for ordinary crimes. Currently, 145 nations have abolished the death penalty or no longer use it.

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