Amnesty International: Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia Have the Highest Executions

On Wednesday, Amnesty International announced in its latest annual report that the number of executions last year increased by more than 50 percent compared to 2014, marking the highest number of executions since 1989. The London-based human rights organization reported that there were 1,634 executions last year, excluding those in China, which does not disclose its execution figures. The report also stated that 89 percent of executions in 2015 occurred in three countries: Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. Amnesty International specified that Iran executed 977 people last year, up from 743 in 2014. It further noted that some of those executed in Iran were under 18 years old at the time of their crimes, which is considered a child under international law. The number of executions in Pakistan was reported at 326 and in Saudi Arabia at 158. The annual report indicated that the number of executions in 2014 was at least 1,061, showing an increase of nearly 54 percent in 2015. Salil Shetty, the Secretary-General of Amnesty International, stated that the rise in executions last year is deeply troubling, emphasizing that such a number had not been seen in the world in the past 25 years. He asserted that Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia are executing people at an unprecedented rate, often following severely unfair trials, and called for an end to this slaughter. Shetty also commended countries that have abolished the death penalty, noting that a minority of countries still practice it. Amnesty International further mentioned that at least 20,292 people were awaiting execution in 2015.