Increase in Executions Worldwide; Iranian Government Tops the List

Data from the "Information Center on Executions" shows that despite a global trend of reducing and abolishing the death penalty, the total number of recorded executions worldwide has increased for the third consecutive year. Among these, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq are at the top of the execution list. This global center, citing data from the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation for Human Rights in Iran, has reported that the number of known executions by the Islamic Republic of Iran as of December 2 has reached 882, indicating that Iran has the highest number of executions in the world. The center also referenced the peaceful efforts of political prisoners in Iran opposing the increase in the death penalty through the campaign "Tuesdays Against Executions." This campaign announced on December 18, during the forty-seventh week of hunger strikes by prisoners in 27 prisons across the country, that at least 40 people have been executed in Iran in recent days. The UN fact-finding committee on the Islamic Republic of Iran and other human rights organizations have stated that Kurdish and Baloch minorities have been disproportionately executed by the Iranian government. The "Information Center on Executions" also indicates that Saudi Arabia executed 303 executions in 2024, the highest number in the country's history. Iraq has also recorded at least 94 executions in 2024, a significant increase from the 16 executions identified by Amnesty International in 2023. The center noted that in China, it is estimated that thousands are executed annually, but information regarding executions is considered state secrets. North Korea ranks fourth among the highest number of executions this year, having carried out at least 32 documented executions, including public executions, which have also occurred in Iran and Afghanistan. The center pointed out that most countries support the abolition of the death penalty as the first step towards its elimination, with the death penalty being abolished in practice or law in 144 countries. Nevertheless, global executions have increased for the third consecutive year in 2024, led by the Islamic Republic of Iran.