The latest Death Sentences and Executions report from Amnesty International shows that violent action against criminals increased in 2015, despite more countries abolishing the death sentence.

The group recorded a 54% increase in executions in 2015, with 1,634 being executed – 573 more than in 2014 – while at least 1,998 people were sentenced to death in 61 countries in 2015

This is not including numbers of executions carried out in China, where data on the use of the death penalty remains classified as a state secret.

Of all recorded executions, 89% were carried out in just three countries: Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

In Iran and Saudi Arabia the number of executions recorded by Amnesty International increased by 31% and 76%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

More than 320 people were executed in Pakistan in 2015. This was the highest number of executions that Amnesty International ever recorded for Pakistan in one year, and follows the authorities lifting of a six-year moratorium on executions on 17 December 2014.

Amnesty International also registered a significant increase in executions in Egypt and Somalia, by 47% and 79%, respectively.

The group recorded executions in 25 countries, three more than in 2014.

The countries that kill criminals

# Country 2015 Executions 1 Iran 977+ 2 Pakistan 326+ 3 Saudi Arabia 158+ 4 United states 28 5 Iraq 26+ 6 Somalia 25+ 7 Egypt 22+ 8 Fed. Gov. of Somalia 17+ 9 Indonesia 14 10 Chad 10 11 Yemen 8+ 12 Somaliland 6+ 13 Taiwan 6 14 South Sudan 5+ 15 Bangladesh 4 15 Singapore 4 17 Sudan 3 17 Japan 3 19 Jubaland 2+ 20 Oman 2 20 Jordan 2 22 India 1 22 Afghanistan 1 22 United Arab Emirates 1 China + North Korea + Malaysia + Vietnam +

Chad and Oman resumed executions after years without executing anyone, while Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and South Sudan executed people in 2015 after having no executions reported in these in 2014.

The following methods of executions were used:

Beheading (Saudi Arabia);

(Saudi Arabia); Hanging (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, South Sudan, Sudan);

(Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, South Sudan, Sudan); Lethal injection (China, USA, Vietnam);

(China, USA, Vietnam); Shooting (Chad, China, Indonesia, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen).

At least 20,292 people were under sentence of death worldwide at the end of 2015, the group said.

On the positve side of the data, four countries abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 2015, the highest annual number recorded since 2007.

Madagascar promulgated a law that abolished the death penalty for all crimes in January;

Fiji became fully abolitionist on 13 February;

Suriname amendments to the Penal Code repealing the death penalty became effective on 30 March;

The Republic of Congo’s new Constitution, enshrining abolition of the death penalty, was adopted on 6 November 2015.

South Africa abolished the death penalty in 1995, as it went against the country’s new-found constitution.

Between 1959 and 1989, when the last execution took place, South Africa executed almost 3,000 people by hanging, with over 1,200 in the 1980s alone.

As of 2015, 102 countries (including South Africa) have abolished the death penalty as a punishment for all crimes. More than two thirds of the world’s countries are abolitionist in law or practice.

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