Iran fuels 2023 global executions rise - Amnesty International

The number of executions recorded globally in 2023 was the highest for eight years, as some Middle Eastern states sharply increased their use of the death penalty, Amnesty International says.

A total of 1,153 people are known to have been put to death across 16 countries, more than 30% up on 2022, says the group in its annual report.

Iran alone carried out 74% of those executions, stepping up its use of the death penalty for drug offences, while Saudi Arabia accounted for 15%.

The figures exclude China, which is thought to execute thousands of people each year.

“Due to state secrecy, Amnesty’s data does not include the thousands of people believed to have been executed in China, which remains the world’s lead executioner,” the organisation said.