Amnesty Warns of Rising Use of Death Penalty

According to a report by Amnesty International, at least 2,707 people were executed in 17 countries in 2025, an increase of 78% year on year.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China accounted for most of the rise, with Iran in particular more than doubling its number of executions, the organization said. Amnesty warned that several governments use the death penalty to intimidate opposition groups and suppress civil rights.

Almost half of those executed were convicted of drug offenses, which Amnesty described as a violation of international law. Executions were most commonly carried out by hanging, shooting or lethal injection.

Despite the increase, more than two-thirds of the world’s countries have abolished the death penalty either by law or in practice. Amnesty also said the true number of executions is likely to be significantly higher because China does not publish official figures.

(mja)