At least 483 persons were executed in 18 countries in 2020, despite COVID-19 global threat: Amnesty International Global report on death sentences and executions (Death penalty)
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In the 63 page report published on April 21, 2021, on their Website, Amnesty International noted that the year 2020 witnessed a decline in the use of the death penalty. There was a decrease of 26% from 657 recorded in 2019. This figure represents the lowest number of executions that Amnesty International has recorded in the past decade. Most known executions took place in China, Iran, Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia – in that order.
The international of a movement of 10 million people noted, “The year 2020 was marked by a further global decline in the use of the death penalty, and while the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to reductions in the number of executions carried out and death sentences imposed, it also exacerbated the inherent cruelty of this punishment.”
The International Organization also said that they are dealing with known executions, thus meaning that these numbers may be higher given that there possibilities of secrete executions in various countries around the world. “The number of known executions decreased by 26% compared to the 2019 total, continuing the year-on-year reduction recorded since 2015 and once again reaching the lowest figure in more than 10 years. The number of known executing countries (18) decreased by 2 compared to 2019 and confirmed that the resort to executions remained confined to a minority of countries.”
The reduction of executions in Iraq and Saudi Arabia according to Amnesty International is the main reason why there is a drop in the number of persons executed in 2020. “The significant drop was primarily linked to important reductions in executions in two of the countries that have historically reported high execution figures, Iraq and Saudi Arabia; and to a lesser extent some hiatuses that took place in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Though the USA is known as the world number one advocate for the respect of human rights, the practice of penalty is still enforceable in the country. “In the USA, the surge in federal executions was balanced out in the national count mostly because of new stays of execution – or slower pursuit of warrants – in some US states, as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Six of the judicial reprieves granted in the USA in 2020 specifically referred to the Covid-19 pandemic. In Singapore executions were put on”
Read or download the full report through the link below: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL GLOBAL REPORT ON DEATH SENTENCES AND EXECUTIONS
or read details from the original publication through the link below: Death penalty in 2020: Facts and figures | Amnesty International
Amnesty International is a movement of 10 million people which mobilizes the humanity in everyone and campaigns for change so we can all enjoy our human rights. Their vision is of a world where those in power keep their promises, respect international law and are held to account. They are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and individual donations. They believe that acting in solidarity and compassion with people everywhere can change our societies for the better.
Amnesty International, an international human rights organisation, whiThis report covers the judicial use of the death penalty for the period January to December 2020. As in previous years, information is collected from a variety of sources, including: official figures; judgements; information from individuals sentenced to death and their families and representatives; media reports; and, for a limited number of countries, other civil society organizations. Amnesty International reports only on executions, death sentences and other aspects of the use of the death penalty, such as commutations and exonerations, where there is reasonable confirmation. In many countries governments do not publish information on their use of the death penalty. In China and Viet Nam, data on the use of the death penalty is classified as a state secret. During 2020 little or no information was available on some countries – in particular Laos and North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) – due to restrictive state practice. Therefore, for many countries, Amnesty International’s figures on the use of the death penalty are minimum figures. The true figures are likely to be higher. Where the organization obtains official information on a specific country in a given year, this is noted in the report. In 2009 Amnesty International stopped publishing its estimated figures on the use of the death penalty in China, a decision that reflected concerns about how the Chinese authorities misrepresented Amnesty International’s numbers. Amnesty International always made clear that the figures it was able to publish on China were significantly lower than the reality, because of the restrictions on access to information. China has yet to publish any figures on the death penalty; however, available information indicates that each year thousands of people are executed and sentenced to death. Amnesty International renews its call on the Chinese authorities to publish information on the use of the death penalty in China. Where Amnesty International receives and is able to verify new information after publication of this report, it updates its figures online at amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/death-penalty
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
