Amnesty International recently released its annual global report on the death penalty, covering executions and death sentences worldwide in 2009. The report states that more than 700 people were executed in 18 countries in 2009, and at least 2,000 people were sentenced to death. One hundred and seventy-nine (179) countries had no executions last year. Countries with the highest number of executions were Iran (with at least 388 executions), Iraq (with at least 120 executions), Saudi Arabia (with at least 69), and the United States (with 52). These figures, however, do not include China’s executions, where information regarding the death penalty remains a secret. According to the report, China remained the global leader with more executions than the rest of the world combined. The number of people being executed around the world appears to be declining. For the first time, there were no reported executions in Europe and no executions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia and Mongolia for the first time in many years. The U.S. was the only country in the Americas to carry out an execution. Burundi and Togo abolished the death penalty in 2009. The United Nations General Assembly has called for a moratorium on all executions. Click here to view the full report.
(Amnesty International, “Death Sentences and Executions 2009,” released Mar. 30, 2010). See also International and Studies.
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