The death penalty is far from disappearing as a punishment measure in the world. According to the latest Amnesty International report, released this morning, 1,518 people were executed in 2024 in 15 countries, the highest number of such deaths since 2015 and only based on the cases documented by this NGO. These figures do not include data from China, which Amnesty International estimates to be "in the thousands" and likely much higher than the total sum.
"We always point out that our figures are underestimated, unfortunately, because we do not have information on executions in China, North Korea, or Vietnam, as in these three countries the death penalty is considered a State secret and therefore we do not have access to official information," says Beatriz Martos from the Spanish office of Amnesty International. This week, the Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez, is visiting China, where he will meet with Xi Jinping, and Vietnam. The current situation in Palestine and Syria also prevented the organization from confirming their figures.
"The 1,518 judicial executions we found in 2024 represent a 32% increase from the previous year, which is not a good sign for human rights," says Martos, who does highlight that the number of abolitionist countries has increased: "One hundred thirteen have abolished it in their criminal codes for all crimes, and 145 countries in law or in practice, meaning they may have it in the law but do not carry them out," she clarifies.
91% of the executions documented in 2024 were carried out in three countries: Iran (which increased from 853 in 2023 to 972 the following year), Saudi Arabia (which rose from 172 in 2023 to 345 the following year; 64% of those known worldwide), and Iraq (which increased from 16 to 63 in 12 months). "Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran were responsible for the sharp increase in deaths last year, carrying out 91% of the known executions, violating human rights and cruelly ending lives on charges related to drugs or terrorism," stated Agnès Callamard, the Secretary-General of AI, in the document.
According to this research, in these countries, "death sentences were used to silence human rights defenders, dissidents, protesters, political opponents, and ethnic minorities." "Those who dare to question the authorities are exposed to the cruelest of punishments, especially in Iran and Saudi Arabia, where the death penalty is used to silence those brave enough to speak out," Callamard asserts in the report.
It also emphasizes that over 40% of the executions were carried out unlawfully for drug-related offenses. According to international human rights law and standards, the use of the death penalty should be restricted to "the most serious crimes," and imposing death sentences for drug offenses does not meet this requirement.
"Drug-related executions were prevalent in Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, Singapore, and, although the data could not be confirmed, likely in Vietnam. It has been observed that, in many contexts, imposing death sentences for drug-related offenses disproportionately affects people from disadvantaged backgrounds, although it has no proven effect on reducing drug trafficking," stated the organization's Secretary-General.
There has been a slight advancement in the fight against the death penalty as executions were documented in 15 countries compared to 16 in 2023, an improvement that has occurred for the second consecutive year with Bangladesh dropping off the list, which had not stopped carrying out executions since 2018. According to Callamard, "this data indicates a trend of moving away from this cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment."
The AI report, titled Death Sentences and Executions 2024, highlights how leaders have used the death penalty under the false pretext of improving public security or instilling fear in the population. It points out the case of the USA, which has increased the number of executions since the Covid-19 pandemic. In the considered world's leading power, 25 people were executed in 2024, one more than the previous year.
The new President, Donald Trump, who took office in January 2025, seems to support this trend. He endorsed the death penalty when his predecessor, Joe Biden, commuted the executions of most federal prisoners, something he did less than a month before his term ended. Trump promised to instruct the Department of Justice to pursue "rapists, murderers, and violent monsters" because he could no longer reverse these specific decisions. Precisely, one of the orders signed by Trump just after taking office was to accelerate this issue, a matter that is now in the US Senate.
"Our report focuses on the executions of 2024, so any consequences of a possible increase after Trump took office will be seen in next year's report. However, his rhetoric is much more aggressive regarding the death penalty. He has stated that he will use it as a mechanism to defend the population against rapists or murderers. Everything indicates that if he continues with this discourse, the number of executions in the USA will increase," highlights Beatriz Martos from Amnesty Spain.