Ref. :  000038185
Date :  2015-04-01
Language :  English
Home Page / The whole website
fr / es / de / po / en

Death penalty 2014: Alarming rise in death sentences as governments resorted to capital punishment to combat crime and terrorism


• States used the death penalty in a flawed attempt to tackle crime, terrorism and internal instability
• Sharp spike in death sentences largely due to Egypt and Nigeria - at least 2,466 imposed globally, up 28% on 2013
• 607 executions recorded, down almost 22% on 2013 (excluding those carried out in China, which executed more than the rest of the world put together)
• 22 countries known to have executed, the same number as 2013

An alarming number of countries used the death penalty to tackle real or perceived threats to state security linked to terrorism, crime or internal instability in 2014, Amnesty International found in its annual review of the death penalty worldwide.

The number of death sentences recorded in 2014 jumped by almost 500 compared to 2013, mainly because of sharp spikes in Egypt and Nigeria, including mass sentencing in both countries in the context of internal conflict and political instability.

“Governments using the death penalty to tackle crime are deluding themselves. There is no evidence that shows the threat of execution is more of a deterrent to crime than any other punishment,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“The dark trend of governments using the death penalty in a futile attempt to tackle real or imaginary threats to state security and public safety was stark last year. It is shameful that so many states around the world are essentially playing with people’s lives – putting people to death for ‘terrorism’ or to quell internal instability on the ill-conceived premise of deterrence.”

But there was also good news to be found in 2014 - fewer executions were recorded compared to the year before and several countries took positive steps towards abolition of the death penalty.

Top executioners

China again carried out more executions than the rest of the world put together. Amnesty International believes thousands are executed and sentenced to death there every year, but with numbers kept a state secret the true figure is impossible to determine.

The other countries making up the world’s top five executioners in 2014 were Iran (289 officially announced and at least 454 more that were not acknowledged by the authorities), Saudi Arabia (at least 90), Iraq (at least 61) and the USA (35).

Excluding China, at least 607 executions were known to have been carried out in 2014, compared to 778 in 2013, a drop of more than 20 per cent.

Executions were recorded in 22 countries in 2014, the same number as the year before. This is a significant decrease from 20 years ago in 1995, when Amnesty International recorded executions in 42 countries, highlighting the clear global trend of states moving away from the death penalty.

“The numbers speak for themselves – the death penalty is becoming a thing of the past. The few countries that still execute need to take a serious look in the mirror and ask themselves if they want to continue to violate the right to life, or join the vast majority of countries that have abandoned this ultimate cruel and inhuman punishment,” said Salil Shetty.

State security

The disturbing trend of states using the death penalty to combat threats against state security was visible around the world, with China, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq all executing people accused of “terrorism”.

Pakistan resumed executions in the wake of the horrific Taliban attack on a Peshawar school. Seven people were executed in December, and the government has said it will put hundreds more convicted on “terrorism”-related charges to death. Executions continued at a high rate in 2015.

In China authorities made use of the death penalty as a punitive tool in the “Strike Hard” campaign against unrest in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Authorities executed at least 21 people during the year related to separate attacks, while three people were condemned to death in a mass sentencing rally conducted in a stadium in front of thousands of spectators.

“In a year when abhorrent summary executions by armed groups were branded on the global consciousness like never before, it is appalling that governments are themselves resorting to more executions in a knee-jerk reaction to combat terrorism and crime,” said Salil Shetty.

In countries including North Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia, governments continued to use the death penalty as a tool to suppress political dissent.

Other states made use of executions in similarly flawed attempts to tackle crimes rates. Jordan ended an eight-year moratorium in December, putting eleven murder convicts to death, with the government saying it was a move to end a surge in violent crime. In Indonesia, the government announced plans to execute mainly drug traffickers to tackle a public safety “national emergency” – promises it made good on in 2015.

Spike in death sentences

There was a dramatic rise in the number of death sentences recorded in 2014 compared to the previous year – at least 2,466 compared to 1,925 - a jump of more than a quarter. This was largely due to developments in Nigeria and Egypt, where hundreds of people were sentenced to death.

In Nigeria, 659 death sentences were recorded in 2014, a jump of more than 500 compared with the 2013 figure of 141. Military courts handed down mass death sentences against some 70 soldiers during the year in separate trials. They were convicted of mutiny in the context of the armed conflict with Boko Haram.

In Egypt, courts handed down at least 509 death sentences during 2014, 400 more than recorded during the previous year. This included mass death sentences against 37 people in April and 183 people in June following unfair mass trials.

Methods and crimes

Methods of executions in 2014 included beheading, hanging, lethal injection and shooting. Public executions were carried out in Iran and Saudi Arabia.

People faced the death penalty for a range of non-lethal crimes including robbery, drug-related crimes and economic offences. People were even sentenced to death for acts such as “adultery”, “blasphemy” or “sorcery”, which should not be considered crimes at all. Many countries used vaguely worded political “crimes” to put real or perceived dissidents to death.

Regional breakdown

THE AMERICAS


The USA continued to be the only country to put people to death in the region, although executions dropped from 39 in 2013 to 35 in 2014 – reflecting a steady decline in the use of the death penalty in the country over the past years. Only seven states executed in 2014 (down from nine in 2013) with four - Texas, Missouri, Florida and Oklahoma –responsible for 89 per cent of all executions. The state of Washington imposed a moratorium on executions in February. The overall number of death sentences decreased from 95 in 2013 to 77 in 2014.

ASIA PACIFIC

The Asia Pacific region saw a mixed bag of death penalty developments in 2014. Executions were recorded in nine countries, one fewer than the year before. Pakistan lifted a moratorium on execution of civilians. Thirty-two executions were recorded in the region, although these numbers do not include China or North Korea, where it was impossible to confirm numbers. Indonesia announced plans to resume executions mainly of drug traffickers in 2015.

The Pacific continued to be the world’s only virtually death penalty free zone, although the governments of both Papua New Guinea and Kiribati took steps to resume executions or introduce the death penalty.

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Sub-Saharan Africa saw particular progress in 2014. Fourty-six executions were recorded in three countries compared to 64 executions in five countries in 2013 – a drop of 28 per cent. Only three countries - Equatorial Guinea, Somalia and Sudan – were known to have carried out executions.

Madagascar took a progressive step towards abolition when the country’s National Assembly adopted a bill abolishing the death penalty on 10 December, although the bill has to be signed by the country’s president before becoming law.

EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

Belarus - the only country in the region that executes - put at least three people to death during the year, ending a 24-month hiatus on executions. The executions were marked by secrecy, with family members and lawyers only being informed after the fact.

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

The widespread use of the death penalty in the Middle East and North Africa continued to be extremely troubling. Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia accounted for 90 per cent of all recorded executions in the region, and 72 per cent of all recorded executions globally (excluding China).

In 2014 executions were recorded in eight countries, two more than in 2013. Sixteen countries imposed death sentences – a large majority of countries in the region.

The overall number of executions recorded in the MENA region dropped from 638 in 2013 to 491 last year. These figures do not include hundreds of executions that are known to have occurred in Iran but which were not officially announced. In 2014 the Iranian authorities acknowledged 289 executions, however reliable sources reported another 454 executions – bringing the total to 743.


Countries : 
- Iran   
- China   
- Egypt   

Rate this content
 
 
 
Average of 38 ratings 
Rating 2.47 / 4 MoyenMoyenMoyenMoyen
Same author:
 flecheTurkey: Almost 130,000 purged public sector workers still awaiting justice 
 flecheUN: Decisive action needed to ban killer robots - before it’s too late
 flecheL’inefficacité de la peine de mort contre la corruption
 flecheEU: States push to relax rules on exporting surveillance technology to human rights abusers
 flecheHonduras. Les personnes arrêtées durant les manifestations post-électorales ne bénéficient pas des garanties d'une procédure légale
 flecheCameroon: Anglophone regions gripped by deadly violence
 flecheAustralia: Healthcare rollbacks put refugee lives and health at risk
 flecheQuand l'Iran cache ses crimes
 flecheThe abuse of solitary confinement in Egypt’s prisons
 flecheWe run the world - 8 kick-ass women standing up for our rights
 flecheNigeria: Amnesty activists uncover serious negligence by oil giants Shell and Eni
 flecheSyria’s Eastern Ghouta: They Fight for Life. We Fight for Them.
 flecheMyanmar: Crimes against humanity terrorize and drive Rohingya out
 flecheUSA: Return to bigoted anti-Muslim travel ban would cause immeasurable harm
 flecheLe commerce des armes
 flecheThe Death penalty in 2016: Facts and figures
 flecheAmnesty International Report 2016/17. The state of the world's human rights
 fleche‘Politics of demonization’ breeding division and fear
 flecheSyria: Secret campaign of mass hangings and extermination at Saydnaya Prison
 flecheDangerously disproportionate:
The ever-expanding national security state in Europe

 flecheThe point of no return: The human rights of indigenous peoples in Canada threatened by the site C dam
 flecheRefugees Welcome Survey 2016 - The Results
 flecheDeath sentences and executions in 2015
 flecheLa peine de mort dans le monde
 flecheQatar: Abuse of World Cup workers exposed
 flecheConnection Denied: Restrictions on Mobile Phones and Outside Information in North Korea
 flecheAmnesty International report 2015-2016
 flecheAmnesty International Annual Report 2015/2016 (summary report)
 flecheIran : grandir dans le couloir de la mort
 flecheTaking stock : The arming of Islamic State
 flecheLes enfants qui travaillent pour nos smartphones
 flecheLes femmes réfugiées risquent agressions, exploitation et harcèlement sexuel lors de leur traversée de l’Europe
 flecheMexico: Gross incompetence and inertia fuel disappearances epidemic
 flecheGuantanamo : symbole de l’impunité américaine
 flecheFrance: New law threatens to make emergency measures the new norm
 flecheIrak. Des décennies de commerce irresponsable des armes alimentent les atrocités de l'État islamique
 flecheRefugees endangered and dying due to EU reliance on fences and gatekeepers
 flecheAngola. La répression des droits humains éclipse la commémoration de l’indépendance
 flecheTurkmenistan: Thousands evicted ahead of Asian Martial Arts and Indoor Games
 flecheNiger Delta: Shell’s manifestly false claims about oil pollution exposed, again
 fleche"We had nowhere else to go": Forced displacement and demolitions in northern Syria
 flecheCatastrophic moral failure as rich countries leave millions of refugees to cruel and uncertain fates
 flecheSolving the world's refugee crisis
 flecheCuba at a human rights crossroads as Pope Francis prepares to visit the country
 flecheYemen: Bloody trail of civilian death and destruction paved with evidence of war crimes
 flecheTime for the world to protect and value its young human rights defenders
 flecheIran’s ‘staggering’ execution spree: nearly 700 put to death in just over six months
 flecheGlobal arms control treaty at risk of becoming a damp squib
 fleche3 reasons why the Mediterranean death toll has dropped dramatically
 flecheGreece: Humanitarian crisis mounts as refugee support system pushed to breaking point
 fleche7 ways the world has changed thanks to Edward Snowden
 flecheTwo years after Snowden governments resist calls to end mass surveillance
 fleche'Mandela Rules' on prisoner treatment adopted in landmark revision of UN standards
 flecheLampedusa: L'Isola Bella's shadow of death
 flecheBahrain: Hopes of reform crushed amid chilling crackdown on dissent
 flecheAfghanistan: Their lives on the line: Women human rights defenders under attack in Afghanistan: Executive Summary
 flecheGlobal opposition to USA big brother mass surveillance
 flecheNigeria: Satellite images show horrific scale of Boko Haram attack on Baga
 flecheAmericas: Violence on the rise against those defending human rights
 flecheChina: Activist faces « subversion » charge for supporting Hong Kong protests
 flecheIsraeli forces displayed ‘callous indifference’ in deadly attacks on family homes in Gaza
 flecheFlowers for Anna – Russia’s offensive on media and the truth
 flecheThe death toll in the Mediterranean rises
while Europe looks the other way

 flecheMediterranean migrant boat shipwrecks highlight need for EU action
 flecheMexico: Shocking rise in reports of torture and ill-treatment as authorities turn a blind eye

 flecheAfghanistan: Urgent inquiry needed after new US airstrike increases civilian death toll

 flecheGruesome evidence of ethnic cleansing in northern Iraq as Islamic State moves to wipe out minorities
 flecheChina: Death row inmate freed after six years of trials and appeals

 flecheMali: Children paying a high price in ongoing conflict
 fleche“They use a strategy of fear” Protecting the right to protest in Brazil
 flecheSenegal: Human rights of communities trampled in 'Gold Rush'
 flecheQ&A: The Central African Republic’s human rights crisis
 flecheReport 2013: World increasingly dangerous for refugees and migrants
 flecheArms control and human rights
 flecheGlobal campaign targets rape in conflict zones
 flecheChina: Rise in forced evictions fuelling discontent
 flecheForum urbain mondial : les dirigeants doivent mettre fin aux expulsions forcées
 flecheThe state of the world's human rights
 flecheA compromised future: Children recruited by armed forces and groups in eastern Chad
 flecheDeath sentences and executions 2011
 flecheLes oubliés du Forum mondial de l'eau
 flecheFrance: urgence dans la lutte contre les violences faites aux femmes
 flecheThe state of the world's human rights
 flecheMoyen-Orient et Afrique du Nord : actualité en 2011 et 2012
 flecheMortalité maternelle : une femme meurt chaque minute…
 flecheReport 2011: Amnesty International at 50 says historic change on knife-edge
 flecheDeath penalty in 2010: Executing countries left isolated after decade of progress
 flecheReport 2010: Global justice gap condemns millions to abuse
 flecheDeath penalty report for 2009 : China must end secrecy surrounding sentences and executions
 flecheComment: The call from the Swiss minaret
 flecheWomen, violence and poverty - breaking out of the gender trap
 flecheUN vote on Goldstone report a defining step for accountability
 flecheWorld's biggest arms traders promise global arms treaty
 flecheIsrael rations Palestinians to trickle of water
 flecheThe Unheard Truth: World leaders must change debate on poverty and human rights
 flecheGovernments sign up to defend economic, social and cultural rights
 flecheEconomic crisis reveals deeper human rights problems
 flecheSummit of the Americas fails to address human rights
 flecheCruel, discriminatory, unfair and degrading – the death penalty in 2008
 fleche"Fuelling conflict: Foreign arms supplies to Israel/Gaza"
 flecheUN review must deliver on human rights
 fleche60th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Time to Deliver
 flechePresident-elect Obama: 100 days to demonstrate commitment to human rights
 flecheHuman rights violations in cities around the world
 flecheArms Trade Treaty could fail without human rights
 flecheThe State of the World's Human Rights 2008
 flecheSixty years of human rights failure – governments must apologize and act now
 flecheSecrecy surrounds death penalty
 flecheSecrecy surrounds death penalty
 flecheUN examines human rights in member countries
 flecheWhat human rights legacy for the Beijing Olympics?
 flecheGovernments must take action to end violence against schoolgirls
 flecheRwanda abolishes death penalty
 flechePeople’s Republic of China: The Olympics countdown – one year left to fulfil human rights promises
 flecheReport 2007: Politics of fear creating a dangerously divided world
 flecheChina: The human cost of an economic ‘miracle’
 flecheChina: the human cost of the economic "miracle"
 flecheSchluss mit Guantánamo!
 flecheEU muss Führung in der internationalen Menschenrechtspolitik übernehmen
 fleche"Bosnie-Herzégovine: Les Roms et le droit à l'éducation"
 flecheIraq: Amnesty International deplores death sentences in Saddam Hussein trial
 flecheRecognition of the Human Rights of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is Long Overdue
 flecheAmnesty International launches global campaign against internet repression
 flecheSoudan : Protéger les civils du Darfour
 flecheInternational Criminal Court: New strength in the fight against impunity
 flecheAmnesty International Report 2006
 flecheDeath Penalty: 20,000 on death row across the world
 flecheGuantánamo Bay - a human rights scandal
 flecheReject Attempts to Legitimize No-Torture Promises
 flecheNigeria: Claiming rights and resources Injustice, oil and violence in Nigeria
 flecheCôte d'Ivoire - Un avenir lourd de menaces
 flecheThe International Day of the World’s Indigenous People: Dispossessed and in Danger - Time to make the rights of indigenous peoples a reality
 flecheUN reform: Comments and recommendations on second Draft Outcome Document for September summit
 flecheMorocco/Western Sahara: Justice must begin with torture inquiries
 flecheMyanmar: Arrests of political activists increase as Aung San Suu Kyi turns 60 under house arrest
 flecheLe coût humain de la «forteresse Europe» : des demandeurs d’asile détenus et expulsés au mépris des règles d'équité
 flecheNepal: A human rights crisis fuelled by irresponsible arms exports
 flecheUzbekistan: Only an independent investigation will reveal the truth of recent violence
 flecheReport 2005: A dangerous new agenda
 flecheUzbekistan: New clampdown fears as independent investigation urged

 flecheAmnesty International and Anti-Slavery International call on European States to Ratify the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking
 flecheEurope: Migrant workers denied fundamental rights
 flecheUSA: New Amnesty International report on USA’s "war on terror" detentions
 flechePress Freedom Day: Human rights in the Blogosphere
 flecheLes Roms sous les feux des projecteurs européens
 flecheAmnesty International's Views on the Proposals for Reform of the UN's human rights machinery
 flecheCuba: 71 prisoners of conscience continue to be imprisoned for expressing their ideas
 flecheNew report from the Stop Violence Against Women campaign and the Control Arms campaign: Amnesty International, Oxfam and IANSA
 flecheBeijing +10: No rollback on rights
 flecheWorld Social Forum: Building solidarity
 flecheChina: Horrific New Year
 flecheSudan: Those responsible for indiscriminate Port Sudan killings must be brought to justice
 flecheCouncil of Europe: Recommendations for better protection of trafficked persons
 flecheSudan: North-South peace deal leaves future of human rights uncertain
 flecheIran: Women are terrorized
 flecheSudan: Time running out for two million affected in Darfur
 flecheSudan crisis
 flecheWomen's lives and bodies -- unrecognized casualties of war
 flecheCouncil of Europe: One more chance to enhance the protection of human rights of trafficked persons
 flecheArming the perpetrators of grave abuses in Darfur
 flecheSudan: New report shames countries and companies cashing in on slaughter by selling arms
 flecheAlbania: Disability and the right to marry
 flecheCumbre Unión Europea-Rusia: Amnestía Internacional publica testimonios de la cerciente persecución que sufren los defensores de los derechos humanos en Chechenia
 flecheCEDAW: Women's undeniable right for protection
 flecheViolences sexuelles : un urgent besoin de réponses adéquates
 flecheUSA: Call to presidential candidates to commit to ending torture
 flecheUSA: New report on 'war on terror' calls for Bush and Kerry to tackle 'made in America' torture
 flecheAfrica Human Rights Day
 flecheColombia: "Scarred bodies, hidden crimes": Sexual Violence against women in the armed conflict
 flecheColombia: Women's bodies used as a battleground
 flecheLas exportaciones de armas de la UE amenazan la seguridad mundial
 flecheHuman Rights Must Begin at Home: Amnesty International's Recommendations to the Irish EU Presidency
 flecheDeath Penalty: Cases and developments 2003
 flecheAmnesty International, Oxfam, IANSA Control Arms Campaign Media Briefing: key facts and figures
 flecheAfghanistan: No justice and security for women
 flecheIraq: The rights of Iraqi people must not be sidelined on the altar of political agendas
 flecheNigeria: Amina Lawal's death sentence quashed at last
 flecheYemen: United against rights
 flecheWorld Social Forum: All human rights for all, to make another world possible
 flecheForum économique mondial et Forum social mondial
13
SEARCH
Keywords   go
in 
Translate this page Traduire par Google Translate
Share

Share on Facebook
FACEBOOK
Partager sur Twitter
TWITTER
Share on Google+Google + Share on LinkedInLinkedIn
Partager sur MessengerMessenger Partager sur BloggerBlogger
Other items
where is published this article: