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Top 10 Countries with Most Executions Per Year
Global executions rose by 15 per cent in 2013 and another 12% in 2014, according to Amnesty International Reports. The virtual killing sprees we saw in the top ten countries to be identified on this list are shameful and very often not founded for crimes committed.
Here are ten countries with the worst capital punishment records. The rankings are based on an overall record year after year as opposed to just one year’s worth of data:
10. United States
The United States has one of the highest numbers of executions each year. In 2010, the United States executed 46 people in 2010, which was a 12% drop from 2009 and a 50% drop from a decade ago. Currently, 34 of the 50 U.S. states still use the death penalty, and Texas, Virginia and Oklahoma have carried out the most executions in the United States since 1976. Last year, 34 people were executed in the United States. This year so far 18 people have been executed. The most recent case was Kelly Gissendaner who was executed on September 30, 2015, despite appeals by her children and the Pope. Critics believed that she had changed since her crimes, which took place 18 years ago.
9. Pakistan
Since October 2008, the Pakistan Peoples Party enforced a moratorium on the death penalty, which prevented the government from executing criminals in 2009 and 2010. Despite the moratorium, the Pakistani government continues to sentence hundreds of people to death and thousands have remained on death row from previous sentences. Just this month it wanted to hang Abdul Basit, a parapalegic man, who was developed TB while on death row. The execution has been stayed.
8. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia embraces capital punishment as a way to penalize murderers, drug offenders and those who engage in witchcraft, sexual misconduct and violent or non-violent offenses. The use of such punishment is based on Shari’ah (or Islamic law) and is condemned internationally because of the wide range of crimes which can result in the death penalty and is usually carried out by public beheading. In 2013, Saudi Arabia carried out at least 73 executions; that’s up from 20 in 2010. The current method for public executions mostly consists of beheading by sword. In 2013, one accused man was put on display after being beheaded in a practice known as crucifixion, according to the country’s state news agency, SPA.
7. Yemen
Yemen still embraces capital punishment as a form of penalizing those who commit murder and adultery and engage in homosexuality and apostasy. Yemen currently performs public executions by a firing squad, but has also permitted stoning and beheadings in the past. Yemen has proven to be a prolific user of the death penalty and committed at least 53 executions in 2010.
6. Egypt
Last year, Egypt executed only 15 people. Given the mass trials and recent conviction of nearly 700+ people linked to ousted president Mohamed Morsi, this number will likely rise dramatically in 2016. Under Egyptian law, the death penalty is reserved for those who commit acts of murder, rape, terrorism or drug related offenses. The Grand Mufti of Egypt, currently Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, is responsible under Egyptian law for reviewing all death sentences in Egypt.
5. Somalia
Capital punishment in Somalia is legal. The death penalty is the most severe punishment in the country, and is reserved for capital crimes. Military firing squads are officially used for capital crime offenses and are reserved for capital crimes like treason, sabotage, desertion and mutiny. In 2013, it had a total of 34 executions and that is only the official ones.
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