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March 25, 2009

The latest numbers on executions around the world

This New York Times article reports on the latest Amnesty International report on executions around the world in 2008.  Here are particulars:

In its annual report on the death penalty, Amnesty International on Tuesday chronicled beheadings in Saudi Arabia; hangings in Japan, Iraq, Singapore and Sudan; lethal injections in China; an electrocution in the United States; firing squads in Afghanistan, Belarus and Vietnam; and stonings in Iran.

In all, 59 countries still have the death penalty on their books, but only 25 carried out executions last year. Two nations, Uzbekistan and Argentina, banned the death penalty last year. Amnesty International said at least 2,390 people were executed worldwide in 2008, compared with its 2007 figure of at least 1,252.

With at least 1,718, China was responsible for 72 percent of all executions in 2008, the report stated.  After China were Iran (346), Saudi Arabia (102), the United States (37) and Pakistan (36), according to the group.

March 25, 2009 at 12:02 AM | Permalink

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Comments

I get the feeling that statistically, if someone is just taken out and shot dead without arrest, due process or trial, it doesn't count in the number. There should probably be another category.

Posted by: Stanley Feldman | Mar 25, 2009 6:46:41 PM

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