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May 28, 2024
Amnesty International reporting that in 2023 executions globally "soar to highest number in almost a decade"
The anti-death penalty group Amnesty International reports here on the "DEATH PENALTY 2023: Death sentences and Executions." Here is part of the start of the report online:
Executions soared to their highest number in almost a decade in 2023 with a sharp rise across the Middle East, Amnesty International said today as it released its annual report on the global use of the death penalty.
A total of 1,153 executions took place in 2023, which does not include the thousands believed to have been carried out in China, marking an increase of more than 30% from 2022. It was the highest figure recorded by Amnesty International since 2015, when 1,634 people were known to have been executed. Despite this increase, the number of countries that carried out executions reached the lowest figure on record with Amnesty International.
“The huge spike in recorded executions was primarily down to Iran. The Iranian authorities showed complete disregard for human life and ramped up executions for drug-related offences, further highlighting the discriminatory impact of the death penalty on Iran’s most marginalized and impoverished communities,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“Despite the setbacks that we have seen this year, particularly in the Middle East, countries that are still carrying out executions are increasingly isolated. Our campaigning against this abhorrent punishment works. We will continue until we have put an end to the death penalty.”
The five countries with the highest number of executions in 2023 were China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and the USA. Iran alone accounted for 74% of all recorded executions while Saudi Arabia accounted for 15%. Somalia and the USA carried out an increased number of executions in 2023.
There was a 20% increase in the number of death sentences handed out globally in 2023, taking the total to 2,428.
May 28, 2024 at 09:33 PM | Permalink
Comments
https://alabamareflector.com/2024/05/29/appeals-continue-as-alabama-prepares-to-execute-jamie-ray-mills/
Latest on the upcoming Alabama execution.
Fry him, and I love how the judge called out the defense attorneys. My view--she should have sanctioned them.
Posted by: federalist | May 29, 2024 10:58:21 AM
federalist --
What the judge said in particular was, "U.S. District Judge Emily Marks on May 21 ruled against Mills and admonished Mills and his attorneys for not filing the claims in a timely enough manner.
“The practice of filing lawsuits and requests for stay of execution at the last minute where the facts were known well in advance is ineffective, unworkable, and must stop,” Marks wrote in her order. “The unique circumstances of execution litigation and the attendant deadlines are precisely why such litigation should be filed at the earliest possible opportunity: to ensure that courts at all levels have as much time as possible to review the case and make a reasoned decision.”
Still, I think you might be being harsh here. We all know that Defense Attorneys Are Wonderful. Sure, a suspicious mind might believe that they were just jamming the court to have a little fun but look -- fun is a good thing!
You death penalty advocates are just such a bunch of stuffed shirts.
Posted by: Bill Otis | May 29, 2024 4:23:57 PM
Actually, I was being too harsh. SCOTUS has tolerated this nonsense and has rewarded it. The fault lies with SCOTUS. This is why I took up the cudgel in here for Sharon "Killer" Keller. Love that woman.
Posted by: federalist | May 29, 2024 6:39:13 PM
Amnesty should have said those are the leaders in officially acknowledged executions. If one includes not-officially-acknowledged executions, then China is surely number 1, what with their concentration camps, and North Korea surely surpasses the US. Russia likely does as well.
Posted by: William Jockusch | May 29, 2024 9:35:00 PM
William Jockusch --
"Russia likely does as well."
Exactly. Amnesty International lists Russia as a non-death penalty country. Actually, it is most certainly a death penalty country. It's just the death penalty with no process. Putin says who he wants offed and that's it.
Posted by: Bill Otis | May 30, 2024 12:22:45 AM
Bill,
Strictly, what Amnesty International says is that Russia's had a DE FACTO moratorium since 1996. I guess Bill Clinton talked Boris Yeltsin into it over martinis and massage girls from Jeffrey Epstein's island. One form of intemperance and debauchery follows another as sure as night after day.
But nevertheless executions remained part of judicial process in the breakaway Chechen Republic from 1996-1999. Whether that counts, since the region was in insurrection, is point I guess lawyers can argue, hahaha. Like, if we did what the libs want and abolished the death penalty except for military tribunals, would AI count us or not? We still have terrorists piled up to be disposed of -- in Guantanamo and maybe Diego Garcia and Lord knows where else.
Anyway you will remember that after President Putin came to office, he didn't tolerate any nonsense from Chechens. Thats the sort of ballsy leadership we can expect when Pres Trump is re-elected to his rightful place.
His enemies had better watch their butts.
And some of his fair-weather friends too.
MAGA
Posted by: MAGA 2024 | May 30, 2024 9:01:07 PM
MAGA --
Two questions: Do you think the execution of Timothy McVeigh was just, and do you think the death penalty should be outlawed in the United States?
Posted by: Bill Otis | May 31, 2024 8:57:49 AM
Bill :
McVeighs an interesting case. He was something of a premature anti-Deep-Stater. I think his execution was just, but a slightly less harsh sentence might have been okay in his case. He screwed up badly. Bombing a place with a day care center in it is a bad look, even if all the kids are spawn of big state apparatchicks. McViegh should have focused his rage against the state more narrowly. He could just have just hit federal public defender and AFDC offices LOL
But I think Tim might have been redeemable after 20 years or so of serious time. As you may know, he was politically awakened by the Turner Diaries--I assume federalist is familiar with this book too.
Terry Nichols got life, not execution. Michael and Lori Fortier I consider an alternate history where McVeigh completed his sentence in 2018 or so. January 6 might have ended differently and better.
Should the death penalty be abolished? The Bible prescribes it. The founding fathers practiced it. There is a criminal underclass that begs to be cleaned up. I think the question answers itself.
November, here we come! MAGA
Posted by: MAGA 2024 | Jun 2, 2024 7:12:07 PM
MAGA 2024 --
"Bombing a place with a day care center in it is a bad look..."
Well, yes, that's one way to put it.
Still, thank you for your answer.
Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 5, 2024 10:02:07 PM
