Global Executions Reach Highest Figure Since 2015, Amnesty International Reports

By Regina Pasipanodya

Executions around the world have reached a disturbing high since 2015 with at least 1,518 people executed in 15 countries during 2024, according to Amnesty International’s annual report on the death penalty. This marks the highest number of executions since 2015, when at least 1,634 executions were recorded.

Countries with the Highest Number of Execution.

The majority of executions took place in the Middle East, with Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia accounting for a staggering 1,380 executions. These countries account for the general growth in known executions, and with:

Iran executed 119 more individuals than last year, totalling at least 972 executions, which accounts for 64% of all known executions.

Iraq nearly quadrupling its executions, from at least 16 to at least 63.

Saudi Arabia has now executed at least 345 people, doubling the annual total, from 172.

Global Concerns and Trends

Secretary General of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard condemned the death penalty as “an abhorrent practice with no place in the world of today.” The report notes a troubling trend, with only 15 countries carrying out executions in 2024, the fewest on record for the second year in a row. This indicates a shift from this inhuman, degrading and cruel punishment.

In Zimbabwe, the death penalty was abolished following the signing of the Death Penalty Abolition Act by President Dr. Emmerson Mnangagwa on 31 December 2024.

The decision makes Zimbabwe the 30th nation on the continent to end the death penalty for common crimes, or the death penalty altogether. The ruling is viewed as a significant move for restoring human rights and dignity.

Global Reactions and Calls to Action

The report’s findings have renewed calls for enhanced scrutiny of countries that persist in using the death penalty and Zimbabwe is among the countries in the global movement to abandon the death penalty as they set an example for the international community moving toward a more humane version of justice.

Amnesty International noted with concern thousands of people who are still being executed across the world, with more than a few countries still feeling that the only act of punishment that is justified is the death penalty.

Therefore, Amnesty International is calling on Governments that still maintain capital punishment to review their position and aim for abolition.