[size=8pt][/size]The total number of known executions worldwide rose
by more than half last year to 1,634, the highest figure
recorded since 1989, Amnesty International said
Wednesday as Pakistan sent three more men to the
gallows.
The surge was largely fuelled by Iran, Pakistan and
Saudi Arabia, the London-based human rights
organisation said in its annual report on death
sentences and executions worldwide.
The 1,634 figure does not include China, which is
thought to have killed thousands of its own citizens.
Death penalty data is “treated as a state secret” by
Beijing, Amnesty said, as it is by Vietnam and Belarus.
Recorded executions were up by 54 percent on 2014’s
figure of 1,061.
Just three countries — Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia —
were responsible for 89 percent of the total of 1,634.
“The rise in executions last year is profoundly
disturbing,” said Amnesty secretary general Salil Shetty.
“Not for the last 25 years have so many people been put
to death by states around the world.
“Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have all put people to
death at unprecedented levels, often after grossly unfair
trials. This slaughter must end.”
Pakistan lifted a six-year moratorium on the death
penalty following a school massacre by Taliban
insurgents in December 2014.
Initially it brought back hanging just for terrorist killings
but later extended it to all capital crimes.
It hanged three convicted murderers including a pair of
brothers on Wednesday, a senior prisons official told
AFP.
“Over the past year, Pakistan has vaulted to the number
three spot for recorded state executions in the world — a
shameful position no one should aspire to,” Champa
Patel, director of Amnesty’s South Asia office, told AFP,
adding the majority were not convicted of terror
offences.
Pakistan executed 326 people in 2015 while Saudi Arabia
put 158 people to death.
– Majority of countries abolitionist -Iran’s execution of
at least 977 people is at odds with its opening up to the
West after striking a deal with world powers last year on
its nuclear ambitions, Amnesty said.
“Western countries are starting to build commercial ties
and trade missions,” said James Lynch, Amnesty’s
Middle East and North Africa deputy director.
“However, human rights has been absolutely left in the
margins,” he told AFP. “That risks undermining all these
efforts.”
For the first time ever, the majority of the world’s
countries have abolished the death penalty for all
crimes.
Fiji, Madagascar, Republic of Congo and Suriname fully
abolished the death penalty in 2015, taking the total
number of countries to do so to 102.
In China, Amnesty said there were signs that the number
of executions had decreased in recent years but it could
not verify this.
In August nine crimes were removed from the list of
offences punishable by death, bringing the total down to
43.
“Executing several thousand people a year is really very
serious and China knows it would be the black sheep of
the international community if it was to release the
numbers,” Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty’s East Asia
regional director, told AFP.
People were executed in 25 countries in 2015 by
beheading, hanging, lethal injection or shooting.
Amnesty said its reports indicated that four people in
Iran and at least five in Pakistan were executed for
crimes committed when they were aged under 18.
Worldwide, people were sentenced to death or executed
for murder, drug-related offences, corruption, armed
robbery, adultery, aggravated rape, rape, apostasy,
kidnapping and insulting the prophet of Islam.
A total of 28 people were executed in the United States.
Forms of treason, including “acts against national
security”, “collaboration” with a foreign entity,
“espionage”, “questioning the leader’s policies”,
participation in “insurrectional movement” were among
those offences worldwide punished with death
sentences.
Amnesty recorded a drop in the number of death
sentences imposed in 2015 compared to 2014, but said
this was partly due to difficulties in corroborating data.
At least 1,998 people were sentenced to death in 61
countries.
At least 20,292 people worldwide were under sentence of
death at the end of 2015.[b]The total number of known executions worldwide rose
by more than half last year to 1,634, the highest figure
recorded since 1989, Amnesty International said
Wednesday as Pakistan sent three more men to the
gallows.
The surge was largely fuelled by Iran, Pakistan and
Saudi Arabia, the London-based human rights
organisation said in its annual report on death
sentences and executions worldwide.
The 1,634 figure does not include China, which is
thought to have killed thousands of its own citizens.
Death penalty data is “treated as a state secret” by
Beijing, Amnesty said, as it is by Vietnam and Belarus.
Recorded executions were up by 54 percent on 2014’s
figure of 1,061.
Just three countries — Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia —
were responsible for 89 percent of the total of 1,634.
“The rise in executions last year is profoundly
disturbing,” said Amnesty secretary general Salil Shetty.
“Not for the last 25 years have so many people been put
to death by states around the world.
“Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have all put people to
death at unprecedented levels, often after grossly unfair
trials. This slaughter must end.”
Pakistan lifted a six-year moratorium on the death
penalty following a school massacre by Taliban
insurgents in December 2014.
Initially it brought back hanging just for terrorist killings
but later extended it to all capital crimes.
It hanged three convicted murderers including a pair of
brothers on Wednesday, a senior prisons official told
AFP.
“Over the past year, Pakistan has vaulted to the number
three spot for recorded state executions in the world — a
shameful position no one should aspire to,” Champa
Patel, director of Amnesty’s South Asia office, told AFP,
adding the majority were not convicted of terror
offences.
Pakistan executed 326 people in 2015 while Saudi Arabia
put 158 people to death.
– Majority of countries abolitionist -Iran’s execution of
at least 977 people is at odds with its opening up to the
West after striking a deal with world powers last year on
its nuclear ambitions, Amnesty said.
“Western countries are starting to build commercial ties
and trade missions,” said James Lynch, Amnesty’s
Middle East and North Africa deputy director.
“However, human rights has been absolutely left in the
margins,” he told AFP. “That risks undermining all these
efforts.”
For the first time ever, the majority of the world’s
countries have abolished the death penalty for all
crimes.
Fiji, Madagascar, Republic of Congo and Suriname fully
abolished the death penalty in 2015, taking the total
number of countries to do so to 102.
In China, Amnesty said there were signs that the number
of executions had decreased in recent years but it could
not verify this.
In August nine crimes were removed from the list of
offences punishable by death, bringing the total down to
43.
“Executing several thousand people a year is really very
serious and China knows it would be the black sheep of
the international community if it was to release the
numbers,” Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty’s East Asia
regional director, told AFP.
People were executed in 25 countries in 2015 by
beheading, hanging, lethal injection or shooting.
Amnesty said its reports indicated that four people in
Iran and at least five in Pakistan were executed for
crimes committed when they were aged under 18.
Worldwide, people were sentenced to death or executed
for murder, drug-related offences, corruption, armed
robbery, adultery, aggravated rape, rape, apostasy,
kidnapping and insulting the prophet of Islam.
A total of 28 people were executed in the United States.
Forms of treason, including “acts against national
security”, “collaboration” with a foreign entity,
“espionage”, “questioning the leader’s policies”,
participation in “insurrectional movement” were among
those offences worldwide punished with death
sentences.
Amnesty recorded a drop in the number of death
sentences imposed in 2015 compared to 2014, but said
this was partly due to difficulties in corroborating data.
At least 1,998 people were sentenced to death in 61
countries.
At least 20,292 people worldwide were under sentence of
death at the end of 2015.[/b]The total number of known executions worldwide rose
by more than half last year to 1,634, the highest figure
recorded since 1989, Amnesty International said
Wednesday as Pakistan sent three more men to the
gallows.
The surge was largely fuelled by Iran, Pakistan and
Saudi Arabia, the London-based human rights
organisation said in its annual report on death
sentences and executions worldwide.
The 1,634 figure does not include China, which is
thought to have killed thousands of its own citizens.
Death penalty data is “treated as a state secret” by
Beijing, Amnesty said, as it is by Vietnam and Belarus.
Recorded executions were up by 54 percent on 2014’s
figure of 1,061.
Just three countries — Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia —
were responsible for 89 percent of the total of 1,634.
“The rise in executions last year is profoundly
disturbing,” said Amnesty secretary general Salil Shetty.
“Not for the last 25 years have so many people been put
to death by states around the world.
“Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have all put people to
death at unprecedented levels, often after grossly unfair
trials. This slaughter must end.”
Pakistan lifted a six-year moratorium on the death
penalty following a school massacre by Taliban
insurgents in December 2014.
Initially it brought back hanging just for terrorist killings
but later extended it to all capital crimes.
It hanged three convicted murderers including a pair of
brothers on Wednesday, a senior prisons official told
AFP.
“Over the past year, Pakistan has vaulted to the number
three spot for recorded state executions in the world — a
shameful position no one should aspire to,” Champa
Patel, director of Amnesty’s South Asia office, told AFP,
adding the majority were not convicted of terror
offences.
Pakistan executed 326 people in 2015 while Saudi Arabia
put 158 people to death.
– Majority of countries abolitionist -Iran’s execution of
at least 977 people is at odds with its opening up to the
West after striking a deal with world powers last year on
its nuclear ambitions, Amnesty said.
“Western countries are starting to build commercial ties
and trade missions,” said James Lynch, Amnesty’s
Middle East and North Africa deputy director.
“However, human rights has been absolutely left in the
margins,” he told AFP. “That risks undermining all these
efforts.”
For the first time ever, the majority of the world’s
countries have abolished the death penalty for all
crimes.
Fiji, Madagascar, Republic of Congo and Suriname fully
abolished the death penalty in 2015, taking the total
number of countries to do so to 102.
In China, Amnesty said there were signs that the number
of executions had decreased in recent years but it could
not verify this.
In August nine crimes were removed from the list of
offences punishable by death, bringing the total down to
43.
“Executing several thousand people a year is really very
serious and China knows it would be the black sheep of
the international community if it was to release the
numbers,” Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty’s East Asia
regional director, told AFP.
People were executed in 25 countries in 2015 by
beheading, hanging, lethal injection or shooting.
Amnesty said its reports indicated that four people in
Iran and at least five in Pakistan were executed for
crimes committed when they were aged under 18.
Worldwide, people were sentenced to death or executed
for murder, drug-related offences, corruption, armed
robbery, adultery, aggravated rape, rape, apostasy,
kidnapping and insulting the prophet of Islam.
A total of 28 people were executed in the United States.
Forms of treason, including “acts against national
security”, “collaboration” with a foreign entity,
“espionage”, “questioning the leader’s policies”,
participation in “insurrectional movement” were among
those offences worldwide punished with death
sentences.
Amnesty recorded a drop in the number of death
sentences imposed in 2015 compared to 2014, but said
this was partly due to difficulties in corroborating data.
At least 1,998 people were sentenced to death in 61
countries.
At least 20,292 people worldwide were under sentence of
death at the end of 2015.

Chai
























Odi too long!