DEATH PENALTY REPORT

2018/9

During the first six months we had no cases to deal with. However the Annual AI Death Penalty Report for 2017 was been published.

Highlights included that the number of executions declined by 4% and the number of death sentences declined by 17%. However there were 993+ executions with many others believed to have been carried out in secret in China, Belarus and Vietnam. There are still 21,000 people on death row.

In many countries children and the disabled are still being executed, particularly in Japan, the Maldives, Pakistan, Singapore and the USA. In many countries people are being executed after being tortured to confess.

Nevertheless, more countries are abolishing the death penalty; Guinea, Gambia and Kenya in Africa, and Indonesia did not carry out any executions last year. Also Iran and Malaysia have changed their anti-drug laws to reduce the use of the death penalty.

From July to December we did get cases: Egypt one, Iran one, Saudi Arabia 16, and the USA, five of which two were executed.

Bryn Davis