NEW YORK, NY – A 32 percent increase in global executions has exposed fundamental flaws in criminal justice systems worldwide, particularly regarding drug offenses, according to Amnesty International’s annual death penalty report released last Monday.
Amnesty International’s global report cited Death Sentences and Executions 2024, published April 7, noting worldwide authorities carried out 1,518 executions in 2024, a significant increase from the 1,153 recorded in 2023, highlighting persistent human rights concerns in capital punishment practices.
The report details drug-related offenses accounted for 637 executions, representing over 42 percent of all known executions worldwide.
Amnesty International said this practice directly contradicts international human rights law, which prohibits the use of the death penalty for crimes that do not meet the threshold of “most serious crimes” involving intentional killing.
The global monitoring organization reports the spike in executions was primarily driven by increases in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, where the collective execution count rose from 1,041 in 2023 to 1,380 in 2024.
According to Amnesty International, these three countries alone accounted for approximately “91 percent of all known executions globally.”
Amnesty International notes accurate assessment of global execution trends remains hampered by “state secrecy and other restrictive practices in China, North Korea and Vietnam,” making comprehensive monitoring challenging.
Despite the concerning trend, Amnesty International notes some positive developments toward abolition.
According to the report, Zambia acceded to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which aims at abolishing the death penalty, while Zimbabwe abolished capital punishment for ordinary crimes.
The human rights organization also reports that “more than two-thirds of all UN member states voted in favor of the tenth General Assembly resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty,” demonstrating growing international consensus against the practice.
Amnesty International concludes its report by reiterating its unequivocal position opposing “the death penalty in all cases without exception,” underscoring the organization’s commitment to universal abolition as a fundamental component of justice system reform.
