Executions up in 2011

Everyone has the right to life, according to Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This right applies in all signatory countries, regardless of how great the guilt or the crimes committed. As a result, the death penalty, along with torture, is an unjustifiable intervention by the state into the inviolable rights of the individual.

The practice has been abolished in 97 countries, most recently in Latvia and Mongolia earlier this year. In eight countries, the penalty is limited to war crimes and military law verdicts, while in 36 countries it may be on the books, but it is no longer enforced.

More executions in fewer states

Nearly 2,000 death sentences were pronounced in 2011, according to Amnesty International. Even though capital punishment still only applies in 57 countries, "executions only took place in 20 states [last year]," said the organization's annual review of worldwide death penalty trends, released Tuesday. The report noted that at least 676 people were killed by order of the state in 2011, 100 more than the previous year.

"We saw in some countries more executions than in previous years, but we've seen a very solid trend over many years," said Oliver Hendrich, Amnesty's death penalty expert in Germany. "On the one hand, more and more countries are abolishing capital punishment. On the other hand, a small group of countries is responsible for the majority of executions. If those countries were to abolish the death penalty, the situation would improve dramatically."

In this last group, Hendrich is referring primarily to China. In the Middle Kingdom, it's suspected that "more people were executed [in 2011] than in the rest of the world combined," according to the AI report. The true figures are unknown, said Amnesty, since data relating to the death penalty in China is considered a "state secret."

"In recent years, a number of reforms have been implemented in the People's Republic of China," said Hendrich. Today, all death sentences must be reviewed by the Supreme People's Court. "But as long as China does not publish its figures on the death penalty, no one inside or outside the country can say whether these reforms have had an effect on the high number of executions or not."

Secret executions in Iran

The Amnesty report noted that the Middle East saw a dramatic increase in the number of executions last year, nearly doubling, according to official statistics. More than 550 people were executed in Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen in 2011, said the report. Seven of those victims were said to have been minors, or were accused of committing their alleged crimes before the age of 18 - one, according to AI, in Saudi Arabia.

Hendrich does not see the increase in executions as being linked to the Arab Spring revolutions. For that, it's still too early. But, says Hendrich, the upheaval in the Arab world presents "an opportunity for human rights. All countries which are now discussing new constitutions are strongly encouraged to use this as a step to abolish capital punishment."

The situation is especially worrying in Iran. According to reports that AI has deemed "credible," several hundred executions were carried out in secret last year, against those accused of adultery, homosexual intercourse and the rejection of religious faith.

"A large number of countries have also tried to address the problem of drug-related crimes with the death penalty," said Hendrich, pointing in particular to China and Iran. "This approach is completely wrong. It's not the deterrence that many think it is."

Abolition in Africa

With regard to the progress made on abolishing the death penalty in Africa's sub-Saharan countries, Hendrich noted both positive and negative developments. On the positive side, both Sierra Leone and Nigeria have confirmed to AI a moratorium on executions. In Benin, the parliament has taken the first steps towards abolishing the practice.

By contrast, Hendrich describes developments in Somalia as "very problematic." AI documented 10 executions and nearly 40 death sentences in 2011 in the country, which is mired in civil war.

"Even South Sudan didn't use the opportunity offered by statehood to strike the death penalty from the country's laws," said Hendrich. "Rather, in the first year of its existence, South Sudan saw capital punishment as an appropriate measure for its own purposes. This is a development which we think is very unfortunate."

Death penalty not an issue in the US

Within the G8 group of most industrialized nations, the death penalty is still imposed in three countries: Japan, Russia and the United States. While in Japan the death penalty in 2011 was not used for the first time since 1992, in the US, 43 prisoners were executed.

There were great expectations, especially internationally, that President Barack Obama would back the abolition of capital punishment in the US, but the decision to do so lies with the individual states.

"In the current presidential campaign, we're seeing a pattern that we recognize from the last electoral campaign: The topic of the death penalty is playing a very minor role," said Hendrich.

The AI report noted that in 2011, the states of Illinois and Oregon decided to abolish the death penalty, or rather suspend it. Several years ago, the New York State Supreme Court declared capital punishment unconstitutional.

"In the last year, very few new death sentences were pronounced. We've been observing this trend for several years, and it gives us reason to hope that we will see a further reduction of the actual number of executions," said Hendrich optimistically.

A dark spot in Europe

In Europe, capital punishment has been abolished under the European Convention on Human Rights. Only Belarus, once part of the former Soviet Union, still imposes and enforces the death penalty - most recently earlier this month, when the two alleged Minsk subway bombers were executed, despite international protests.

"While these people were being executed, a case was pending before the UN Human Rights Committee - one of the highest international human rights bodies," said an outraged Hendrich. "The committee had asked to postpone the execution until the case could be considered in greater detail. The government in Minsk ignored the request and executed these people."

Hendrich says international diplomatic pressure is often not enough to eliminate or at least suspend the death sentence.

"Civic discourse is a very important part of the process," he said. "In countries where capital punishment is a matter of debate between citizens and the government, we often see very dynamic development. If this exchange does not take place, like in China for instance, then we often see high approval rates for the death penalty and no movement toward abolition."

Worldwide, according to AI, 18,750 people are sitting on death row. Most of them were sentenced in courts that do not share the widespread international standards.

Author: Mirjam Gehrke, Ulrike Mast-Kirschning / cmk
Editor: Gregg Benzow