Its annual report, Death Sentences and Executions, rights group Amnesty International said that at least 579 people were killed by states that retain capital punishment while at least 2,052 had a death sentence passed against them, an increase of 20% and 40% respectively. Amnesty said that “the increase in executions was primarily driven by rises in the yearly figure for Iran” but that executions in Saudi Arabia in 2021 were also more than double the number recorded in 2020, while countries including Bangladesh, India and Pakistan also passed more death sentences. The figures notably do not though include China, where thousands are thought to be executed or sentenced to death each year.
