Some 883 people were executed last year, the highest number of known executions in five years, according to Amnesty International, which also raised concerns about the use of the death penalty for drug offences. Iran executed 576 people last year (314 in 2021), Saudi Arabia 196 people (65 in 2021), and Egypt 24 people. Amnesty noted that the executions in Saudi Arabia were the highest recorded in 30 years. “The number of individuals deprived of their lives rose dramatically across the region; Saudi Arabia executed a staggering 81 people in a single day. Still, while executions increased, the number of recorded death sentences imposed fell by 2 percent last year to 2,016.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 16, 2023 01:59 UTC