According to a report published by Amnesty International, there were 883 executions confirmed to have taken place in 20 countries in 2022, an increase of 53% from 2021. The data excludes those nations that are allegedly involved in executions but for which figures are unavailable due to data on the death sentence being classified.
In addition, the rights group was able to confirm that killings had taken place in North Korea, Vietnam, Syria, and Afghanistan, but it claimed that there was insufficient data to offer reliable minimum numbers. 90% of the 883 documented executions occurred in Iran and Egypt among the nations whose numbers are known. However, China, which is reported to carry out hundreds of executions annually, is not included in these statistics.
According to research by Amnesty International, Iran is mostly to blame for the dramatic rise in known executions that occurred last year across the globe. Iran is accused of killing 576 persons, an increase from 314 in 2021. Of them, 279 were found guilty of murder, 255 of drug-related charges, 21 of rape, and 18 of "enmity against God", which is a national security accusation. Two males who were detained in connection with the anti-government rallies that broke out in the Islamic Republic in September were included in the last category.
24 individuals were executed in Egypt last year. However, compared to 2021, when 83 were carried out, that represented a 71% drop.
Along with these executions, Amnesty also noted 11 in Iraq, 7 in Kuwait, 5 in the Palestinian Territories, 4 in Yemen, and an undetermined number in Syria. In the US, 18 people were put to death, up from 11 in 2022, while 11 people were executed in Singapore when drug-related executions were resumed following a two-year suspension due to the Covid pandemic.
Church’s View Of The Death Penalty
According to a new modification of paragraph number 2267 of the Catholic Church's Catechism that Pope Francis approved in 2018, "the death penalty is inadmissible" because "a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state."
The paragraph states that following a fair trial, the use of the death penalty by legal authorities has long been seen as a reasonable response to the seriousness of some crimes and an acceptable, albeit harsh, way to protect society.
However, people are becoming more and more conscious that even after committing extremely heinous crimes, a person's dignity is preserved. Additionally, a fresh perspective on the relevance of the state's enforced penalties has arisen. Last but not least, more efficient detention procedures have been created that guarantee the proper protection of individuals without completely denying the guilty the chance for repentance.
The Church thus preaches that "the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person"[1] in light of the Gospel and strives tenaciously for its abolition globally.