Four countries — China, Iran, the United States and Vietnam — accounted for most of the 1 146 known executions carried out around the world last year, says human rights organisation Amnesty International (AI).
In a statement on Tuesday to mark the release of its annual report on death sentences and executions, AI said the true figure could be much higher.
”In China, limited and incomplete records available to Amnesty International indicated that at least 726 people were executed in 2003, but the true figure was believed to be much higher.
”A senior Chinese legislator suggested in March 2004 that China executes ‘nearly 10 000’ people each year.”
At least 108 executions were carried out in Iran; sixty-five people were executed in the US; and at least 64 people were executed in Vietnam during 2003, AI said.
The organisation had called on the UN Commission on Human Rights to ”take strong action against the death penalty at its annual session, currently sitting in Geneva, and to move to end all executions”.
AI had also urged the commission to repeat its ”opposition to the use of the death penalty against child offenders — people who were under 18 at the time of the offence”.
”Two child offenders were executed in 2003, one in China and one in the USA.
”(Our) report revealed that China, Iran, the USA and Vietnam accounted for 84% of the 1 146 known executions carried out in 28 countries in 2003.”
AI said countries retaining the death penalty because of its supposed power as a deterrent were flying in the face of scientific studies that had failed to establish any such effect.
”In Canada, for example, the homicide rate per 100 000 population has fallen 40% since the abolition of the death penalty for murder in 1975.”
The death penalty was the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, and a flagrant denial of the right to life, AI said. – Sapa