The number of executions is on the rise globally. According to multiple sources including the BBC, the number of executions was the highest in 2022 in the last five years. Excluding China, which is rendered to have more than 1000 executions each year, the number of executions was 883 globally. But the number was higher in three countries — Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt — which alone carried out 90 percent of the global execution, except China. According to Amnesty International, Iran and Saudi Arabia were mainly responsible for a sharp global increase in executions in the last year. Though executions are not unjustifiable at all for fighting deadly crimes, the growing number of executions has become a global concern.
It is pertinently notable that executions are carried out in the world for a range of criminal activities including murder, drug-related offenses, rape, terrorism offenses, anti-state activities and anti-government protests. Definitely, murder leads to a large number of executions in the world each year. But drug-related offenses resulted in the highest number of executions in the world in 2022. According to multiple sources, forty percent of the global executions were carried out in the last year in several countries driven by drug-related offenses. But it remains unclear whether execution alone leads to the remarkable reduction of crimes that are punished with the death penalty, though it prevents many from committing serious crimes, provides the deserving punishment many times and satisfies families when the crime is murder. Many serious crimes including murders have not remarkably reduced in many countries, although a large number of people are executed every year.
Definitely, around 110 countries have abolished the death penalty in law for all crimes and the number of countries that intends to abolish it is increasing. Malaysia has recently canceled the mandatory death penalty in 11 offenses. But the global rise in the execution and the resumption of execution in several countries including Myanmar may not only indicate the rise in serious crimes but also the failure of many governments to prevent crimes and their intolerance to dissents. There are criticisms that executions are sometimes carried out based on forced confessions and for mere political interests. Also, many of those criminals who have close links with powerful elites get pardoned to their death penalties but many others having no such links are executed.
It is desired that avoidable executions are avoided — even if death penalties are needed in many contexts — and alternative punishments to executions are given more emphasis. For this, a revision on death penalties is imperative. But a strong commitment of governments is crucial. Campaigns for governments may also be helpful and lead governments to revise death penalties in many countries including those countries where executions are higher. Upholding economic, civil and other rights can lead to a reduction in the number of executions in the world. But the underlying economic, social and other causes of crimes need to be addressed to reduce deadly crimes and the necessity of executions in many countries.
Amir M Sayem
Chief Editor
Dhaka Opinion Magazine
