Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Execution chamber in Texas
Of the 12 nations that carry out the most executions in the world, the United States is the only one that is not Muslim or Communist.
China is the world leader in carrying out executions, performing at least a thousand or more in 2010, according to information compiled by Amnesty International.
Unable to publish a precise figure, Amnesty reported the Chinese government was responsible for executing “1000s” last year, which put the Communist country well ahead of the second leading state for death sentences: Iran, with more than 250.
North Korea was third in executions, with at least 60, followed by Yemen (53) and the United States (46). More than half of the executions in the U.S. took place in just two states: Texas (17) and Ohio (8).
The rest of the top 12 were all Muslim societies: Saudi Arabia (27), Libya (18), Syria (17), Bangladesh (9), Somalia (8), Sudan (6) and Palestine (5). A total of 23 countries are known to have carried out executions in 2010, whereas 139 have either abolished capital punishment or no longer pursue it in practice.
-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky
Death Sentences and Executions 2010 (Amnesty International) (pdf)
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