Death penalty 'at record levels'

[emad]

BBC


Nearly 4,000 people were executed worldwide in 2004 - the most in nearly a decade, Amnesty International says.

China carried out more executions than all other countries combined - at least 3,400 - the human rights group says.

The global rise in executions was "alarming", said Amnesty's UK director Kate Allen, who called the figures from China "genuinely frightening".

China says it will tighten conditions under which people can be executed, and the US has already done so.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4409857.stm

[emad]

1. Group: China Leads World in Executions (Guardian)

Group: China Leads World in Executions

Tuesday April 5, 2005 2:01 PM


LONDON (AP) - China accounted for the majority of executions reported worldwide last year, but the true frequency of the death penalty is impossible to count because many death sentences are carried out secretly, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

During 2004, more than 3,797 people were executed in 25 countries, including at least 3,400 in China, the rights group said. More than 7,000 people were sentenced to death in 64 countries, it said.

Iran reportedly executed at least 159 people, Vietnam 64 and the United States 59, the report said.

``The figures released today are sadly only the tip of the iceberg. The true picture is hard to uncover as many countries continue to execute people secretly - contravening United Nations standards calling for disclosure of information on capital punishment,'' the organization said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4914849,00.html

[dbt]

2. And what good does it do?

Capital crimes should be at an all-time low--if the death penalty really does have the much-lauded Deterrent Effect.

[Stockholm]

3. Sound like a potential axis of evil list to me

MOST EXECUTIONS

Total in 2004

1 China 3,400*
2 Iran 159*
3 Vietnam 64*
4 United States 59*
5 Saudi Arabia 33*
6 Pakistan 15*
7 Kuwait 9*
8 Bangladesh 7*
9= Egypt 6*
= Singapore 6*
= Yemen 6*

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=626479

[emad]

4. Is there a State-by-State US list somewhere?????

with the political affiliations of the Governors of those States?

[varun]

5. USA is the ONLY democracy

in this list (Singapore is not really a democracy...one person has ruled over the Island for 50+ years). Bangladesh and Vietnam can be called nascent demcracies.

Even India, with a population 4 times that of US does not figure in this list.

[Stockholm]

6. I believe you are right, here is the full list

Death sentences are known to have been imposed in the following countries and territories in 2004:

AFGHANISTAN, ALGERIA, BAHAMAS, BANGLADESH, BARBADOS, BELARUS, BELIZE, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, BURUNDI, CAMEROON, CHAD, CHINA, CONGO (Democratic Republic), EGYPT, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, ERITREA, ETHIOPIA, GUATEMALA, GUYANA, INDIA, INDONESIA, IRAN, IRAQ, JAMAICA, JAPAN, JORDAN, KENYA, KOREA (NORTH), KOREA (SOUTH), KUWAIT, KYRGYZSTAN, LAOS, LEBANON, LIBYA, MALAYSIA, MOROCCO, NIGERIA, OMAN, PAKISTAN, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, PHILIPPINES, QATAR, RWANDA, SAUDI ARABIA, SENEGAL, SIERRA LEONE, SINGAPORE, SOMALIA, SRI LANKA, SUDAN, SYRIA, TAIWAN, TAJIKISTAN, TANZANIA, THAILAND, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, UGANDA, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, UZBEKISTAN, VIET NAM, YEMEN, ZIMBABWE

http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty-sentences-eng

Link to the Amnesty report published today:

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engact500112005

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. Wow. What a wonderful collection of paragons of civilization.

Not.