“As the world continues to turn away from the use of the death penalty, it is a glaring anomaly that China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the USA stand out for their extreme use of this form of punishment as the ‘top’ executioners in the world.”
—Irene Khan, Amnesty International Secretary General, speaking about the death penalty statistics for 2005 generated by the organization. Amnesty International catalogued at least 2,148 people executed in 22 countries in 2005, 94 percent of whom were executed in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and America. China accounted for the majority of executions, with approximately 1770 deaths.
—Mimi Hanaoka
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