Saudi Arabia has executed 99 people during 2016, more than at the same point last year.
Crimes punishable by beheading, stoning or firing squad in Saudi include blasphemy, drug offences, adultery, murder, and “false prophecy.”
Excluding China – whose regime keeps the number of state killings a close secret – 90% of known executions during 2015 were carried out by Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Iran executes more people than any other state. Last year Iran killed nearly one thousand prisoners, many for drug-related convictions. Iran also executes juvenile prisoners. In the US 28 prisoners were executed, all by lethal injection.
Last year four states banned capital punishment – Madagascar, Fiji, Congo and Surinam. Mongolia is expected to follow in September 2016. Six countries resumed executions: Bangladesh, Chad, India, Indonesia, Oman and South Sudan.
Amnesty International states, “At least 1,998 people were sentenced to death in 2015 and at least 20,292 prisoners remained on death row at the end of the year.”
