Global executions surged with 778 executions in 22 countries resulting in a 15 percent increase after two decades of steady decline.
According to the report by Amnesty International, China is still the leader in executions by a wide margin with execution numbers in the thousands but the exact number is unknown as it's a state secret. Iran was second with at least 369, Iraq third 169, and Saudi Arabia fourth with 79. Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia are responsible for 95 percent of the executions in the Middle East and North Africa.
The United States had 39 executions and was the only country in the Americas to perform them. That number is down from 43 executions in 2012. Texas alone accounted for 40 percent of all executions in the United States.
The United States was fifth out of 22 countries that performed executions. Indonesia, Kuwait, Vietnam, and Nigeria resumed use of the death penalty.
Amnesty International did note that the executions that took place in Syria and Egypt could not be confirmed because they are countries in conflict. The U.S. and Japan are the only member countries of what was formerly known as the G8 to perform executions.
The UAE, Gambia, and Pakistan suspended its use of executions in 2013.
[HuffPost Live]
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