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Judi Lynn

(160,611 posts) Wed Apr 1, 2015, 05:33 AM Apr 2015

Amnesty death sentence report: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and US carry out most executions

Source: Independent

Amnesty death sentence report: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and US carry out most executions
Heather Saul
Wednesday 01 April 2015

The number of death sentences handed out across the world rose by more than a quarter last year compared to the previous year, a report by Amnesty International has found.

The human right’s organisation found 2,466 death sentences were handed out in 2014, up by 28 per cent from 1,925 in 2013. This spike was attributed to the mass death sentences delivered in Egypt and Nigeria, when Nigerian courts issued 659 death sentences and Egypt handed out at least 509 death sentences – 400 more than the previous year.

Overall, there are more than 19,000 people on death row globally, including Mohammad Asghar, a mentally-ill British grandfather in his 70s.

Mr Asghar was sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy in January 2014. British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford is also on death row in Indonesia following a 2013 drug trafficking conviction for cocaine discovered in her suitcase.

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/amnesty-death-sentence-report-china-iran-saudi-arabia-and-us-carry-out-most-executions-10148199.html

6 replies

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Amnesty death sentence report: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and US carry out most executions (Original Post) Judi Lynn Apr 2015 OP

Well, no surprise there...sadly. Surya Gayatri Apr 2015 #1

How's that go - "You can judge a country by the company it keeps" groundloop Apr 2015 #2

Wouldn't Jesus want us to be # 1? U.S.A!, U.S.A.!, U.S.A.!, U.S.A.!,U.S.A.!, U-- you get the idea. Hoppy Apr 2015 #3

Context is important Snow Leopard Apr 2015 #4

I don't think most of the people executed in those countries are political prisoners. Comrade Grumpy Apr 2015 #5

The problem is only Egypt is right now executing people for Political Crimes. happyslug Apr 2015 #6

Surya Gayatri

(15,445 posts)

1. Well, no surprise there...sadly.

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Wed Apr 1, 2015, 05:50 AM

Apr 2015

The US keeps some really dubious company and seems proud of it.

American exceptionalism, mon cul.

Shameful for an advanced western democracy to be found on this list.

groundloop

(11,522 posts)

2. How's that go - "You can judge a country by the company it keeps"

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Wed Apr 1, 2015, 08:07 AM

Apr 2015

And we've chosen to keep some very questionable company by being on that list. Shame on us.

Hoppy

(3,595 posts)

3. Wouldn't Jesus want us to be # 1? U.S.A!, U.S.A.!, U.S.A.!, U.S.A.!,U.S.A.!, U-- you get the idea.

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Wed Apr 1, 2015, 08:08 AM

Apr 2015

Snow Leopard

(348 posts)

4. Context is important

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Wed Apr 1, 2015, 09:20 AM

Apr 2015

The reasons do matter. When we start executing political prisoners, then I'll consider the 'shared company' comparison.

Comrade Grumpy

(13,184 posts)

5. I don't think most of the people executed in those countries are political prisoners.

Reply to Snow Leopard (Reply #4)

Wed Apr 1, 2015, 12:25 PM

Apr 2015

In Iran, about half are for drugs. Many other are accused of murder. Some are accused of being gay.

China executes people for drugs, violent crimes, and economic crimes.

We execute people for violent crimes.

happyslug

(14,779 posts)

6. The problem is only Egypt is right now executing people for Political Crimes.

Reply to Snow Leopard (Reply #4)

Wed Apr 1, 2015, 02:08 PM

Apr 2015

China is #1 in executions, and some are political in nature, but you do not hear of them for they involved Businessmen and Communist party officials (i.e. internal infighting within the Chinese ruling elite).

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2075010,00.html

http://thediplomat.com/2014/11/china-overwhelmingly-supports-death-penalty-for-corrupt-officials/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_China

Iran seems to be following a similar pattern, most executions are for Murder, rape and drugs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Iran

Iran have executed political opponents, but only after they had committed acts of violence that no one disputes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Assembly_of_Iran

The US maintains all of the prisoners on death row in the US are for murder, but some people maintain the some are political prisoners.

Thus we are left with Egypt. Under the Moslem Brotherhood executions took place, but followed the Chinese and Iranian patterns of being for capital crimes NOT for political crimes. That change after the Coup, the people who opposed the coup have been charged with Murder for refusing to support the coup and forcing the Coup leaders to use violence to suppress them. Thus a five times increase in the number of people sentence to death since the coup.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Egypt

Thus Egypt is clearly executing political opponents for opposing the present Government AND such opposition has been PEACEFUL i.e. NOT acts of Violence. This differs Egypt from Iran.

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