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AUGUST 3, 2012EXECUTIONS IN 2011
EXECUTIONS IN 2011
At least 5,004 executions were carried out in 20 countries and territories in 2011.
China: about 4,000
Iran: at least 676
Saudi Arabia: at least 82
Iraq: at least 68
United States: 43
Yemen: at least 41
North Korea: at least 30
Vietnam: at least 17
Somalia: at least 11
Sudan: at least 7
Bangladesh: at least 5
South Sudan: 5
Taiwan*: 5
Singapore: 4
Palestinian National Authority (Gaza Strip)*: 3
Afghanistan: 2
Belarus: 2
Egypt: at least 1
Syria: at least 1
United Arab Emirates: 1
In 2011 and the first six months of 2012, no executions were reported in 4 countries – Bahrain, Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Malaysia – that carried out executions in 2010.
On the other hand, 5 countries took up the practice of capital punishment once again in 2011 and 2012: Singapore (4), Afghanistan (2) and United Arab Emirates (1) in 2011; Botswana (1) and Japan (3) in 2012.
Source: Hands Off Cain
In bold: liberal democracies1 (2) that carried out executions (48) in 2011
In italics: changes in 2011 (3) with regard to 2010
* Non-UN member States
1 The classification “liberal democracy” is based on the rigorous analytic standards employed by Freedom House in its Freedom in the World 2012 report on the state of political rights and civil liberties around the world (www.freedomhouse.org).