Death Sentences and Executions

 

Executions in 2025 Reach Highest Level in Over 40 Years. This statement was made in an article in the Korean Peace Weekly, which reported on Amnesty International's 2025 report on death sentences and executions. 

At least 2,707 people were executed worldwide in 2025, marking the highest number in over 40 years. Executions took place last year in 17 countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia. This represents a 78% increase from the 1,518 executions in 2024 and is the highest number in 44 years, since 1981. Amnesty International noted that China, North Korea, and Vietnam did not disclose data. The organization stated, “We believe there were at least several thousand executions in China.”

In Iran, which recorded the highest number of executions, at least 2,159 were carried out. This accounts for nearly 80% of all executions and represents more than a twofold increase over 2024. The  Secretary General of Amnesty International explained, “The sharp rise in executions is due to a small number of closed societies carrying them out,” adding, “The Iranian authorities are weaponizing the death penalty to instill fear, suppress dissent, and control the population.” They were followed by Saudi Arabia (more than 356), Yemen (more than 51), the United States (47), and Egypt (23) 

Drug-related crimes were the primary basis for death sentences. Executions of drug offenders accounted for 46% of the total, or 1,257 cases. These were primarily carried out in Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. While the international community seeks to limit capital punishment to murder and serious crimes, there have been concerns that countries such as Algeria, Kuwait, and the Maldives are broadening the scope of capital punishment.

 Executions of juveniles under the age of 18 have also taken place, with at least three people killed in Iran and Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, death row inmates with mental or intellectual disabilities are incarcerated in countries such as the United States and Japan, while in Iran and Saudi Arabia, there are death row inmates who confessed to their crimes under torture or due to illness.

The Catholic Church opposes the death penalty. In paragraph 269 of his encyclical *Fratelli Tutti*, Pope Francis stated, “Even a murderer does not lose his human dignity, and God himself promises to protect it,” adding that “a firm rejection of the death penalty demonstrates recognition of the inalienable dignity of every human being.” Pope John Paul II emphasized in paragraph 56 of *The Gospel of Life* that “it is clear that the death penalty should not be imposed on a criminal unless it is absolutely necessary—that is, unless there is no other way to protect society”.