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News > World

Executions at Record Low in a Decade

  • Capital Punishment

    Capital Punishment | Photo: The Blue Diamond

Published 10 April 2019
Opinion

Capital Punishment reached a record low around the world, although Saudi Arabia is on course to break a new record. 

The main reason why executions have dropped by a third in 2018 is due to legal changes in Iran, which eliminated the death penalty for drug-related crimes. 

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is executing more people than ever before. Under Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, executions have nearly doubled. Since 2007, the country has executed nearly 700 people, 50 alone in the first four months of 2019. 

RELATED: 
Saudi Arabia Executes Nigerian Woman Over Drug-Related Charges

Another big issue in Saudi Arabia is the execution of immigrants, mostly from South-East Asia, but also Africa. Out of the 50 executions this year, eight were Nigerian nationals. Many of whom were forced into drug-trafficking, a crime that falls under capital punishment. 

In response to the executions, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diasporan Matters Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa doubted the validity of the claims made by Saudi authorities and questioned the fairness of the trials. "So, we have had cases where truly they didn’t commit the offense. We have appealed to the Saudi authorities to make the trials fair, open and ensure that justice is done. Even if you are going to die, you will know that you die for an offense you committed," he added. 

In 2018, there were an estimated 690 executions around the world, compared with 993 in the year before. With countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia coming out on top in terms of statistics. While in 2018, the list of countries completely abandoning capital punishment grew to 142 in total.

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