Executions at Highest Level in 25 Years

An Amnesty International report released Tuesday found the highest number of global executions in more than 25 years. The group said it saw an “alarming surge,” with Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia leading the way with nearly 90 percent of all recorded executions. At least 1,634 people were executed across 25 countries in 2015—more than double the number recorded the year before, according to the report. Last year’s total was also the highest number recorded since 1989. The U.S. executed 28 people, the lowest number since 1991. However, Amnesty International didn’t include numbers from China, “where thousands more were likely executed, but where death-penalty data is treated as a state secret,” the group said. Despite the surge in executions, the report found fewer people were sentenced to death.