Amnesty International: China Still No. 1 in Executions

Amnesty International on Wednesday released an annual report of the recorded death sentences carried out around the world.

The human rights organization estimates that China executed more people — in the thousands — than the combined total from all other countries. The report also states that worldwide, 19,000 people are on death row.

The Independent relayed details of the Amnesty International study:

Crucially, however, the figures do not include executions in China, which are a state secret and Amnesty can only estimate are in the thousands.

But by taking previous data we can see the true scale of the death penalty in the country, putting it far ahead of Iran, which admits to carrying out 289 executions, although the actual figure is thought to be much higher as well.

— Posted by Donald Kaufman.