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Subscribe to RSSIran carried out death sentences on at least 360 people in 2011, up by more than 40 percent on the year before, according to a report published Tuesday by Amnesty International.
The report noted increases in other Mideast countries including Saudi Arabia, where at least 82 people were executed in 2011, for crimes including “sorcery,” an Amnesty statement said. That figure was up from at least 27 in 2010.
Iran’s total, which was up from at least 252 people in 2010, included at least three juvenile offenders “in violation of international law,” Amnesty said. There were another four unconfirmed executions of juveniles in Iran, it added.
Read the full Amnesty International report
The group said it had received “credible reports” that there were a large number of unacknowledged executions in Iran, which would “almost double the number of ‘official’ ones there.”
Among those executed in Iran were people convicted of offenses such as adultery and sodomy.
Thousands thought killed in China
Amnesty said that in total 20 countries carried out at least 676 executions in 2011, compared to 23 countries and 527 judicial killings the year before.
But it said the figures did not include “thousands of prisoners thought to have been executed in China.”
The statement said most countries “either hanged or shot their condemned prisoners, but there were also beheadings in Saudi Arabia and lethal injections in China, Taiwan and the USA.”
The group said 68 people were executed in Iraq, 43 in the United States, at least 41 in Yemen, 30 in North Korea, and 10 in Somalia.
Overall, at least 18,750 people were under sentence of death worldwide at the end of 2011, the statement added.
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The death sentences were at least following a court proceedings- the reasons for death sentences i.e.sorcery is unbelievable in this day and age. What should also be reported with Amnesty International's list- are the honour killings of women by their relatives-latest case in Gaza where they first tried to kill her with poison-taken to hospital and then shot in daylight in hospital room- if convicted,sentence two (2)yrs-24 months. Then all the executions without trial by remote control drones- the latest from Turkey's PM Erdogan- Pres.Obama promised Predators and going after the PKK (Kurds) WHEREEVER they are. No congressional hearings- no respecting UN Charter on Nations' Rights.
I always new Middle Eastern countries didnt follow their Bible very well, executing for unimaginable things and not executing for murder the killing or maiming of women just for being women.
At least the US attempts to follow an eye for an eye..
Reading things like this Saddens me. There are plenty of Iranian youth being executed because they go against the government. Not to mention the Baha'i 's that are being imprisoned and executed for practicing there religion.
"The group said 68 people were executed in Iraq, 43 in the United States, at least 41 in Yemen, 30 in North Korea, and 10 in Somalia."
Ah, such esteemed company the US keeps. And "Lusitania" a few other paraphrases from the Bible come to mind: 1) thou shall not kill and 2) turn the other cheek (which Jesus said to refute eye for an eye), but you know, whatever. It's much more fun to cherry pick only what supports your cause (um, like I just did). Hey, here's an idea, how about we stop using any religious texts to justify the actions of our non-theocracy? If we want to execute people then let's execute people. There's no need to pretend the Bible gives us permission.
I see how you like to chop things up and blurp only what you want to believe ! Fact is the middle east "WILL KILL" women and whom ever whether being stoned to Death or Burned and, go undetected, their own Government turns the other cheek...Take whatever you want out of the Bible and paraphrase it,in the US Christians do not do this without at least being sot and brought to trial I was referring to killing only..Thirdly my Idea" I will" keep coming on here without your permission only because you dont like it..
This is the kind of world Religious Fanatics Like Mormon Glen Beck and his religious sidekick Sarah Palin envisioned for America.
If they would have got in Power and you got on their Bad Side, all they had to do was Label you a Witch and who knows, you could have been burned at the Stake for being a Witch like the Good Ole Days.
If Mitt Romney, a Mormon himself wanted to know why Mormons have such a bad Rap, he need only look at his Brother Mormon, Glen Beck. Glen Beck has done more Damage to the Mormon Church then Mitt Romney could do in 50 years!
So Iran and other muslim countries are executing people for faith and just for being gay and who do you blame?
[drum roll please...thank you]
GLENN BECK AND SARAH PALIN!
Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when American youth no longer have logic nor are taught proper decent comprehension. But instead taught gay sex and global warming.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the reason I am not surprised when high tech American corporations hire from overseas in order to get qualified high tech personnel. Now I know why Bill Gates and Steve Jobs needed to go to Washington to inform congress about the lack of educated personnel in America.
Speculate all you want about Glen Beck and Sara Palin's vision for America. It is, in fact, Barack Obama who has ordered the execution of US citizens without any due process and has asserted that he will do so again if in his, and only his, opinion it is necessary.
Maybe many of the states in the United States should follow Iran's example, instead of letting prisoners sit on death row for 20-30 years before executing them !!!!
I don't know that we can do anything about Iran or China but WE can join the larger part of the civilized world in ceasing this practice. Don't misunderstand me - there are people out there who do not deserve to live. But until we can get it right EVERY TIME, we (the State) have no business taking someone's life. Recent advances in science and technology have shown that we fail to get it right far too often...and it IS irreversible. I can't even imagine the horror of being wrongly convicted of murder and having to endure death by the State!
At this rate they will soon catch up with Texas !
Didn't Obama and Hilary do a great job in pulling out early?
This article is about Iran, not Iraq.
How embarrassing for the U.S. to be among a group of countries that still execute humans-we are in great company with China, Iran, and Yemen, etc. What does that say about us that we are not with the "civilized" countries?
Its called crime and punishment!
You mean "civilized countries" like England, where , if you are attacked by someone, you can go to prison for injuring them?
Those countries more concerned with the "rights" of the criminal than of their victims? Where the State puts more effort and money into the care of the criminal than into the recovery of their victims, who are often left to fend for themselves?
Maybe you should consider the numbers of those erroneously imprisoned or executed in this country against the numbers that are never punsihed for their crimes because the evidence just isn't there?
How many of those countries on the list punish the innocent on hearsay and other scraps of evidence that would not even lead to charges IN THIS COUNTRY?
HOW ABOUT let's take care of our business and keep our nose out of the rest of the globes affairs. Who in the hell do we think we are telling other countries what they can do? We can't even take care of own business let alone that of everyone else!
This is unbelievable! Sorcery? In this day and age? You can be killed for adaultery? Sodomy? W.T.F.!!! What the hell is wrong with these people? Who made them so much holier than thou? I can understand why they have a death penalty, but for some of these offences? And China is still killing their political prisoners. Wow! I am so glad i live here!
Who made holier than thou? That would be Mohammed.
It's totally humiliating to be on this list. The U.S. is not a civilized country. We are supposed to be an international leader on human rights rather than be on Amnesty's list of chief offenders. This disgusting practice of ritually killing people for revenge has to be stopped. Even if it was acceptable, morally speaking, it is unfairly applied.
Do us a favor and have Maryland leave the country. You would be happy and so would we..
In all fairness, to make a list that includes "people executed" without respect to the rationality and secularism of the judicial process, transparency, strength of institutions of justice, etc. is quite disingenuous.
It's widely accepted that human rights can be retracted in the case of criminal acts. That has nothing to do with this.
Isnt someone going to blame George Bush or the Jews?
No, they're taking shots at Palin and Beck instead.
Way to go for the long shots. Complaining about hypothetical misery.
When I was in the military over in the Middle East a taxi driver enthusiastically tried to get me and my 2 buddies to pony up $10 more and he would take us to a public court to see a guy get his hand chopped off. As much as you all think the USA lacks in human compassion, most of you haven't traveled outside our borders to see that no matter how tragic we sound in the media, we truely do place more value on the human existence and life. Not flaming anyones opinion on this piece, just saw too much war to not have a defensive stance against levied anger towards the U.S.
Wait a sec Working Joe C. I spent 12 years with the Army and I saw US Troops occupying any number of countries. Now, as a vet, how would you feel China decided to put bases in the US? Maybe, just maybe, if we stop invading their countries, they would stop attacking us? Now in the last ten years we have invaded, and occupied for a decade, nations on either side of Iran. How would YOU feel if China invaded Canada and Mexico? Same thing, Sport.
And the story about the hand being chopped off? Get into a cab in Los Angeles or New York and discover all the pleasant, family oriented, events THEY can bring you too!!! They can bring you to a court room where someone is being given a life sentence after the District Attorney enhanced their marijuana conviction to a felony!!! That is life in prison for smoking a joint or shop lifting!!! In these cities you can pay to watch a man beaten to death or have sex with a dead body. Hey Joe? Can you see all those things in the Middle East?
Relax everyone. Iran, this Theocratic dictatorship is just trying to catch up with TEXAS!!! The people of this one State, and not even the most populous State (although the DO have the biggest mouths) have executed more people than Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Communist China TOGETHER!! All led by Governor "OOPS!! and his predecessor, Governor "George the Cable Guy", who though Stem Cell research had something to do with solar energy!!!
Source?
His own fantasy world?
That's simply wrong. If Texas executed that many people, that would inflate the American numbers, which are tallied nationally. Texas is quite behind every one of those countries.
Hey Carlos your comment is up for nomination as the dumbest on newsvine today.
Glad to see you're former military and not presently so, speaking of saving American lives.
Either reading comprehension or perhaps math aren't your strong points huh Carlo? The article states:
China thousands killed
Iran 252+
Iraq 68
North Korea 10
All of the US 46
I'm pretty sure Texas is counted in the all of the US numbers and I'm pretty sure thousands are more than 46 for the entire country, but don't let facts get in the way of a good rant.
Don't wory CaptRon, Carlo can't let facts get in the way of his rant. I don't think he knows what a "fact" is.
ROFL!!!!! Texas kills that many each YEAR!!!!!! Since they re-instituted the death penalty Texas has killed more than 500 people and when Rick Perry said he lost no sleep over the possibility of killing an innocent man (Andrew Todd Willingham for instance) the crowd of AMERICANS CHEERED!!!!
Carlo Caraluzzo, After 12 years in the Military didn't you learn anything ? Although many people by their nature talk about the actions of others, the intentions may not be of a malicious nature. Spreading misinformation or distorting of facts occur by accident is very different from such actions occurring with a malicious intent. The malicious use of gossip can be based on revenge, political motives, or indirect assault on the person. Revenge minded persons often try to destroy a person’s character indirectly through slander and libel.
Carlo, all the figures in the article are by year. And if you were correct, that would attribute that entire number to Texas. And 500 people since they re-instituted capital punishment (however long ago that was), is still not thousands.
Not that any of that is a defense of Rick Perry. We're all just trying to gently let you know that you're completely, obviously, and verifiably wrong about your primary assertion.
BTW Ron, you misquoted North Korea's figure. They killed 30. Somalia was 10.
I think this says more about the population that tolerates this then the government that does it.
So can we bomb Iran now, please please any excuse will do. Who cares?
Some act like this is new! Man has been killing each other since Cain and Able. I certainly wouldn't take these numbers at face value from this internet article to start with.
Mid Eastern countries execute for different reasons than we do.......and we are going to win their hearts in a war?????
This article didn't mention all the people that were innocently murdered and molested by those condemned.
When religion runs your government you have people executed for things like “sorcery and being gay or being a witch.”
The Christens did the same thing back in the day. Remember, it's one of the main reasons people came to America in the first place, to be free of religious persecution.
Keep religion out of government, it's not the place for it.
Rick Perry wants to know why America can't be number one.
We should start summary executions of gang bangers, drug dealers and traffickers, illegal aliens, murderers, rapists, shild molesters and watch the crime go down. Screw amnesty international and other loosers.