Egypt 3rd in Death Penalty worldwide

Egypt ranked 3rd globally in the number of death sentences handed out by courts, according to London-based Amnesty Internationals annual report for 2009, which was published last Tuesday. It highlighted the number of verdicts, not total executions, given by courts.

Egypt followed Iraq and Pakistan in the number of death sentences.

While Iran has occupied 1st place for the previous few years and despite government provisions that have been implemented, Amnesty International confirmed that Iran executed 112 people within two months, following the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The rights group also called on China, which was ranked 16, to be more transparent about the number of sentences, as the number exceeds a "few thousand," noting that China executed (in 2009) more than the number of people executed in the whole world."

The organization said that "all people executed in China do not benefit from a fair trial consistent with international standards."

The report also accused Iran and Saudi Arabia of violating international law in "pursuing the execution of people at least 7 in total in the 2 countries for crimes committed when they were minors."

The number of people sentenced to death in the world in 2009 reached at least 17,118, Amnesty reported.

Source: BikyaMasr, April 11, 2010