Global Ganja Report

Global executions rose dramatically in 2024, reaching 1,518 recorded deaths across 15 countries—the highest figure since 2015—Amnesty International said April 8 as it released its annual report on the use of the death penalty. The 48-page report, "Death Sentences and Executions 2024," found that Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia were responsible for 91% of known executions, with Iran alone accounting for nearly two-thirds.

Amnesty warned that countries have continued to weaponize the death penalty to silence dissent, punish protesters, and to instill fear among vulnerable populations.

Amnesty’s figures do not include the thousands of people believed to have been executed in China, the world’s top executioner, nor do they reflect data from North Korea or Vietnam, where government secrecy prevails. Despite the overall rise in numbers, the 15 countries that carried out executions in 2024 represent the lowest total on record for the second consecutive year.

The report also highlights a rise in executions for drug-related offenses, which Amnesty considers a violation of international law. Over 40% of all executions in 2024 were tied to drug charges—particularly in Iran, Saudi Arabia, China and Singapore. Callamard condemned these actions as “ineffective and unlawful,” disproportionately impacting marginalized communities, and have shown no proven effect in deterring drug trafficking.

As of 2024, 113 countries have fully abolished the death penalty, and 145 are abolitionist in law or practice. In December, more than two-thirds of UN member states voted in favor of a moratorium on executions, underscoring the growing international consensus against capital punishment. (Jurist)

But Singapore imposes a mandatory death penalty for people convicted of supplying certain amounts of illicit drugs—five grams (half an ounce) of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine, 250 grams of methamphetamine and 500 grams of cannabis. A 64-year-old man was hanged for drug offenses in October—one of at least four executions in Singapore last year. (CNN)

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