Global executions in 2022 at highest rate for five years, Amnesty International says

 The number of executions recorded globally in 2022 was the highest in five years, as several Middle Eastern states ramped up their use of the death penalty, Amnesty International said.

A total of 883 people are known to have been put to death across 20 countries, marking a rise of 53% compared to 2021, according to the group's annual review. Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt alone carried out 90% of those executions. The figures exclude China, which is thought to execute thousands each year.