Amnesty International also recorded over 5,265 people who were sentenced to death in 68 countries during 2001.
"Many cases were in blatant violation of international standards on the application of the death penalty," Amnesty International said. "Prisoners were sentenced to death following unfair trials. In violation of international law, there were executions of child offenders -- people convicted of crimes committed when they were under the age of 18." Three such executions were recorded in 2001 - in Iran, Pakistan and the USA.
The dramatic increase in worldwide executions was due to the intensified use of the death penalty in China after the government launched a national "strike hard" campaign against crime. Between April and July 2001 alone at least 1,781 people were executed in that country -- more than the total number of people executed in the rest of the world in the previous three years. Many of those condemned to death could have been tortured to extract confessions. Condemned prisoners were often shacked and humiliated by being paraded in public.
Amnesty International recorded 139 executions in Iran, but the true number was believed to be much higher. In Saudi Arabia, 79 executions were reported. Sixty-six people were executed in the USA, down from 85 in 2000.
"The figures for China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the USA accounted for 90 per cent of all known executions in 2001," Amnesty International said.
"Many cases were in blatant violation of international standards on the application of the death penalty," Amnesty International said. "Prisoners were sentenced to death following unfair trials. In violation of international law, there were executions of child offenders -- people convicted of crimes committed when they were under the age of 18." Three such executions were recorded in 2001 - in Iran, Pakistan and the USA.
The dramatic increase in worldwide executions was due to the intensified use of the death penalty in China after the government launched a national "strike hard" campaign against crime. Between April and July 2001 alone at least 1,781 people were executed in that country -- more than the total number of people executed in the rest of the world in the previous three years. Many of those condemned to death could have been tortured to extract confessions. Condemned prisoners were often shacked and humiliated by being paraded in public.
Amnesty International recorded 139 executions in Iran, but the true number was believed to be much higher. In Saudi Arabia, 79 executions were reported. Sixty-six people were executed in the USA, down from 85 in 2000.
"The figures for China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the USA accounted for 90 per cent of all known executions in 2001," Amnesty International said.