Amnest International’s death penalty report says executions are on the rise

Key Point
  • Ronald Ryan was hanged in 1967.
  • Since then, the death penalty has been abolished in Australia.
  • A total of 883 people were executed in 20 countries in 2022, the highest number since 2017.
On 3 February 1967, Ronald Ryan became the last person sentenced to death in Australia, after which the death penalty was abolished nationwide.
Almost 55 years after the death penalty was enacted in Australia, the death penalty is on the rise around the world, according to a new Amnesty International report.
A total of 883 people will be executed in 20 countries in 2022, the highest number since 2017, according to the report.
“Countries in the Middle East and North Africa region stepped up executions in 2022, violating international law and demonstrating a cold disregard for human life,” Agnes said. Amnesty International Secretary General Kalamard said:

“Just recently, in a desperate attempt to end a popular uprising, Iran executed people for simply exercising their right to protest,” she said.

Who was Ronald Ryan, the last Australian to be executed?

Ronald Ryan was sentenced to death in 1965 for shooting a prison guard during a failed escape.
After serving his first prison sentence for gang-related crimes, he was imprisoned again in 1964 for robbery.
On the night of a prison guards’ Christmas party in December, Mr. Ryan fled with Peter Walker and a skirmish ensued, in which guard George Hodson was shot dead.
The two were on the run for 17 days before being arrested.

Mr Ryan was convicted of murder in 1966 and sentenced to death under Victoria’s Sentencing Mandate Act.

Ryan’s family were not allowed to see him while he was alive, nor were they allowed to visit his grave in prison. sauce: AAP / Supplied

The judge in charge of Mr Ryan’s hanging at Pentridge Prison, Sir John Stark, was against the death penalty and would have preferred a commutation, as was the norm at the time.

However, it said the then Premier of Victoria, Sir Henry Bolt, insisted on enforcing the ruling.
Ryan’s family were not allowed to see him while he was alive, nor were they allowed to visit his grave in prison.

The incident sparked widespread community opposition to the death penalty, and eventually the death penalty was abolished in Victoria in 1975.

New South Wales was the last state or territory to abolish this practice in 1985.

How many people worldwide died by capital punishment in 2022?

Amnesty International said there were 883 known executions, a 53% increase from 2021.
The record of people executed for drug-related crimes more than doubled in 2022 compared to 2021.
Amnesty International said: “Drug-related executions violate international human rights law, which states that the death penalty should be carried out only for the ‘most serious crimes’, i.e. crimes involving intentional murder. ‘ said.
The surge in killings has been led by countries in the Middle East and North Africa, with recorded figures rising from 520 in 2021 to 825 in 2022.
The group said 81 people were executed in one day in Saudi Arabia.

Thousands more are believed to have been killed in China, according to the group, but no reliable data are available.

Executions in Vietnam and North Korea are also shrouded in secrecy.

The number of recorded executions in Iran surged from 314 in 2021 to 576 in 2022, while 196 people died in Saudi Arabia, the highest number of executions in 30 years.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/who-was-the-last-australian-to-receive-the-death-penalty/egajjlu5e Amnest International’s death penalty report says executions are on the rise

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