Death penalty: Top 5 countries to execute the most people

According to Amnesty International’s annual Death Sentences and Executions report, at least 527 people were executed in 23 countries in 2010, plus thousands in China. The number of people executed worldwide since 2007 is more than 2,500. Here are the five countries registering the most executions since 2007.

3. Iraq

Iraq executed at least 120 people in 2009, but Amnesty International has been unable to confirm how many were executed in 2010 – the 2010 tally is “1+,” meaning Amnesty only knows that at least one person was executed. That person was Ali Hassan Al-Majid, better known as “Chemical Ali,” who was hung on Jan. 24, 2010. Despite the lack of numbers in 2010, Iraq still has the third most executions on the books since 2007, with at least 188 confirmed.

Iraq also sentenced more people to death in 2009 than any other country other than China and has sentenced at least 1,129 people to death since 2007.

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