Fewer executions carried out in Somalia – Amnesty

At least 607 executions were carried out across the world in 2014 – a decrease from at least 778 in 2013 – according to a report released by the Amnesty International.
The report documents executions in 22 countries in 2014, decline on the previous year when executions were recorded the same number of countries. But the number of death sentences handed out increased by a quarter.
With China being excluded, the report says:
‘’At least 607 executions were carried out worldwide, a decrease of almost 22% compared to the figures recorded for 2013. At least 2,466 people in 55 countries are known to have been sentenced to death in 2014. This represents an increase of 28% compared with 2013, when 1,925 death sentences were recorded in 57 countries.
In Somalia, there was a decrease in the number of executions carried out compared to the previous year. As stated in Amnesty’s figure, 14 people were executed in Somalia compared to the 34 in 2013.
The report further said that at least 52 people were sentenced to death, despite the Somali government’s vote in favour of the UN General Assembly resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in 2012 and 2014.
Death penalty is legal in Somalia, a mostly lawless state in East Africa.
Last year, the European Union urged Somali authorities to place a moratorium on the death penalty.
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