The United Nations (UN) human rights chief, Volker Türk, has renewed calls for a global halt and abolition of the death penalty, noting a significant 31% rise in executions worldwide.
Türk made this known on Tuesday while speaking at the biennial high-level panel discussion on the death penalty during the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The UN Rights Chief condemned capital punishment, stating that it has no place in modern society.
“The death penalty is incompatible with human dignity and the right to life,” Türk said.
“While some countries argue that it falls within their national sovereignty, from my perspective, it should be abolished,” he stated.
Türk revealed that 1,153 executions took place across 16 countries in 2023, a 31% increase from the previous year and the highest figure recorded in the past eight years. He said the surge followed a 53% rise in executions between 2021 and 2022.
Among the leading executing nations in recent years are Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the United States, according to Türk. He however noted that the figures do not include China, alleging a lack of transparent information regarding the death penalty.
“I call on the Chinese authorities to change this policy and join the trend towards abolition,” he added.
Türk highlighted that over 40% of executions in 2023 were for drug-related offenses, marking the highest proportion since 2016 and emphasized that “Executing people for drug offenses violates human rights law.”
He hailed the 113 countries who have taken a stand against the death penalty, which includes 27 African countries and acknowledged the progress in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Zambia towards it.
It is worth noting that Nigeria is among the 27 countries in Africa, yet to abolish the death penalty.
The UN human rights Chief urged nations that still enforce capital punishment to suspend it, as a first step toward abolishing it entirely while encouraging judicial systems to explore alternative sentencing options.