A sharp rise in global executions in 2025 signals a troubling deterioration in human rights and democratic governance, Amnesty International Ghana has warned, describing the trend as a growing reliance on repression rather than justice.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday (21 May), the board chair of Amnesty Ghana, Francis Nyantakyi, said the spike — the highest recorded since 1981 — reflects a “shrinking civic space” and increasing politicisation of justice systems worldwide.
“The findings point to an alarming global human rights climate in which governments are increasingly turning to the death penalty as a political and punitive tool,” Nyantakyi said.
He argued that executions are often deployed to silence dissent, intimidate political opponents and suppress protest movements, undermining the rule of law and weakening democratic accountability.
Nyantakyi cited Iran as a key concern, noting it accounted for nearly 80 percent of recorded executions globally in 2025. He said many of the cases involved serious due process violations, including forced confessions, lack of legal representation and secret trials.
“In most of these cases, fair trial standards fall below international norms. The justice system becomes an instrument of coercion rather than protection,” he said.
Despite the surge, Nyantakyi emphasised that a majority of countries have abolished the death penalty either in law or in practice — a signal, he said, that global consensus is shifting toward abolition.
“The world clearly favours ending capital punishment, even in times of crisis,” he added.
Nyantakyi also rejected arguments that the death penalty serves as a deterrent, pointing to evidence that countries retaining capital punishment often record higher crime rates than those that have abolished it.
He warned that if the trend continues unchecked, it could further erode fundamental freedoms, including expression, association and peaceful assembly.
“The world must act collectively — through institutions like the United Nations and the African Union — to stem the tide,” he said.
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