- Somalia records highest execution figure with 21 people
- Despite regression, 2021 global execution figure represents the second-lowest figure Amnesty International has recorded since at least 2010
- Easing of Covid-19 restrictions sees surge in number of recorded death sentences
2021 saw a worrying rise in executions and death sentences as some of the world’s most prolific executioners returned to business as usual and courts were unshackled from Covid-19 restrictions, Amnesty International said on Monday in its annual review of the death penalty. In East and Southern Africa, the overall number of recorded executions more than doubled as a result of rising numbers in two countries – with 21 people executed in Somalia and at least nine in South Sudan. Three people were executed in Botswana.