Amnesty International says the global number of executions in 2022 rose to a five-year high of at least 883.
The organization released its annual report on the death penalty for 2022 on Tuesday, based on data from countries that disclose such figures, as well as from human rights groups.
At least 576 people were executed in Iran, followed by Saudi Arabia with 196 and Egypt with 24. Combined, they carried out about 90 percent of total executions.
The figure for Iran rose 83 percent from the previous year.
The report says, "The Iranian authorities continued to use the death penalty as a tool of political repression and to disproportionately execute members of ethnic minorities." It points out this is "part of the long-term, entrenched discrimination and repression of these groups."
In the United States, 18 people were executed in six states, and one person was put to death in Japan.
Regarding China, the report says the country has yet to publish any figures, and that available information indicates that each year, thousands of people are executed.
Amnesty International has renewed its call on the Chinese authorities to publish information on the use of the death penalty.