Nations carry out five capital punishments within a seven-day span.
Within a brief span, America experiences an unnecessary surge in executions: Over the course of a few days, five individuals lose their lives through capital punishment. This escalates the total number of executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 to an alarming 1600. Amnesty International finds these figures distressing.
Five states in the US have planned executions within a week's time, marking a significant reversal of the decreasing trend in capital punishment usage across the nation. If these executions in Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas go ahead as intended, it would be the first instance in over two decades - since July 2003 - where five individuals are put to death within a seven-day period, as per the Death Penalty Information Center. This organization, despite being neutral on the matter of the death penalty, has expressed concerns about its application in certain states.
The first execution took place in South Carolina on a Friday. If the remaining four executions occur within the week, the number of executions since the death penalty's reinstatement by the Supreme Court in 1976 will hit 1600. Robin Maher, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, noted that "two executions on the same day is rare, and four over two consecutive days in a week is highly unusual."
Amnesty International voiced its strong disapproval of the situation. "The schedule for so many executions is disheartening in its own right. However, more concerning are the measures each state is taking to persist with executions disregarding the loss of life, prioritizing their execution machines over steps towards abolition." The human rights organization labeled the death penalty as "the most extreme form of cruelty, inhumanity, and degradation," and considered it a violation of the right to life. "The death penalty is too flawed to salvage. Every execution, regardless of method, infringes on human rights, and states should focus on abolition, not inventing and implementing more inhumane methods of killing individuals," they asserted.
The European Union expresses its concern about the rising number of executions in the United States, viewing it as a violation of human rights. This concern stems from the potential execution of five individuals within a week, a practice not seen in over two decades.
Amidst this escalation, the European Union calls for a shift in focus from executions to abolition of the death penalty, citing its status as the most extreme form of cruelty and inhumane treatment, as per international human rights standards.
