\u201cThose who dare challenge authorities have faced the most cruel of punishments, particularly in Iran and Saudi Arabia, with the death penalty used to silence those brave enough to speak out,\u201d said Callamard. <\/p>\n

The group also noted that 25 people were executed in the United States last year, up from one in 2023. <\/p>\n

Amnesty said that drug-related offences accounted for more than 40 percent of all executions globally, noting they were \u201cprevalent\u201d in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. <\/p>\n

It added that humanitarian law deems such executions unlawful because drug offences should not be deemed one of the \u201cmost serious crimes\u201d. <\/p>\n

The NGO warned that the Maldives, Nigeria and Tonga are considering introducing capital punishment for drug-related offences. <\/p>\n

It added the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burkina Faso have announced plans to bring back executions for ordinary crimes. <\/p>\n

At present 145 nations have either outlawed the death penalty or no longer use it, according to the rights group.<\/p>\n