The death penalty worldwide: developments in 2004, Amnesty International, April 5, 2005 [reporting that the number of executions, which does not include executions that many governments fail to officially report, is the second highest figure the organization has recorded in the 25 years Amnesty has been monitoring capital punishment]. Excerpt:

At least 3,797 people were executed in 25 countries in 2004, and at least 7,395 people were sentenced to death in 64 countries, according to Amnesty International. The true figures were certainly higher.... As in previous years, the vast majority of executions worldwide were carried out in a tiny handful of countries. In 2004, 97 per cent of all known executions took place in China, Iran, the Viet Nam and the USA.

Read the full text of the report here. Reported in JURIST’s Paper Chase here.