Executions across world rise - Telegraph The report - Deaths Sentences and Executions in 2012 - is published shortly after Briton Lindsay Sandiford lost her appeal against her death sentence in Bali for smuggling £1.6 million worth of cocaine. Amnesty International secretary general Salil Shetty said: "The regression we saw in some countries this year was disappointing, but it does not reverse the worldwide trend against using the death penalty. In many parts of the world, executions are becoming a thing of the past. Only one in ten countries in the world carries out executions. Their leaders should ask themselves why they are still applying a cruel and inhumane punishment that the rest of the world is leaving behind. The top five executing countries in the world last year were China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and USA, Amnesty said. Some 21 countries were confirmed as having carried out executions in 2012, the same number as in 2011, but Amnesty said this is significantly down from levels a decade ago when 28 countries carried out executions in 2003. The report said people faced the death penalty for a range of crimes including non-violent, drug-related and economic offences, but also for apostasy, that is the renunciation of a religion, blasphemy and adultery. As in previous years, Belarus was the only country in Europe and Central Asia to carry out executions, with at least three men put to death in 2012. Latvia became the 97th country in the world to become abolitionist for all crimes, after removing the last capital crimes from its legislation during 2012. Sandiford, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was sentenced to death by firing squad in January. She was arrested in May last year when 8.4lb (3.8kg) of cocaine was discovered in her luggage at Bali's airport. The 56-year-old grandmother lodged an appeal against the decision but it was rejected on Monday.