article_snippet.sent: On one hand, the number of executions worldwide has gone down by almost 22% on the previous year.
article_snippet.sent: The long-term trend is definitely positive -- we are seeing a decrease in the number of executions (worldwide)," Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty's Director of Global Issues, told CNN.
article_snippet.sent: The organization found "positive developments" worldwide, with most regions seeming to show reductions in the number of executions.
article_snippet.sent: Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, saw a 28% fall in reported cases, and executions recorded in the Middle East and North Africa were down 23% compared to 2013.
article_snippet.sent: Across the board, with the exception of Europe and Central Asia there were fewer reports of executions in every region.
article_snippet.sent: The resumption of the use of capital punishment in Belarus -- the only country in Europe and Central Asia Central Asia to execute people -- after a two year hiatus spoiled an near-universal decrease in countries using the death penalty by region.
highlights_snippet.sent: The number of executions worldwide has gone down by almost 22% compared with 2013, but death sentences up by 28% .