Four states in the Middle East, led by Iran, made "ruthless and chilling" use of the death penalty in 2020 despite an overall decline during the Covid-19 pandemic, dominating the global toll of executions, Amnesty International said yesterday. The London-based rights group said it recorded 483 executions in 18 countries worldwide last year, a decrease of 26 percent from the 657 recorded in 2019. The report found that 88 percent of all recorded executions took place in just four countries in the Middle East –- Iran (246), Egypt (107), Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia saw 85 percent drop in recorded executions and numbers were cut by more than half in Iraq.