At least 1,200 people were executed globally last year with China leading the way amongst the world's most prolific users of the death penalty, Amnesty International said in a report published Tuesday.

The London-based human rights group warned, however, that those figures were only minimum estimates, and cautioned that the true extent of the use of capital punishment could not be known because in many countries, state executions were shrouded in official secrecy.

"The secretive use of the death penalty must stop: the veil of secrecy surrounding the death penalty must be lifted," Amnesty said in a statement.

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"Many governments claim that executions take place with public support. People therefore have a right to know what is being done in their name."

Amnesty said that at least 1,252 people had been executed in 24 countries around the world in 2007, 88 percent of which took place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United States.

"These were only minimum figures; the true figures were certainly higher," its report read.

Of the countries using the death penalty, China led the way with at least 470 executions, followed by Iran with more than 317, Saudi Arabia with a minimum of 143, and Pakistan with at least 135, according to Amnesty.

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