大赦国际称2015年全世界处决人犯数量破纪录

Amnesty: ‘Disturbing’ Rise in Executions Worldwide in 2015 大赦国际称2015年全世界处决人犯数量破纪录

LONDON—

More people were put to death in countries around the world last year than in any other year during the past quarter-century, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

The report said at least 1,634 people were executed in 2015, a rise of 54 percent from the year before and the highest number the human rights watchdog has recorded since 1989.

Executions were carried out in 25 countries, but just three – Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan  -- accounted for 90 percent of all recorded executions.

Pakistan ends moratorium¹

In Pakistan, the December 2014 Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar that killed 141 people led the government to end its moratorium on executions.

"Initially² the moratorium was meant to be lifted only for terrorism-related crimes," said Chiara Sangiorgio, death penalty researcher at Amnesty International. "But very soon, we saw persons being sent to the gallows³ for murder or other ordinary crimes, often on the basis of trials that leave a lot of doubts about the safety of the conviction.”

Amnesty said at least 158 people were executed in Saudi Arabia, a predominantly Sunni country. Among those executed was Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

Riyadh said it uses the death penalty against terrorists, but Amnesty claims it is often used against political dissidents.

Drug offenses⁴

In Iran, many executions were carried out for drug-related offenses.

“A significant proportion of the 977 executions that we recorded for Iran were carried out for drug-related offenses – even if international law clearly states that the use of the death penalty should be restricted to intentional⁵ killing," Sangiorgio said.

Iran is one of the last countries to execute child offenders⁶, in violation⁷ of international law. Last year, it executed at least four people who were under 18 at the time of their crimes, the report said.

However, the true number of people executed globally is likely much higher, because China is excluded from Amnesty’s data, she added.

“This figure does not include the thousands of people that we believe were executed in China last year, where the use of the death penalty and the figures in particular in relation to the use of the death penalty remain classified as a state secret," she said.

Belarus, the only European country to use the death penalty, and Vietnam also do not provide data.

US executions

The U.S., the only country in the Americas to use capital punishment, was fifth on the Amnesty list of the most executions carried out in 2015.

There were 28 executions in six U.S. states – the southern state of Texas accounted for almost half the total.

America "recorded the lowest number of executions since 1991. And also the lowest number of sentences imposed since the death penalty was reintroduced in the United States in 1977," Sangiorgio said.

Amnesty Secretary General Salil Shetty said, "Thankfully, countries that execute belong to a small and increasingly isolated⁹ minority."

For the first time, a majority of the world’s countries -- 102 -- have now fully⁸ abolished the death penalty. Four countries adopted the ban in 2015: Fiji, Madagascar, the Republic of Congo and Suriname.

1 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

2 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

3 gallows   

n.绞刑架，绞台

参考例句：

• The murderer was sent to the gallows for his crimes.谋杀犯由于罪大恶极被处以绞刑。
• Now I was to expiate all my offences at the gallows.现在我将在绞刑架上赎我一切的罪过。

4 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

5 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

6 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

7 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。