中国的移动死刑车 - 人类历史上最残酷的刑罚：英语精读讲义

Welcome back to another one of our episodes in which we dig deep to bring you tales of the worst things humans have done to each other in the name of justice. 講解

欢迎回来收看我们的又一期节目，我们将深入挖掘，为你讲述人类以正义之名彼此施加的最恶劣行径。

Today, we won't be talking about the dark past,

今天，我们不会谈论黑暗的过去，

nor are we going to describe to you something bloody and brutal. 語法

也不会向你描述什么血腥残酷的事情。

But what you're about to hear is certainly in the realms of shocking. 語法

但你接下来听到的内容，绝对令人震惊。

The worst part is this is going on in today's world. 短語動詞

最可怕的是，这件事就发生在当今世界。

Without further ado, 短語搭配

话不多说，

let's have a look at what have been called China's vans of death. 短語搭配

让我们来看看所谓的中国“死亡行刑车”。

They were introduced in China in 1997 and have been used ever since. 語法

它们于1997年在中国投入使用，并一直沿用至今。

You could say they're kind of like ice cream trucks that visit certain neighborhoods, 語氣意圖

你可以说，它们有点像会开进特定社区的冰淇淋车，

except for the fact that they are, in the words of one human rights organization, 講解

只不过，用某个人权组织的话来说，

like a government-sanctioned death squads.

它们就像是政府批准的死亡小队。

Why would China do such a thing,

中国为什么要这么做？

you're likely wondering? 表達脈絡

你大概正想问吧？

Well,

其实，

while most of the world thinks the death vans are barbaric,

尽管世界上大多数人认为死亡行刑车很野蛮，

China thinks they're more humanitarian and more cost-effective than sending someone to a site of execution. 語法

中国却认为，与把人送到刑场相比，它们更人道，也更划算。

As you'll see at the end, 表達脈絡

节目最后你会看到，

some people in China are actually very proud of their death vans.

中国有些人其实非常以这些死亡行刑车为傲。

Let us explain why.

下面我们来解释原因。

We don't exactly know how many people are executed each year in China, 語法

我们并不确切知道中国每年处决多少人，

but recent reports say that it's more than a thousand,

但近期报告称，人数超过一千，

which puts the country in first place for the number of executions.

这让中国的处决人数位居全球第一。

Back in the late '90s and the early 2000s,

在20世纪90年代末和21世纪初，

it was estimated that the number of executions could have been 12,000 or more. 語法

据估计，处决人数可能达到一万二千人甚至更多。

There are 46 capital crimes in China,

中国有46种可判死刑的罪行，

and we won't mention them all.

我们就不一一列举了。

Seven of them are related to crimes endangering national security,

其中七种与危害国家安全的犯罪有关，

such as rioting and rebellion,

例如骚乱和叛乱，

urging people to separate from the state,

鼓动他人脱离国家，

or spying.

或从事间谍活动。

You can also be executed for embezzlement or prison escape,

贪污或越狱也可能被判处死刑，

for intentional assault,

故意伤害也可能，

or even the production or sale of counterfeit medicine.

甚至生产或销售假药也可能。

So did people committing any of these crimes get a visit from the execution van? 習語

那么，犯下这些罪行的人都会等来行刑车吗？

Well, first of all, like the USA,

首先，和美国一样，

there are appeals processes in place for those that have been handed the death sentence. 文化背景

被判死刑的人可以走上诉程序。

And since the mid-2000s, 語法

而从21世纪头十年的中期开始，

more and more sentences have been overturned. 用詞

越来越多的判决被推翻。

Vans don't just turn up at houses and start whacking people. 講解

行刑车并不会突然开到某户人家门口就开始杀人。

There's a lengthy due process, 文化背景

这要经过漫长的正当法律程序，

just like in most countries.

和大多数国家一样。

And like in the US,

同样和美国一样，

a person can have a last-minute stay of execution. 文化背景

一个人也可能在最后一刻获准暂缓执行死刑。

Under article 252 of Chinese law,

根据中国法律第252条，

it's written that people will get the firing squad or be given a lethal injection of drugs.

法律规定，死刑犯将被枪决或注射致命药物。

There's something else in that article that's important for today's show, 表達脈絡

该条文中还有一点对今天的节目很重要，

and that's the fact that people can be executed at an execution ground or at a designated place of custody. 用詞

那就是，人可以在刑场或指定的羁押场所被处决。

Okay,

好了，

so now you're wondering what an execution ground is. 語法

现在你肯定想知道刑场是什么。

Well,

其实，

things don't go down like they do in the USA. 短語動詞

中国的情况与美国不同。

In China,

在中国，

if a person's to be executed by firing squad, 語法

如果一个人要被枪决，

an execution ground is set up,

就会设置一处刑场，

usually close to where the condemned is being held. 用詞

通常离死刑犯被关押的地方很近。

This has three perimeters,

刑场设有三道警戒线，

with the inner circle being the execution place.

最内圈是执行死刑的地方。

The second circle being where the People's Armed Police Guard,

第二圈由人民武装警察把守，

and the outer perimeter is where the local police guard.

最外圈则由当地警察把守。

As you can imagine,

你可以想象，

that takes a bit of effort and money.

这需要花费不少精力和金钱。

So more and more people have been getting legally whacked at a designated place of custody.

因此，越来越多的人在指定羁押场所被依法处决。

And this is where the vans come in. 表達脈絡

这时，行刑车就派上用场了。

The vans only deliver a lethal injection.

这些车只用于执行注射死刑。

No one gets shot in the van,

没有人会在车里被枪决，

of course.

这是当然的。

In fact,

事实上，

it's written that in some provinces and municipalities,

据规定，在一些省市，

lethal injection is now the only form of capital punishment.

注射死刑如今是唯一的死刑执行方式。

A man named KangJingwen designed one of the vans that was called the Jinguan Automobile Death Van.

一位名叫康敬文的男子设计了其中一种车，名为“金冠汽车死刑车”。

He said in 2006

他在2006年表示，

that giving people lethal injection rather than shooting them was more humane. 用詞

与枪决相比，给人注射致命药物更为人道。

He also said the van is much cheaper than setting up execution sites that are not always in the same place where the crime took place.

他还说，这种车比搭建刑场便宜得多，因为刑场并不总在犯罪发生地。

He said that's good for saving money,

他说，这有利于节省开支，

but it also acts as a deterrent when local people get to see the death van swing by their village or town. 講解

而且，当地人看到死亡行刑车驶过自己的村镇时，也会受到震慑。

So what exactly happens?

那么，具体会发生什么？

Well,

事情是这样的：

when the death squad arrives,

当行刑人员抵达后，

the prisoner is led to the van by at least four people.

至少四个人会把囚犯押上车。

All this has to be videoed so that law enforcement authorities can see everything going down as it should. 語法

整个过程必须录像，以便执法部门确认一切都按规定进行。

This is important because in the past,

这一点很重要，因为过去，

those doing the executions would sometimes harvest organs from the condemned and sell them. 短語搭配

行刑人员有时会摘取死刑犯的器官并出售。

That's not to say organ harvesting of prisoners is in still going on,

这并不是说如今仍在摘取囚犯器官，

but that's a story for another day. 習語

不过那是另一个话题了。

Let's just say that if organs are still harvested like Amnesty International seems to think, 語氣意圖

只能说，如果器官摘取仍像国际特赦组织所认为的那样存在，

death vans would be convenient in another way.

那么死亡行刑车在另一方面也会很方便。

Not all the vans are alike,

并非所有车辆都一模一样，

but we know exactly what the Jinguan Automobile Death Van looks like because Mr. Jingwen was interviewed.

但由于敬文先生接受过采访，我们清楚知道“金冠汽车死刑车”长什么样。

He said in 2006,

他在2006年说：

"I'm most proud of the bed.

“我最引以为傲的是那张床。

It's very humane, like an ambulance."

它非常人性化，就像救护车一样。”

He added that it's brutal to drag someone into the van, 語法

他还说，把人硬拖进车里很残忍，

so the stretcher-like bed slides out of the van and the prisoner can be killed with ease.

因此，那张类似担架的床可以滑出车外，让囚犯轻易被处决。

It's fast, 表達脈絡

它快捷，

it's convenient,

方便，

and it's cheap.

而且便宜。

Like a one-stop service for execution. 習語

就像一站式行刑服务。

Another thing pointed out, 表達脈絡

还有一点被提了出来，

this time by a Chinese lawyer,

这次是由一名中国律师提出的，

is the fact that execution by firing squad can be messy,

那就是枪决可能会弄得一片狼藉，

which is not good for the family of the deceased.

对死者家属来说并不好。

He said that when a person is shot,

他说，一个人被枪决时，

he has to open his mouth so the bullet goes right through the head.

必须张开嘴，让子弹直接穿过头部。

That makes less mess and causes less distress for the grieving family of the deceased, 短語搭配

这样现场不那么血腥，也能减轻死者家属的悲痛，

but only if the executioner's aim is perfect.

但前提是行刑者的枪法毫无偏差。

As you can see,

由此可见，

for the Chinese authorities,

对中国当局来说，

the death vans are a winner in so many ways. 習語

死亡行刑车在很多方面都是绝佳选择。

That's why China has made about 40 of them to date,

这就是为什么中国迄今已制造约40辆这种车，

each the same,

每辆都一模一样，

all equipped with CCTV and an electric-powered bed that comes out of the back. 短語搭配

全部配有闭路电视监控，以及一张可从车尾伸出的电动床。

The lethal injection is no different from one you'd find in the US,

注射方式与美国采用的并无不同，

and the service is delivered in the same way you'd expect in the US.

执行流程也和你在美国所能想到的一样。

So,

那么，

you might ask,

你可能会问，

why are human rights organizations criticizing China for its death vans?

为什么人权组织要批评中国的死亡行刑车？

Well,

原因是，

we said they're extolled for their convenience, 講解

我们说过，这种车因方便而备受推崇，

but those organizations say they are too convenient.

但那些组织认为，它们实在太方便了。

They don't deny that China isn't saving tons of cash,

他们不否认中国因此节省了大笔开支，

and they don't say the actual execution is any worse than it is in the US,

也不认为实际处决过程比美国更糟，

but they say that mobile capital punishment just makes killing too easy. 語法

但他们说，流动死刑让杀人变得太过容易。

They say it'll lead to an increase in executions,

他们认为，这会导致处决人数增加，

and other critics have said that the vans are just a little too similar to the mobile gas chambers used by the Germans during World War II. 講解

还有批评者指出，这些车与德国人在第二次世界大战期间使用的移动毒气室实在太相似。

As we said,

正如我们所说，

we don't know exactly how many people are executed in China,

我们不知道中国究竟处决了多少人，

but we do know some well-known people that got a visit from the van. 語法

但我们确实知道一些曾等来这辆车的知名人士。

A Chinese billionaire named Yuan Baojing went into the van in 2006 after being convicted of murder, 語法

中国亿万富翁袁宝璟因谋杀罪于2006年被送上行刑车，

corruption, and being part of a mafia-like company.

他还涉及腐败，并参与了一家黑手党式的公司。

He'd been in a long feud with another billionaire named Liu Han. 短語搭配

他曾与另一位名叫刘汉的亿万富翁长期结怨。

And guess what? 表達脈絡

你猜怎么着？

He also went into the van,

刘汉也被送上了行刑车，

but years later in 2014.

只不过是在多年后的2014年。

Corrupt politicians are not exempt from the death penalty. 短語搭配

腐败政客也不能免于死刑。

In 2007,

2007年，

the van visited a Mr. ZhengXiaoyu,

行刑车找上了郑筱萸先生，

the former director of the State Food and Drug Administration of the People's Republic of China.

他是中华人民共和国国家食品药品监督管理局的前局长。

He'd done shady deals with shady medicine suppliers and allowed dangerous drugs to enter China. 用詞

他与不法药品供应商进行暗箱交易，放任危险药物进入中国。

He was paid handsomely in bribes, 短語搭配

他收受了巨额贿赂，

but people died because of the dangerous medicines.

但也有人因这些危险药物丧命。

Seeing as the death van is convenient, 語法

既然死亡行刑车如此方便，

we imagine hundreds of people are being visited by the van each year.

我们猜想，每年有数百人会等来它。

In fact,

事实上，

one spokesperson for a death van company told the media,

一家死刑车公司的发言人曾告诉媒体：

"We've not sold our execution cars to foreign countries yet,

“我们还没有把行刑车卖到国外，

but if they need one, 語法

但如果他们需要，

they could contact our company directly."

可以直接联系我们公司。”

We're not too sure if the death van export business has taken off just yet, 講解

我们还不确定死刑车出口业务是否已经起步，

but you never know. 語氣意圖

不过谁知道呢。

Maybe other countries will catch on to the convenience. 短語動詞

也许其他国家也会看中它的便利。

Now,

现在，

you need to watch this:

你一定要看看这个：

the BloodEagle,

“血鹰”，

worst punishments in the history of mankind.

人类历史上最残酷的刑罚。

Or have a look at this.

或者看看这个。