中國的移動死刑車 - 人類歷史上最殘酷的刑罰：英語精讀講義

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

歡迎回來收看我們的又一集節目，我們將深入挖掘，為你講述人類以正義之名對彼此做過的最惡劣行徑。

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

今天，我們不會談論黑暗的過去，

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

也不會向你描述什麼血腥殘酷的事情。

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

但你接下來聽到的內容，絕對令人震驚。

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

最可怕的是，這件事就發生在當今世界。

Without further ado, 片語搭配

話不多說，

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

讓我們來看看所謂的中國「死亡行刑車」。

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

它們於1997年在中國投入使用，並一直沿用至今。

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

你可以說，它們有點像會開進特定社區的冰淇淋車，

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

只不過，用某個人權組織的話來說，

like a government-sanctioned death squads.

它們就像是政府核准的死亡小隊。

Why would China do such a thing,

中國為什麼要這麼做？

you're likely wondering? 表達脈絡

你大概正想問吧？

Well,

其實，

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

儘管世界上大多數人認為死亡行刑車很野蠻，

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

中國卻認為，與把人送到刑場相比，它們更人道，也更節省成本。

As you'll see at the end, 表達脈絡

節目最後你會看到，

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

中國有些人其實非常以這些死亡行刑車為傲。

Let us explain why.

下面我們來解釋原因。

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

我們並不確切知道中國每年處決多少人，

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

但近期報告稱，人數超過一千，

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

這讓中國的處決人數位居全球第一。

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

在20世紀90年代末和21世紀初，

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

據估計，處決人數可能達到一萬兩千人甚至更多。

There are 46 capital crimes in China,

中國有46種可判死刑的罪行，

and we won't mention them all.

我們就不一一列舉了。

Seven of them are related to crimes endangering national security,

其中七種與危害國家安全的犯罪有關，

such as rioting and rebellion,

例如暴動和叛亂，

urging people to separate from the state,

鼓動他人脫離國家，

or spying.

或從事間諜活動。

You can also be executed for embezzlement or prison escape,

貪汙或越獄也可能被判處死刑，

for intentional assault,

蓄意傷害也可能，

or even the production or sale of counterfeit medicine.

甚至生產或販售偽藥也可能。

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

那麼，犯下這些罪行的人都會等來行刑車嗎？

Well, first of all, like the USA,

首先，和美國一樣，

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訴程序。

And since the mid-2000s, 文法

而從2000年代中期開始，

more and more sentences have been overturned. 用詞

越來越多的判決被推翻。

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

行刑車並不會突然開到某戶人家門口就開始殺人。

There's a lengthy due process, 文化背景

這要經過漫長的正當法律程序，

just like in most countries.

和大多數國家一樣。

And like in the US,

同樣和美國一樣，

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

一個人也可能在最後一刻獲准暫緩執行死刑。

Under article 252 of Chinese law,

根據中國法律第252條，

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

法律規定，死刑犯將被槍決或注射致命藥物。

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

該條文中還有一點對今天的節目很重要，

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，人可以在刑場或指定的羈押處所被處決。

Okay,

好了，

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

現在你肯定想知道刑場是什麼。

Well,

其實，

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

中國的情況與美國不同。

In China,

在中國，

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

如果一個人要被槍決，

an execution ground is set up,

就會設置一處刑場，

usually close to where the condemned is being held. 用詞

通常離死刑犯被關押的地方很近。

This has three perimeters,

刑場設有三道警戒線，

with the inner circle being the execution place.

最內圈是執行死刑的地方。

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

第二圈由人民武裝警察把守，

and the outer perimeter is where the local police guard.

最外圈則由當地警察把守。

As you can imagine,

你可以想像，

that takes a bit of effort and money.

這需要花費不少精力和金錢。

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

因此，越來越多人在指定羈押處所被依法處決。

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

這時，行刑車就派上用場了。

The vans only deliver a lethal injection.

這些車只用於執行注射死刑。

No one gets shot in the van,

沒有人會在車裡被槍決，

of course.

這是當然的。

In fact,

事實上，

it's written that in some provinces and municipalities,

據規定，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執行方式。

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設計了其中一種車，名為「金冠汽車死刑車」。

He said in 2006

他在2006年表示，

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

與槍決相比，給人注射致命藥物更為人道。

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.

他還說，這種車比搭建刑場便宜得多，因為刑場並不總在犯罪發生地。

He said that's good for saving money,

他說，這有利於節省開支，

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，當地人看到死亡行刑車駛過自己的村鎮時，也會受到嚇阻。

So what exactly happens?

那麼，具體會發生什麼？

Well,

事情是這樣的：

when the death squad arrives,

當行刑人員抵達後，

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

至少四個人會把囚犯押上車。

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

整個過程必須錄影，以便執法機關確認一切都按規定進行。

This is important because in the past,

這一點很重要，因為過去，

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

行刑人員有時會摘取死刑犯的器官並出售。

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

這並不是說如今仍在摘取囚犯器官，

but that's a story for another day. 慣用語

不過那是另一個話題了。

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

只能說，如果器官摘取仍像國際特赦組織所認為的那樣存在，

death vans would be convenient in another way.

那麼死亡行刑車在另一方面也會很方便。

Not all the vans are alike,

並非所有車輛都一模一樣，

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

但由於敬文先生接受過訪問，我們清楚知道「金冠汽車死刑車」長什麼樣。

He said in 2006,

他在2006年說：

"I'm most proud of the bed.

「我最引以為傲的是那張床。

It's very humane, like an ambulance."

它非常人性化，就像救護車一樣。」

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

他還說，把人硬拖進車裡很殘忍，

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

因此，那張類似擔架的床可以滑出車外，讓囚犯輕易被處決。

It's fast, 表達脈絡

它快速，

it's convenient,

方便，

and it's cheap.

而且便宜。

Like a one-stop service for execution. 慣用語

就像一站式行刑服務。

Another thing pointed out, 表達脈絡

還有一點被提了出來，

this time by a Chinese lawyer,

這次是由一名中國律師提出的，

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

那就是槍決可能會弄得一片狼藉，

which is not good for the family of the deceased.

對死者家屬來說並不好。

He said that when a person is shot,

他說，一個人被槍決時，

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

必須張開嘴，讓子彈直接穿過頭部。

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

這樣現場不會那麼血腥，也能減輕死者家屬的悲痛，

but only if the executioner's aim is perfect.

但前提是行刑者的槍法毫無偏差。

As you can see,

由此可見，

for the Chinese authorities,

對中國當局來說，

the death vans are a winner in so many ways. 慣用語

死亡行刑車在很多方面都是絕佳選擇。

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

這就是為什麼中國迄今已製造約40輛這種車，

each the same,

每輛都一模一樣，

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

全部配有閉路電視監視系統，以及一張可從車尾伸出的電動床。

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

注射方式與美國採用的並無不同，

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

執行流程也和你在美國所能想到的一樣。

So,

那麼，

you might ask,

你可能會問，

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

為什麼人權組織要批評中國的死亡行刑車？

Well,

原因是，

we said they're extolled for their convenience, 講解

我們說過，這種車因方便而備受推崇，

but those organizations say they are too convenient.

但那些組織認為，它們實在太方便了。

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

他們不否認中國因此省下了大筆開支，

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

也不認為實際處決過程比美國更糟，

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

但他們說，流動死刑讓殺人變得太過容易。

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

他們認為，這會導致處決人數增加，

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

還有批評者指出，這些車與德國人在第二次世界大戰期間使用的移動毒氣室實在太相似。

As we said,

正如我們所說，

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

我們不知道中國究竟處決了多少人，

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

但我們確實知道一些曾等來這輛車的知名人士。

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

中國億萬富翁袁寶璟因謀殺罪於2006年被送上行刑車，

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

他還涉及貪腐，並參與了一家黑手黨式的公司。

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

他曾與另一位名叫劉漢的億萬富翁長期結怨。

And guess what? 表達脈絡

你猜怎麼著？

He also went into the van,

劉漢也被送上了行刑車，

but years later in 2014.

只不過是在多年後的2014年。

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

貪腐政客也不能免於死刑。

In 2007,

2007年，

the van visited a Mr. ZhengXiaoyu,

行刑車找上了鄭筱萸先生，

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

他是中華人民共和國國家食品藥品監督管理局的前局長。

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

他與不法藥品供應商進行暗盤交易，放任危險藥物進入中國。

He was paid handsomely in bribes, 片語搭配

他收受了巨額賄賂，

but people died because of the dangerous medicines.

但也有人因這些危險藥物喪命。

Seeing as the death van is convenient, 文法

既然死亡行刑車如此方便，

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

我們猜想，每年有數百人會等來它。

In fact,

事實上，

one spokesperson for a death van company told the media,

一家死刑車公司的發言人曾告訴媒體：

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

「我們尚未把行刑車賣到國外，

but if they need one, 文法

但如果他們需要，

they could contact our company directly."

可以直接聯絡我們公司。」

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

我們還不確定死刑車出口業務是否已經起步，

but you never know. 語氣意圖

不過誰知道呢。

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

也許其他國家也會看中它的便利。

Now,

現在，

you need to watch this:

你一定要看看這個：

the BloodEagle,

「血鷹」，

worst punishments in the history of mankind.

人類歷史上最殘酷的刑罰。

Or have a look at this.

或者看看這個。