新加坡將修改毒品犯罪強制死刑法律

Singapore announced plans to amend laws that dictate a mandatory death penalty for drug traffickers, a surprise move that signaled a small but significant shift in the city-state's strict laws on drug-related crime.

新加坡宣佈將修改對毒販處以強制性死刑的法律。這一意外舉動意味着新加坡有關毒品犯罪的嚴格法律將出現微小但重要的變化。

The proposed new law will give courts the discretion to sentence some people convicted of drug-related crimes to life in prison with caning, rather than to death, provided they cooperate with authorities in a "substantive way," or provided they have a mental disability, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

據新加坡副總理張志賢(Teo Chee Hean)說，按照擬議中的新法，法庭將有權酌情對被判毒品犯罪的部分人員處以終身監禁加鞭刑，而不是死刑，不過條件是他們給予當局實質而有效的合作，或者是有智力缺陷。

peaking in Singapore's parliament on Monday, Mr. Teo, who is also the Minister for Home Affairs, said the changes would apply to drug couriers rather than to those involved in the supply or distribution of drugs at higher levels. Convicted drug distributors and syndicate leaders would still face the mandatory charge of death by hanging. Mr. Teo didn't elaborate on how the law will differentiate between low-level couriers and more serious offenders.

身兼內政部部長的張志賢週一在新加坡國會講話說，這些調整將應用於“運毒跑腿”，而不是參與毒品供應或經銷的更高級別的人。罪名成立的毒品經銷商和販毒集團頭目仍將面臨強制絞刑。張志賢沒有詳細談論這部法律將怎樣在低級別運毒跑腿與罪行更嚴重的罪犯之間做出區分。

The changes come after the Ministry of Home Affairs' yearlong review of the county's death penalty and include an easing of the penalty for homicide in the city-state. Also speaking in Parliament, the country's Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs K. Shanmugam said that certain types of homicide cases, in which there is no explicit intention to kill, will no longer result in the mandatory death penalty.

在提議調整之前，內政部花了一年時間對全國範圍內的死刑進行了審視。這些調整還包括放寬對殺人罪犯的處罰。同在國會講話的外交兼律政部長尚穆根(K. Shanmugam)說，某些沒有明確殺人故意的殺人案件將不再適用強制死刑。

"Our cardinal objectives remain the same. Crime must be deterred," Mr. Shanmugam said when announcing the proposed laws Monday. "But justice can be tempered with mercy and where appropriate, offenders should be given a second chance."

尚穆根在週一公佈提案時說，我們的核心目標並沒有改變，犯罪必須得到震懾；但正義可用仁慈來調和，在恰當情形下，應當給罪犯第二次機會。