Executions on the Rise in Some Nations

Executions on the Rise in Some Nations

Twenty-five countries executed 1,634 people in 2015. That is the highest number of executions worldwide in 25 years.

The information comes from the rights group Amnesty International.

Three countries -- Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia -- carried out 89 percent of the executions last year, the group said. The numbers do not include executions in China.

Amnesty International said it believes the Chinese government executes thousands of people every year. But the exact number cannot be learned because the government keeps that information secret, Amnesty said.

Death Sentence Back in Pakistan

In 2014, Pakistan resumed non-military executions after a terrorist attack on a school in Peshawar. The attack killed 144 people, mostly children.

Last year, Pakistan executed 326 people for terrorist activities and other crimes, Amnesty International said. It said people tried and found guilty of murder and blasphemy¹ were also put to death. Blasphemy is speaking or acting² against the established religious beliefs.

Death Sentence Bill Before Philippines Congress

The Congress in the Philippines is considering President Rodrigo Duterte’s proposal to re-establish the right to execute criminals. His plan would permit executions for crimes such as murder, rape³, kidnapping and drug offenses⁵.

When Duterte campaigned for the presidency⁶, he promised to lead a war on crime, particularly drug crimes. He also said he would bring back the death penalty.

Executions were banned in 2006 by then-President Gloria Arroyo⁷.

Even without the death penalty, the Philippines National Police said Monday that nearly 6,000 people were killed as part of the government’s “war on drugs.” The National Police said that 2,086 people were killed in police operations and 3,841 in vigilante killings⁹ over the past six months.

On Monday, President Duterte said that when he was mayor of the Philippines city of Davao he shot criminal suspects himself.

Opposition¹⁰ to the killings and the proposed return of the death penalty is coming from the Roman Catholic Church. About 86 percent of the Philippines’ 100 million residents are Catholic, according to the Asia Society’s Center for Global Education.

Catholic Archbishop Socrates Villegas said that the killing⁸ of people by the government goes against the church’s teachings.

The United Nations said that, as of 2014, 160 nations had banned the death penalty. In the past two years, Bangladesh, Fiji, Madagascar and Suriname stopped executions, the UN reported.

Executions Down in United States

In the United States, 20 people have been put to death for their crimes in 2016, the lowest number in 25 years. The number comes from the Death Penalty Information Center, a non-profit organization.

Death penalty supporters say that people found guilty of horrible crimes should be put to death. They believe the sentence will act as a deterrent¹¹. By deterrent, they mean it might cause someone to decide against killing someone else.

But opponents argue that a moral society does not put people to death. They say sometimes innocent people are found guilty of crimes. Once a person is executed, such mistakes cannot be fixed¹², death penalty opponents say.

Words in This Story

resume - v. to begin again after stopping

offense⁴ - n. a criminal act

particularly - adv. more than usual

encourage - v. to make someone more determined¹³, hopeful, or confident

vigilante – n. a person who is not a police officer but who tries to catch and punish criminals

1 blasphemy   

n.亵渎，渎神

参考例句：

• His writings were branded as obscene and a blasphemy against God.他的著作被定为淫秽作品，是对上帝的亵渎。
• You have just heard his blasphemy!你刚刚听到他那番亵渎上帝的话了！

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

4 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

5 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

6 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

7 arroyo   

n.干涸的河床，小河

参考例句：

• She continued along the path until she came to the arroyo.她沿着小路一直走到小河边。
• They had a picnic by the arroyo.他们在干枯的河床边野餐过。

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

12 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

13 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。