| 释义 |
capital punishment
Death imposed as a punishment for crime. Capital punishment for murder was abolished in the UK under the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965. The death penalty continued to exist for a small number of offences, such as piracy and treason. The ratification by the UK of the Sixth and Thirteenth Protocols of the European Convention on Human Rights and the introduction of the Human Rights Act 1998 has meant that the death penalty is now completely abolished, even in respect of acts in times of war. Its reintroduction would be a violation of the Human Rights Act and, at an international level, a breach of a treaty obligation. |