Criminal Law Chapter III Punishments Section 5 . Death Penalty Article 48-51

Section 5 . Death Penalty

第五节 死刑

Article 48 . The death penalty is only to be applied to criminal elements who commit the most heinous crimes. In the case of a criminal element who should be sentenced to death, if immediate execution is not essential, a two-year suspension of execution may be announced at the same time the sentence of death is imposed.

第四十八条  【死刑、死缓的适用对象及核准程序】死刑只适用于罪行极其严重的犯罪分子。对于应当判处死刑的犯罪分子，如果不是必须立即执行的，可以判处死刑同时宣告缓期二年执行。

Except for judgments made by the Supreme People's Court according to law, all sentences of death shall be submitted to the Supreme People's Court for approval. Sentences of death with suspension of execution may be decided or approved by a high people's court.

死刑除依法由最高人民法院判决的以外，都应当报请最高人民法院核准。死刑缓期执行的，可以由高级人民法院判决或者核准。

Article 49 . The death penalty is not to be applied to persons who have not reached the age of eighteen at the time the crime is committed or to women who are pregnant at the time of adjudication.

第四十九条  【死刑适用对象的限制】犯罪的时候不满十八周岁的人和审判的时候怀孕的妇女，不适用死刑。

The death penalty shall not be given to a person attaining the age of 75 at the time of trial, unless he has caused the death of another person by especially cruel means.

审判的时候已满七十五周岁的人，不适用死刑，但以特别残忍手段致人死亡的除外。

Article 50 . Where a convict is sentenced to death with a reprieve, if he or she does not commit any intentional crime during the period of reprieve, the sentence shall be commuted to life imprisonment upon expiration of the two-year period; if he or she has any major meritorious performance, the sentence shall be commuted to imprisonment of 25 years upon expiration of the two-year period; if the criminal has committed an intentional crime with execrable circumstances, the death penalty shall be executed with the approval of the Supreme People's Court. If the crime is committed intentionally but the death penalty is not executed, the period of the death penalty with a reprieve shall be recalculated and be reported to the Supreme People's Court for recordation.

第五十条  【死缓变更】判处死刑缓期执行的，在死刑缓期执行期间，如果没有故意犯罪，二年期满以后，减为无期徒刑；如果确有重大立功表现，二年期满以后，减为二十五年有期徒刑；如果故意犯罪，情节恶劣的，报请最高人民法院核准后执行死刑；对于故意犯罪未执行死刑的，死刑缓期执行的期间重新计算，并报最高人民法院备案。

For a recidivist or a convict of murder, rape, robbery, abduction, arson, explosion, dissemination of hazardous substances or organized violence who is sentenced to death with a reprieve, the people's court may, in sentencing, decide to put restrictions on commutation of his sentence in light of the circumstances of the crime committed.

对被判处死刑缓期执行的累犯以及因故意杀人、强奸、抢劫、绑架、放火、爆炸、投放危险物质或者有组织的暴力性犯罪被判处死刑缓期执行的犯罪分子，人民法院根据犯罪情节等情况可以同时决定对其限制减刑。

Article 51 . The term for suspending execution of a sentence of death is counted as commencing on the date the judgment becomes final. The term of a sentence that is reduced from the death penalty with suspension of execution to fixed-term imprisonment is counted as commencing on the date the suspension of execution expires.

第五十一条  【死缓期间及减为有期徒刑的刑期计算】死刑缓期执行的期间，从判决确定之日起计算。死刑缓期执行减为有期徒刑的刑期，从死刑缓期执行期满之日起计算。