Those who run Lebanon have cut corners(偷工减料，走捷径) in the name of justice(以正义之名) before. In 1991 the men who rose to power after a 15-year civil war granted themselves and their allies immunity from prosecution for many of that conflict's crimes.(1991年，那些在长达15年内战后上台的人，为自己和盟友免除了那场冲突中许多罪行的起诉。) The law helped secure a fragile peace, but also deepened sectarian(教派的，派系的) divisions. So when lawmakers approved another amnesty in August, it brought back bad memories.
黎巴嫩的掌权者以前就曾以正义之名偷工减料。1991年，那些在长达15年内战后上台的人，为自己和盟友免除了那场冲突中许多罪行的起诉。这项法律帮助维系了脆弱的和平，却也加深了教派分裂。因此，当议员们在8月通过又一部大赦法时，人们不禁回想起那些糟糕的往事。
The new one will be the most wide-reaching(影响广泛的) in 35 years. Perhaps a third of Lebanon's prisoners will be released or have their sentences commute(减刑)d. Ostensibly, the legislation is to reduce overcrowding in prisons, a real problem. Inmates at Roumieh, a jampacked(挤得水泄不通的) prison overlooking Beirut, the capital, celebrated when the law was passed. To others it looks like a grubby sectarian bargain(肮脏的教派交易).
新的大赦法将是35年来影响最广的一部。黎巴嫩约三分之一的囚犯将被释放或减刑。表面上看，这项立法是为了缓解监狱过度拥挤——这确实是个真问题。当法律通过时，俯瞰首都贝鲁特的鲁米耶监狱里人满为患，囚犯们欢呼庆祝。但在其他人看来，这更像是一笔肮脏的教派交易。
Lebanon's prisons hold three times as many inmate(囚犯，被拘留者)s as they are supposed to. Overcrowding has worsened since Israel began its war against Hizbullah, a Shia Muslim militia, forcing the authorities to transfer prisoners from the front lines in the south.(自以色列对什叶派穆斯林民兵组织真主党开战以来，过度拥挤进一步加剧，当局不得不从南部前线转移囚犯。) Roumieh is overflowing; inmates sleep on the floor in shifts. Barracks, warehouses and stables have been repurpose(改作他用)d as detention centres. The cash-strapped(资金匮乏的) justice system barely functions. In 2024 over 80% of prisoners were awaiting trial(等待审判), up from about 50% in 2017.
黎巴嫩监狱关押的囚犯数量是设计容量的三倍。自以色列对什叶派穆斯林民兵组织真主党开战以来，过度拥挤进一步加剧，当局不得不从南部前线转移囚犯。鲁米耶监狱人满为患，囚犯们轮班睡在地板上。营房、仓库和马厩都被改作拘留中心。资金匮乏的司法系统几乎无法运转。2024年，超过80%的囚犯在等待审判，而2017年这一比例约为50%。