中英對照讀新聞》Germany to quash historic convictions of gay men, pay compensation 德國擬撤銷對男同志的歷史性判罪，並提供賠償

◎魏國金

Germany plans to annul the historic convictions of tens of thousands of men charged under a law that criminalised homosexuality and to grant them financial compensation, the justice minister said.

德國計畫對數萬名因一條將同性戀犯罪化的法律而遭起訴的男子，撤銷其歷史性判罪，並給予他們財務上的賠償，司法部長表示。

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The law originated in the 19th century, was toughened up by Hitler’s Nazis and retained for decades in postwar West Germany, which used it to convict and jail some 50,000 men until 1969, when it finally decriminalised homosexuality.

這條源於19世紀的法律被希特勒的納粹政權加以強化，並在戰後的西德沿用達數十年之久，直到1969年同性戀最終被除罪化；而德國當局利用該法，判決約5萬名男子有罪，並將其監禁。

German homosexuals who suffered under the law have had to live until now with the stigma of a criminal conviction.

受該法之苦的德國同志直到現在，仍必須帶著犯罪污名生活。

"We will never be able to remove these outrages committed by this country but we want to rehabilitate the victims," Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement.

「我們永遠無法抹除國家犯下的這些暴行，但我們希望恢復被害者的名譽，」司法部長馬斯聲明說。

A ministry spokeswoman said it was unclear when a draft law would be completed. It was also unclear how much financial compensation those men affected might receive or how much support Maas’s plan might receive from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives.

司法部女發言人說，還不清楚何時完成該法草案。此外，那些受影響的同志可獲得多少財務上的賠償，以及馬斯的計畫可獲得總理梅克爾的保守陣營多少支持，也還無法確定。

The Lesbian and Gay Association urged the government to act quickly to bring in legislation. "Time is pressing for victims of homosexual persecution to get their unfair convictions lifted and see their dignity restored," Der Spiegel Online quoted the association as saying.

德國「男女同志協會」敦促政府趕快行動，推動該計畫立法。「同性戀迫害的受害者解除其不公判決，並得見尊嚴恢復的時間十分緊迫，」「明鏡在線」引述該會說法報導。

新聞辭典

quash：動詞，撤銷、宣判無效、壓制。例句：Rage swept over me for an instant, but I quashed it.（我勃然大怒，但將怒氣按捺下去。）

stigma：名詞，污名、恥辱。例句：Infertility remains associated with social stigma in many cultures.（在許多文化中，不孕仍與社會污名有關。）

rehabilitate：修復、恢復（名譽、職位）。例句：He tried to rehabilitate himself with his superior.（他試圖在上司那裡恢復自己的信譽。）