commute

薄熙来前重慶市共産党委書記の妻で、英国人 ニール・ヘイウッド氏を毒殺したとして、故意殺人罪に問われた谷開来被告の判決公判が中級人民法院で開かれ、執行猶予２年付きの死刑判決が言い渡されました。

Gu Kailai gets suspended death sentence for murder

HEFEI, China (AP) -- The wife of a disgraced Chinese politician was given a suspended death sentence Monday after confessing to killing a British businessman by poisoning him with cyanide in a case that rocked the country's top political leadership.

A suspended sentence is usually commuted to life in prison after two years.

Sentenced along with Gu Kailai was a family aide who was given nine years' imprisonment for his involvement in the murder of Neil Heywood, a former family associate, Hefei Intermediate People's Court official Tang Yigan told reporters.

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120820p2g00m0in017000c.html

commuteは一般的には「通勤/通学する」という意味が最初に浮かびますが、法律の用語としてのcommuteには「（刑罰を重いものから軽いものへ）減ずる 」という意味があります。執行猶予２年付きの死刑判決というのは２年間の収監中に問題を起こさなければ無期懲役などに減刑されるという意味合いがあるそうです。（UG）