The Greek parliament on Thursday voted unanimously to make serious animal abuse a crime that can lead to a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
希臘國會周四一致表決通過，將嚴重虐待動物列為罪行，最高可判處10年徒刑。
Until now, cruelty to animals had been a less severe offence in the eyes of the law, punishable by a mere fine.
直到現在，就法律觀點而言，虐待動物向來是比較不嚴重的罪行，只會被處以罰款。
According to a law voted Thursday, people who mistreat animals will also have to pay "a fine ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 euros." The minimum jail term will be one year.
根據周四表決通過的法律，虐待動物者將被處以「5000至1萬5000歐元不等的罰款」，最低刑期為1年。
The law defines abuse as "poisonings, hanging, burning, mutilating animals."
這項法律定義的虐待動物行為是：「將動物毒殺、絞殺、焚燒和斷肢。」
Last month, a 55-year-old man in Heraklion on the island of Crete hung and castrated a dog. Photos of the act appeared online and in Greek media. Such was the outrage that the man was fined 30,000 euros.
上個月，克裡特島伊拉克裡歐市一名55歲男子將一隻狗絞死和閹割。這種行徑的照片登上了網路與希臘媒體，在眾怒下，這名男子被罰3萬歐元。
According to Greek police, there were 2,644 reports of animal abuse between January and June 2020, and 778 complaints were filed.
希臘警方指出，今年1月至6月間共接獲2644起虐待動物事件通報，還有778起投訴案。
mistreat：動詞，虐待、苛薄對待。例句：They mistreat their dog and don’t feed it. （他們虐狗，不餵它吃東西。）
mutilate：動詞，切斷、使傷殘、毀壞。例句：It has been three years since he was mutilated in an accident.（自他因意外導致身體殘缺後，已過了3年。）
castrate：動詞，將雄性動物閹割、去勢。不過castrate一字帶有不人道色彩，貓狗的結紮手術習慣用字是spayed／neutered，公的用neuter（原意是中性的，為閹割的委婉語）一字，母的則用spay（摘除卵巢）。
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