What do you mean by a two-year moratorium on execution of death penalty?

Suspended execution of death penalty is a unique penalty system in China's criminal law. It is applicable to criminals who should be sentenced to death instead of immediate execution, and the period of suspension of execution of death penalty is fixed at two years. This system is implemented to reflect the policy of not abolishing the death penalty, but killing fewer people.

If a criminal sentenced to death with a suspended execution does not intentionally commit a crime within the probation period of two years, his sentence shall be reduced to life imprisonment after the expiration of two years; Those who have made significant meritorious service shall be reduced to fixed-term imprisonment 15 to 20 years after the expiration of two years; If the crime is intentional and verified, the Supreme People's Court will approve the execution of the death penalty. The intentional crime here should be limited to the intentional crime characterized by criminals resisting reform and bad circumstances, rather than referring to any intentional crime in general. For intentional crimes, the unit with a two-year suspension of execution will report the materials to the intermediate people's court with jurisdiction and to the local higher people's court in the Supreme People's Court that approved the immediate execution of the death penalty. If the intentional crime is minor during the period of suspension of execution of death penalty, the punishment shall be combined in accordance with the provisions of Article 70 of the Criminal Law, and the time of suspension of execution of death penalty shall be recalculated from the date of new judgment.

Legal basis:

After the announcement of the judgment in Article 70 of the Criminal Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) and before the completion of the execution of the punishment, if it is found that the sentenced criminal has committed other crimes before the announcement of the judgment, a judgment shall be made on the newly discovered crime, and the punishment to be executed shall be decided in accordance with the provisions of Article 69 of this Law. The executed sentence shall be included in the sentence of the new judgment.