Vietnam's parliament has abolished the death penalty for eight major criminal offenses, an action believed to further promote transparency and integrity within the country’s legal system.
Vietnam Abolishes Death Penalty for Eight Crimes, Paving the Way for Reform
Vietnam Abolishes Death Penalty for Eight Crimes, Paving the Way for Reform
Vietnam’s recent move aligns criminal justice with international standards while sparing a tycoon from capital punishment.
Vietnam has officially ended the death penalty for embezzlement and several other severe crimes, a legislative change ratified by the nation's parliament. On Wednesday, lawmakers unanimously approved amendments to the penal code that eliminate capital punishment for offenses such as espionage, attempts to undermine the government, and endangering state infrastructure. Other crimes affected by this decision include drug trafficking, accepting bribes, counterfeiting medications, and acts of war against the state. Now, these offenses will carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The recent legislative alterations benefit several high-profile individuals, including Truong My Lan, a property tycoon sentenced to death for her involvement in a massive $12 billion fraud scheme last year. Nguyen Minh Duc, a lieutenant general in the police force and deputy chair of the parliamentary committee on national defense and security, indicated that this initiative would bolster Vietnam’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign. Countries previously hesitant to extradite fugitives linked to financial crimes often cited Vietnam's capital punishment laws as a factor.
Concurrent with this development, the Vietnamese legislature is deliberating the enactment of a new extradition law aimed at simplifying the repatriation of fugitives. This follows past incidents, such as the 2017 case when Germany accused Vietnam of unlawfully detaining an asylum seeker in Berlin who was later convicted for embezzlement upon his return.
Although the specific number of individuals currently on death row remains undisclosed, reports reveal that thousands have received death sentences in recent years, with a notable number executed. The scope of crimes punishable by death has narrowed over time; while it encompassed 44 offenses in 1985, the figure now stands at just ten, which include rioting and rape. Experts like Nguyen Ngoc Chi, a former deputy head of the law department at Vietnam National University in Hanoi, express optimism that Vietnam may eventually abolish capital punishment entirely.
The recent legislative alterations benefit several high-profile individuals, including Truong My Lan, a property tycoon sentenced to death for her involvement in a massive $12 billion fraud scheme last year. Nguyen Minh Duc, a lieutenant general in the police force and deputy chair of the parliamentary committee on national defense and security, indicated that this initiative would bolster Vietnam’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign. Countries previously hesitant to extradite fugitives linked to financial crimes often cited Vietnam's capital punishment laws as a factor.
Concurrent with this development, the Vietnamese legislature is deliberating the enactment of a new extradition law aimed at simplifying the repatriation of fugitives. This follows past incidents, such as the 2017 case when Germany accused Vietnam of unlawfully detaining an asylum seeker in Berlin who was later convicted for embezzlement upon his return.
Although the specific number of individuals currently on death row remains undisclosed, reports reveal that thousands have received death sentences in recent years, with a notable number executed. The scope of crimes punishable by death has narrowed over time; while it encompassed 44 offenses in 1985, the figure now stands at just ten, which include rioting and rape. Experts like Nguyen Ngoc Chi, a former deputy head of the law department at Vietnam National University in Hanoi, express optimism that Vietnam may eventually abolish capital punishment entirely.
