VN cuts list of crimes eligible for death penalty

Publication Date: 03-07-2009

President Nguyen Minh Triet promulgated three new laws Thursday, including a rule to abolish death sentences for eight crimes, according to the President’s Office.

The three laws were: the Law on Judicial Records, the Law on State Compensation Responsibility and the Law on Revising and Amending some articles of the Criminal Code.

The Law on Judicial Records was expected to create a legal framework to build up a professional and modern database of judicial records.

It also aimed to meet the requirements of State management, international integration standards and factual demands from citizens, procuracy agencies and socio-political institutions.
The judicial record database would be built and handled at the National Judicial Records Centre and provincial judicial departments. Computerisation would be done at the centre, while it would take between six and 11 years to be executed at judicial departments.
The law will take effect from July 1, 2010.

The Law on State Compensation Responsibility will institutionalise guidelines and policies of the Party and State on ensuring citizen rights and human rights, including the right to request compensation for damage caused by on-duty State employees.

The law also stipulated compensation responsibilities of the State in management, justice and damages incurred during executing civil and criminal verdicts.
The law will be effective from January 1, 2010.

The Law on Revising and Amending some articles of the Criminal Code will focus on urgent requirements for the prevention and control of crimes.

Under the law, eight crimes would no longer be given death sentences.

The crimes involved rape; theft; smuggling; the production, storage, transport and circulation of fake money, cheques or government bonds; the illegal use of drugs; hijacking of aeroplane or ship; giving bribes; and the destruction of military weapons or equipment.

The abolishment took effect yesterday.

The new law also governed that drug users and those who illegally stay in foreign countries would be subject to criminal responsibility.

The law also includes new articles relating to environmental crimes, crimes in information technology and those on trafficking and terrorism.

These rules will be enforced from January 1, 2010.