September 02, 2011
AN Australian is among the 10,000 prisoners being freed from Vietnamese jails as part of a National Day amnesty today.
The Australian man will be released after serving 15 months of a three-year sentence, a spokesperson at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told AAP.
DFAT did not say what crime the man had been convicted of, or release any personal details.
Australia has a prisoner transfer agreement with Vietnam that came into force at the end of 2009.
However, according to DFAT this release under the National Day amnesty is not connected to the agreement.
There 28 Australians currently in prison in Vietnam, some for drug-related offences.
None are facing the death penalty, though it does apply to some drug crimes.
Vietnam grants amnesty to prisoners each year on National Day.
This year, a total of 10,224 prisoners will be freed, while last year the number was 17,000.
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