Vietnam’s National Assembly has unanimously approved an amendment to the Criminal Code to abolish the death penalty for eight offenses, effective next month. This change will affect serious crimes such as embezzlement and attempts to overthrow the government. The decision spares the life of Truong My Lan, a real estate tycoon sentenced to death last year for embezzlement in a $12 billion fraud case. Under the new law, the maximum punishment for these offenses will be life imprisonment rather than execution.
Other crimes that will no longer warrant capital punishment include vandalizing state property, producing counterfeit medicine, jeopardizing peace, initiating invasive wars, espionage, and drug-related offenses. Those previously sentenced to death for these crimes before July 1 will see their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. This affects several individuals, including high-profile cases like Lan’s.
However, the amendment maintains the death penalty for ten offenses, including murder, treason, terrorism, and child sexual abuse. Drug trafficking, despite the revisions, will continue to carry capital punishment.
Vietnam’s approach to capital punishment is largely opaque, as statistics on death sentences are considered state secrets, leaving the exact number of people on death row unknown. The country solely employs lethal injection as the execution method following the cessation of firing squads in 2011. This legislative change marks a significant shift in Vietnam’s criminal justice policy, reflecting evolving attitudes towards capital punishment.
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