Vietnam News Update

Vietnam Considers Dropping Nine Death Penalty Crimes
February 10, 2006
The China Post reported Friday that Vietnam may abolish the death penalty for nine crimes.

On the list, created by the country’s Ministry of Public Security and submitted to the Central Judiciary Reform Steering Commission, are smuggling, fraud, counterfeiting and bribery, state-controlled media reported Friday. Eliminating the nine crimes would reduce from 29 to 20 the number of offenses in Vietnam which are punishable by death. In 2003, the number of crimes punishable by death was reduced from 44 to 29.
The ministry also proposed adding lethal injection as a more humane method of execution. Currently, Vietnam executes prisoners by firing squad.
International human rights groups have criticized Vietnam for handing down many death sentences and using firing squads for executions.
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Vietnam may switch from using firing squads to lethal injection
February 10, 2006
Vietnam's Police Ministry wants to replace the use of firing squads with lethal injection for criminals sentenced to the death penalty, according to a Reuters news report.
"Lethal injection is becoming popular in the countries where the death sentence is still applied," the Ho Chi Minh City Law newspaper, run by the city's Justice Department, quoted the Ministry study as saying.
"The method's advantage is to cause less pain to the death-row inmate, the execution time is short, some parts can be automated so it will minimise the psychological difficulties for executioners," it said.
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