Vietnamese government officials inspect heroin before its destroyed

VIETNAM: LEGISLATORS OPPOSE PROPOSAL TO REPEAL DEATH PENALTY FOR RAPE

May 25, 2009: a majority of Vietnamese National Assembly deputies strongly opposed a bill to remove capital punishment laws for rape, and drug transportation and storage. Politicians including Do Thi Lan, Huynh Nghia and Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa voiced their support of the death penalty.
However, Chairwoman of the NA Judicial Committee Le Thi Thu Ba said the death penalty was unnecessary as life imprisonment was a sufficient punishment and deterrent.
She said, however, the death sentence should be maintained for raping children, or raping and murdering, or raping and robbing.
Vietnam was planning to reduce the number of death penalties in the Criminal Codes, she added.
The bill, which proposes amendments to several articles of the Criminal Codes is scheduled to be passed at the end of this session. It contains proposals to remove the death sentence in 8 out of 29 capital crimes. (Sources: Thanhnien, 26/05/2009)