January 22, 2015

Vietnam Reviews 102 Criminal Cases, Finding 13 Judicial Miscarriages in 2014

by • Do Thi Hang, Han Duc Long, Ho Duy Hai, Huynh Van Nen, Le Ba Mai, Nguyen Van Chuong

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President Truong Tan Sang last December ordered the suspension of executions for Ho Duy Hai in Long An and Nguyen Van Chuong in Haiphong city, both of whom were to be executed in late 2014. The two were accused of murder and sentenced to death although they have solid alibi proving that they were not in scenes at the moment of the crimes.
By Vu Quoc Ngu | Jan 22, 2015
The Vietnamese Supreme People’s Court, Supreme People’s Procuracy and Ministry of Public Security jointly reviewed 102 life sentences and death sentences in 2014 and found 13 cases of miscarriage of justice, state media reported.
They found legal procedure violations in three other cases, the Phap Luat & Xa Hoi newspaper reported, adding that in 34 other cases, those convicted have complained of being unfairly tried and asked for lighter jail sentences or lighter civil responsibilities.
The Court People’s Supreme informed that during 2014, it reviewed 17 cases in which victims of judicial miscarriage demanded compensation from courts. Vietnam’s courts resolved six cases with total compensation of VND1.13 billion ($52,840) and seven other cases are still in negotiation process for compensation.
There were 23 lawsuits against state agencies during 2014, 11 of which were solved and the remaining six cases are still not completed, the Supreme People’s Court said.
Earlier this month, state-run media reported that the Standing Committee of Vietnam’s legislative body National Assembly worked in a number of provinces and cities to review petitions of accused on murder cases, on which the accused have complained that they were tortured during police interrogation and tried unfairly.
President Truong Tan Sang last December ordered the suspension of executions for Ho Duy Hai in Long An and Nguyen Van Chuong in Haiphong city, both of whom were to be executed in late 2014. The two were accused of murder and sentenced to death although they have solid alibi proving that they were not in scenes at the moment of the crimes.
In the first week of January, the NA’s Standing Committee asked the Supreme People’s Procuracy to cooperate with other state agencies to review 16 death-sentenced cases suspected of legal miscarriage.
Among the cases are death sentences of Han Duc Long and Do Thi Hang in Bac Giang, Ho Duy Hai in Long An, Nguyen Van Chuong in Haiphong, Huynh Van Nen in Binh Thuan and Le Ba Mai in Binh Phuoc. These cases have attracted a great deal of public attention.
In the one-party Vietnam, police torture is systemic while the roles of defending lawyers are limited both during the investigation and trials, said Hanoi-based observers.
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