Vietnam proposes removing death penalty for drug trafficking and child rape

The Vietnamese government has proposed narrowing the scope of the death penalty within the draft revised Penal Code. Specifically, the proposal suggests removing the death penalty for crimes including illegal drug trafficking and the rape of children under 16.

During a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on September 25, Deputy Minister of Public Security Pham The Tung presented the government's rationale. Regarding drug trafficking, officials noted that despite high rates of death penalty application, the crime remains complex. They argued that prevention depends more on the effectiveness of detection and enforcement by authorities rather than the severity of the ultimate punishment.

For the crime of raping children under 16, the draft maintains the classification of the offense as particularly serious, proposing sentences of 20 years to life imprisonment instead of death. The government stated that determining the scope of capital punishment must align with overall criminal policy and Vietnam's international obligations. While many support narrowing the death penalty to only four specific crimes, some delegates have expressed concerns regarding the potential impact of these changes on crime prevention.