Summary
Vietnam will no longer use the death penalty for eight types of crimes, including embezzlement and attempting to overthrow the government. Instead, the maximum sentence for these crimes will now be life imprisonment. This change comes after the National Assembly voted to amend the Criminal Code.
Key Facts
- Vietnam will stop using the death penalty for eight specific crimes.
- Crimes no longer eligible for the death penalty include bribery, embezzlement, and espionage.
- People already sentenced to death for these crimes will have their sentences changed to life imprisonment.
- The change will begin next month.
- The death penalty will still apply to 10 other crimes, like murder and terrorism.
- The topic of removing the death penalty for drug trafficking was highly debated.
- Vietnam keeps data on capital punishment confidential, meaning it's unclear how many are on death row.
- Vietnam stopped using firing squads for executions in 2011, switching to lethal injections.
