The National Assembly is considering the Law on Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Penal Code at the 9th Session. One of the notable contents in the Draft Law is the proposal to abolish the death penalty for many crimes.
According to the submission, the Government proposed to remove 8/18 crimes with a death penalty in the current Penal Code, including the crime of illegally transporting drugs (Article 250).
The draft law stipulates that the highest penalty for this crime is 20 years in prison, life imprisonment or life imprisonment without consideration for a reduced sentence.
Delegate Luong Van Hung (Quang Ngai Delegation) suggested that the death penalty should be considered for 3 crimes, including the crime of illegally transporting drugs.
Delegate Luong Van Hung said that the current Penal Code stipulates the death penalty for the purpose of deterring and preventing crimes, aiming to prevent Vietnam from becoming a drug production, transit and consumption area.
In fact, drug crimes are becoming increasingly complicated and of a particularly serious nature, including cases of transporting up to hundreds of heroin cakes, causing great harm to society.
"Therefore, to ensure deterrence and create a legal corridor to fight this type of crime, it is necessary to keep the death penalty for the crime of illegal drug transportation and not convert it to life imprisonment without reducing sentences," delegate Luong Van Hung emphasized.
Regarding this content, delegate Ma Thi Thuy (Tuyen Quang Delegation) also proposed to consider and not abolish the death penalty for the crime of illegally transporting drugs.
According to the delegate, if the death penalty is abolished, there will be no deterrent. Especially for large drug transportation cases, if there are no strict and severe penalties, it will affect people's health and lives.
Currently, the policy of our Party and State is also stepping up the fight against drug crimes with the goal of reducing supply, reducing demand, and reducing the consequences of drugs.
The delegate also suggested that the removal of the death penalty for any crime should be carefully considered and evaluated, avoiding adverse impacts on the effectiveness of deterrence, prevention and handling of crimes.
Delegate Thich Duc Thien (Dien Bien Delegation) proposed to reconsider reducing sentences for crimes, especially for drug crimes. Regarding drug crimes, the delegate emphasized the great level of danger to society.
The delegate cited that recent drug trafficking cases are no longer small cakes but amount to tons of drugs, endangering society and destroying many people. Therefore, the penalty framework for this type of crime needs to be reconsidered.
Agreeing with the removal of the death penalty for some crimes, however, Lieutenant General Nguyen Hai Trung (Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, Hanoi National Assembly Delegation) said that the National Assembly has recently approved the national target program on drug prevention until 2030.
In which, it emphasizes the regular, continuous, and synchronous implementation of solutions to improve the quality and effectiveness of drug prevention and control in all three areas of supply reduction, demand reduction, and harm reduction.
Meanwhile, drug criminals have many acts such as production, trading, transportation, storage, organization of use... but the draft law stipulates reduction for transportation.
The delegate said that transporting drugs for a few cloves, a few weights, or even a few tons is a terrible sin. Therefore, there must still be a death penalty for drug trafficking and a higher sentence proposal.
