Amnesty - Humanitarian policy for human rights

The 2024 amnesty day is approaching, and it is expected that thousands of prisoners will enjoy the joy of returning to their families and communities soon, ready for the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

People who once went astray are once again given the opportunity to correct their mistakes and continue to enjoy full rights and obligations as citizens. That is the greatest humane value that amnesty brings to criminals when they truly repent, reform, actively work, improve and are determined to turn to goodness, reform and start a new life.

Overview of the press conference announcing the 2024 amnesty decision of the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. (Source: VGP)

1. The results of amnesty campaigns on important events and national holidays in recent years have been approved by the people in the country and highly appreciated by international public opinion, affirming the consistent policies of the Party and State in promoting and protecting human rights, including those serving prison sentences. In addition to the core values ​​of humanity, amnesty has brought positive meanings to many aspects of social life.

Socially , amnesty for prisoners who meet the prescribed conditions has the effect of encouraging those sentenced to prison who are serving their sentences to actively study, work, comply with prison regulations and rules, and make meritorious deeds to atone for their crimes in the hope of receiving clemency and soon returning to reunite with their families and communities. Amnesty work also contributes to strengthening people's trust in the lenient and humane policies of the Party and State, demonstrating the superior nature of the socialist regime.

Economically , early release of prisoners contributes to reducing state budget expenditures, reducing pressure on prisons, creating conditions for prisons to upgrade facilities and equipment, improve the quality of prisoner education and rehabilitation, and prepare necessary facilities for prisoners to reintegrate into the community when their prison terms are completed.

Politically , the publicity and democracy in implementing the procedures for considering special pardons, the full information provided to domestic and international press agencies and the organization of delegations of foreign representative agencies and domestic and foreign reporters to detention facilities have clearly demonstrated the transparency in information, while helping the international community understand and acknowledge the lenient and humane policy of our Party and State, an important part of fighting and refuting wrong views, defamation, and slander against Vietnam for violating human rights.

Since 2009, the President has decided to carry out 9 rounds of amnesty, releasing over 92,000 prisoners early. In order for the amnestied to return to the community early and become useful members of society, the localities receiving the amnestied have proactively implemented many support policies, especially livelihood support activities (loans, job creation, etc.).

Over the years, the majority of pardoned people have returned to their place of residence, worked honestly, and stabilized their lives. Many of them have become successful businessmen, actively participated in local social activities, and have been highly appreciated by society. The rate of pardoned people reoffending is very low. In the most recent pardon in 2022, only 2 out of 2,438 pardoned people have reoffended, accounting for 0.08%.

The results of the amnesty work in recent years have affirmed the achievements of quite comprehensive and profound innovation in the work of executing prison sentences, especially in innovation in the education and rehabilitation of prisoners. The humane policies of our Party and State do not stop at amnesty and early release of prisoners but are also demonstrated in creating conditions for those who are amnestied to reintegrate into the community.

Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet, member of the 2024 Amnesty Advisory Council, led an interdisciplinary delegation to inspect the 2024 amnesty work at Vinh Quang prison, Vinh Phuc province. (Source: BNG)

In order to achieve the goal of educating, reforming, and bringing pardoned people back to the community and having the opportunity to strive to become useful people for society and not re-offend, Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front, unions, social organizations, economic organizations and all people need to continue to care, monitor, encourage and create conditions to help them reintegrate into the community. Most recently, on August 7, 2024, the Prime Minister issued Official Dispatch No. 76/CD-TTg requesting Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities to direct authorities at all levels to coordinate with the Fatherland Front, agencies, economic organizations, unions and social organizations in the locality to actively and effectively implement Decree No. 49/2020/ND-CP dated April 17, 2020 of the Government detailing the implementation of the Law on Criminal Judgment Execution on community reintegration.

Continue to monitor, manage, educate, assist, teach and create jobs for pardoned people returning to the community to eliminate their inferiority complex, do honest work, limit re-offending and violating the law. For pardoned people in especially difficult circumstances, mobilize sectors, unions and social organizations to help them borrow capital to do business, stabilize their lives, and reintegrate into the community...

Localities across the country are currently maintaining 355 typical models of community reintegration in various forms such as: support fund models, helping with loans, creating jobs for people with past mistakes; models of participating in management and education of people with past mistakes; club models; models promoting the role of prestigious people participating in management, education, and helping people with past mistakes...

Typical examples include the model "Entrepreneur Fund with Security and Order" of Dong Nai province, which has mobilized over 33 billion VND in capital from enterprises for over 1,200 people who have completed their prison sentences and people who have been granted amnesty to borrow capital; the model "Fund for Community Reintegration Development" of Dong Thap province, which has disbursed over 22 billion VND for nearly 800 cases of people with criminal pasts to borrow capital, create jobs, and develop production; the model "Market of Humanity" by Ha Nam Provincial Police in coordination with the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs of the province, has organized 06 job transaction sessions for nearly 200 people who have completed their prison sentences and people who have been granted amnesty to receive advice, job introduction and find jobs suitable to their conditions and abilities...

The effective operation of the above models demonstrates the attention of authorities at all levels, the voluntary and active participation of departments, sectors, unions, and social communities in the work of reintegrating people who have completed their prison sentences and those who have been pardoned into the community.

Previously, in 2023, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 22/2023/QD-TTD dated August 17, 2023 on credit for people who have completed their prison sentences to create conditions for those who have made mistakes to have capital to invest in economic development and stabilize their lives. This is the first credit mechanism specifically for 02 groups of borrowers: people who have completed their prison sentences and people who have been pardoned; production and business establishments that employ people who have completed their prison sentences.

Up to now, more than 6,000 people who have completed their prison sentences and those who have been granted amnesty have received loans from the Social Policy Bank with an amount of over 500 billion VND to invest in production development, family economic development, and stabilize their lives.

Prisoners who have reformed well have been granted amnesty by the President on previous occasions. (Source: CAND)

2. All preparations for the amnesty according to Decision No. 758/2024/QD-CTN on amnesty in 2024 on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2024) and the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of the Capital (October 10, 1954 - October 10, 2024) issued by the President on July 30, 2024, are being actively, publicly and transparently deployed at detention facilities nationwide.

The President's decision on amnesty in 2024 was widely announced in the media; publicly posted at prisons, detention camps, criminal enforcement agencies, and district-level police; disseminated to all officers and soldiers performing the task of executing sentences and notified to prisoners.

Detention facilities organize for prisoners who meet the conditions to write applications for amnesty and commitments; organize meetings of prisoner groups and teams to review and vote on recommendations for qualified prisoners; Councils of prisons, detention camps, and Criminal Enforcement Agencies of District Police make lists and profiles of people who meet the conditions for amnesty proposals and send them to the Interdisciplinary Appraisal Teams of the Advisory Council for further inspection and appraisal.

Detention camps, temporary detention camps, and provincial police criminal enforcement agencies shall, based on the appraisal results, complete the dossiers and lists and send them to the Standing Committee of the Amnesty Advisory Council to synthesize and send the list to members of the Amnesty Advisory Council for review.

After receiving the results of the review by the members of the Amnesty Advisory Council, the Standing Committee of the Amnesty Advisory Council compiles the lists for the Amnesty Advisory Council to review and submit to the President for consideration and decision. At the same time, the list of eligible prisoners is publicly posted by prisons, detention camps, and criminal enforcement agencies of the district-level police in prison cells and visiting houses for all prisoners and their families to know and compare.

It can be affirmed that the process of considering the proposal for amnesty for prisoners is carried out in a very strict, public, democratic, objective, fair, transparent, and appropriate manner, with the right subjects and conditions according to regulations. The amnesty proposal dossier is examined and assessed at many levels with the participation of many functional agencies and departments, and especially with the supervision of social organizations and the People.

On September 18, the 2024 Amnesty Advisory Council met to review a list of proposals for the President to grant early pardon to prisoners eligible for amnesty on the occasion of the 79th National Day and the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of the Capital.

Politburo member, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, Chairman of the 2024 Amnesty Advisory Council, emphasized that humanity and clemency towards criminals is a fine tradition of our nation.

Our country's laws demonstrate strictness towards criminals, resolutely punishing masterminds, ringleaders, stubborn opponents, and dangerous recidivists. At the same time, they are always lenient and forgiving towards criminals who are sincere, have made meritorious contributions to atone for their crimes, repent, and create all favorable conditions for them to correct their mistakes, become honest people, and be useful to society.

The President's decision on amnesty in 2024 once again affirms the consistent policy of the Party and State in protecting and promoting human rights in a fair and equal manner for every citizen, including those serving prison sentences. This has been clearly stated in the 2013 Constitution, the system of legal documents such as the 2015 Penal Code, the 2015 Criminal Procedure Code, the 2015 Law on Execution of Detention and Temporary Detention, the 2019 Law on Execution of Criminal Judgments, etc.

The basic rights of prisoners are guaranteed, such as the right to food, clothing, housing, medical care, receiving gifts or postal items, meeting relatives, contacting consulates, legal representatives to conduct civil transactions, etc., helping them to feel secure in reforming, cultivating morality, and amnesty is the highest encouragement if they reform well, truly turn to goodness, and reform.

Practice shows that legal regulations have fully guaranteed human rights, regardless of whether they are foreigners or Vietnamese citizens. This is a sharp proof to refute the arguments and false information of individuals and organizations with bad intentions, deliberately distorting the situation of ensuring human rights in Vietnam.

In addition, considering and proposing amnesty for prisoners of foreign nationality on a fair and transparent basis also helps the international community better understand the humane and humanitarian policies of our Party and State.

It is expected that in the 2024 amnesty, thousands of prisoners will enjoy the joy of returning to their families and communities early, ready for the opportunity to rebuild their lives. People who once went astray and lost their way will once again be given the opportunity to correct their mistakes and continue to enjoy full rights and obligations as citizens.

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(*) Director of the Department of Police for management of detention camps, compulsory education facilities, and reform schools - Ministry of Public Security

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dac-xa-chinh-sach-nhan-van-nhan-dao-vi-quyen-con-nguoi-287012.html