HANOI, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Most Vietnamese lawmakers said no exception for applying death penalty on over 70-year-old criminals at a hall discussion held in capital Hanoi on Tuesday during the ongoing ninth session of the 13th tenure of Vietnam's National Assembly (NA).
The amended Penal Code draft states several cases not applying death penalty, including to criminals who are over 70 years old.
However, the proposal faced opposition "from most of the law- makers", Bao Giao Thong (Transport News), an online newspaper under the ministry of transport reported on Tuesday.
Tran Thi Dung, an NA deputy said that death penalty is the highest sanction which deprive right to life of a citizen. As a result, removal of death penalty on which crimes needs consideration.
"I myself do not agree with the regulation to remove death penalty among criminals who are over 70 years old. In fact, many criminals whose ages exceed 70 have conducted seriously illegal activities. Most of them are healthy enough and may continue to violate the laws," Dung said.
Echoing Dung, NA deputy Nguyen Thanh Binh said if death penalty among people at their 70s is stopped, laws will have not enough deterrence.
It is necessary to maintain death penalty among people aging 70 years or older, Vietnam's state-run news agency VNA quoted Binh as saying on Tuesday.
NA deputy Truong Thai Hien seemed to hold the same view as arguing that, at their 70s, people should act as a mirror for their offspring. If they conduct actions that seriously violate the laws, they will have negative impacts on the public. Their activities thus need to be punished.
Hien jumped to conclusion that it is impossible to abandon death penalty in this case, reported Bao Giao Thong.
Vu Thi Nguyet, an NA deputy was quoted by Vietnam's state-run radio VOV on Tuesday that the regulation in the amended Penal Code draft is not suitable with reality.
"Based on which criteria can the drafting committee of the law think over-70-year-old people should not be applied with death penalty?" Nguyet questioned.
At the same time, during the hall discussion, many deputies were afraid that no death penalty among criminals aging over 70 will provide them chance to delay and escape from punishment, thus not guarantee the rule of law.
The draft will continue to be reviewed by the NA at the next session.
The ninth session of the 13th tenure of Vietnam's NA opened on May 20 and is expected to last till June 26.
Source: Xinhua, June 16, 2015
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