Vietnam to grant early release to prisoners on National Day
HANOI, Vietnam - Vietnam plans a major prisoner release on the country's
57th National Day next month, but national security law breakers, drug
traffickers and gangster bosses are not eligible, an official said
Thursday.
It will be Vietnam's first significant early release of prisoners for
almost
three years. About 23,000 prisoners were released in early 2000 to mark
the
25th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and the 55th National Day
—
the day revolutionary hero Ho Chi Minh declared independence from French
colonial rule in 1945.
An order signed by President Tran Duc Luong says prisoners who have
repented
their crimes and obeyed prison rules will be considered for release on
Sept.
2. They must have served at least one-third of their sentence or 10
years
for those on a life sentence, a Ministry of Public Security official
said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said inmates convicted
of
violating national security laws, drug trafficking, leading underworld
gangs
or masterminding major economic crimes will not be considered.
Political dissidents who criticize the government or Communist Party or
advocate another political system have been arrested under national
security
laws.
Human rights groups accuse Vietnam of jailing political and religious
dissidents. But the government insists it does not arrest people because
of
their beliefs, but because they have violated particular laws.
Those who have served one fourth of their terms, or eight years for
those
with life sentences, will also be considered if they contributed to
Vietnam's communist revolution, are related to slain soldiers, elderly
or
suffer from a serious illness, he said.
The Central Amnesty Council will conduct a screening then give a list of
eligible prisoners to the president for a final decision, he said. He
did
not know how many would be released, he said.
The Associated Press - August 8, 2002
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