82,000 prisoners to be granted amnesty in Vietnam
HANOI - Vietnam plans to grant amnesty to 8,277 prisoners to mark the country's traditional Lunar New Year Festival, which falls in early February, state media said on Thursday. The communist country's President Tran Duc Luong will soon make a final decision on Wednesday's proposal by the National Amnesty Consulting Council, the daily Tien Phong newspaper said. Only those with "good re-education records" will be given amnesty, the paper added.
Last September, Vietnam granted a nationwide amnesty to 8,623 prisoners, including 51 foreigners, to mark its September 2 National Day. Included in the list were 10 prisoners described by Hanoi as "of concern to the international community". Western governments and human rights groups have long criticised Hanoi for jailing political and religious critics of the regime.
Further amnesties are expected to be announced on May 19, the anniversary of the birth of revered Vietnamese Communist Party founder and independence hero Ho Chi Minh.
Agence France Presse - January 13, 2005
|