Deputy PM orders safe organisation of amnesty amid COVID-19

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh chairs a meeting of the Central Advisory Council on Amnesty on July 10. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Central Advisory Council on Amnesty (CACA) convened a meeting in Hanoi on July 10 under the chair of Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh to discuss the national amnesty plan on the occasion of the upcoming National Day (September 2).

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on June 30 issued a decision on amnesty for prisoners in 2021, on the occasion of the National Day, and the establishment of the CACA with Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh as its head.

At the meeting, the Ministry of Public Security delivered a report specifying this year’s plan and guidelines on the implementation of the amnesty, which targets inmates serving definite terms, those with reduced life sentences and those with suspended sentences.

In his remarks, Deputy PM Binh stressed that the amnesty work must ensure transparency, fairness and particularly safety against the backdrop of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 outbreak.

He also requested local authorities to offer assistance to those released from prisons to enable them to reintegrate into the community.

The Ministry of Public Security should coordinate with local authorities and agencies to well manage freed prisoners and help them return to normal life, particularly at such a difficult time caused by COVID-19, the Deputy PM said.

Statistics show that the State has granted seven amnesties from 2009 to 2016, beneficial a total of 87,111 inmates. The rate of relapse among amnesty beneficiaries was reportedly at 1.18 percent during the period./.