National Assembly deputies on June 16 debated the draft revised Penal Code, which is expected to reduce the number of crimes punishable by the death penalty.

The limitation of the capital punishment is a Party policy as defined in resolutions on judicial reforms as well as reflected in reality, which is in line with the spirit of the 2013 Constitution on protecting citizen’s and human rights and the country’s international integration trend.

A majority of NA deputies supported the scaling back of the death penalty in all three aspects: the number of crimes subject to the capital punishment, tightening conditions for the application of the death penalty, and expanding the categories of convicted persons exempt from penalty execution.

However, many deputies argued that the three crimes of peace destruction, crime against humankind and war crimes should not be waived from the death penalty.

Article 39 on the exemption of death penalty and penalty execution for criminals aging 70 years old and above, was also a point of dispute and will be further discussed.

Many NA deputies voiced support for the Government’s proposal on putting the draft revised Penal Code for public debate.-VNA