Tran Van Do from the southern province of An Giang, said the purpose of law enforcement was not to punish but to educate. Photo: laodong
National Assembly (NA) deputies on August 26 discussed the draft Criminal Code, focusing on a regulation about whether audio and video recordings were compulsory during investigations.
The session was held on the last day of the three-day meeting in Hanoi.
The deputies agreed that the recordings were necessary to ensure transparency, help protect suspects and also protect interrogators from being slandered.
Dinh Xuan Thao from Hanoi said recordings should be compulsory as they were the best way to avoid forced confessions and torture during investigations.
Sharing Thao's opinion, Bui Manh Hung from the southern province of Binh Phuoc, said that the regulation would help those who wanted to give depositions, evidence and information a chance to protect themselves.
"When the suspects ask for recordings during an investigation, the interrogators must meet the demand," he said.
He added that if suspects wanted to make recordings themselves they could, as recordings could now be done on smart phones.
Deputies on August 26 also discussed the abolishment of the death penalty for several crimes.-VNA
