The legal principle of presuming those being investigated were innocent unless proven guilty must be respected until a verdict was announced, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee said at its reg
The legal principle of presuming those being investigated were innocent unless proven guilty must be respected until a verdict was announced, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee said at its regular meeting on August 13.
This was part of discussions on amendments to the Penal Code brought up for discussion at the meeting.
National Assembly’s Law Committee Chairman Phan Trung Ly said all suspects should be viewed as innocent instead of being marked guilty at the beginning of investigations by law enforcement officers, who then only focused on digging for evidence to convict.
He said such thinking must be strictly banned to prevent wrong convictions, such as that of Nguyen Thanh Chan.
Chan spent up to 10 years in prison on a false murder charge until released and given compensation of about 7.2 billion VND (330,000 USD) in June.
Central Judicial Renovation Steering Committee Deputy Head Le Thi Thu Ba saw eye to eye with Ly, saying that the principle of innocence would help avoid negligence by legal forces.
"There are many cases in which the citizens have been mistakenly arrested. The police tried their best to find a crime to convict them," Ba said. "It is a violation of human rights."
Meanwhile, the proposal to make interrogations visually and voice recorded has been agreed to by the National Assembly’s Committee on Judicial Affairs. This is expected to ensure the transparency of the process and, at the same time, protect those interrogated from possible extortion, torture and being forced to make false statements.
The installation of CCTV and voice recording equipment at police stations and detention facilities was also financially practical, said the committee.
Detailed regulations on using the recording process - and their storage and use - needs to be worked out by the Supreme People's Procuracy and the Supreme People's Court, said Procurator General Nguyen Hoa Binh.-VNA
Chief Judge of the Supreme People’s Court Truong Hoa Binh explained in details to the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee the settlement of wrongful convictions during a live-broadcast question-and-answer session in Hanoi on March 13.
Members of the 13th National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee scrutinised amendments to the Penal Code during the committee’s ongoing 37th session in Hanoi on April 7, voicing contrary opinions on the restriction of the death penalty.
Lawmakers discussed abolishing the death penalty for several crime categories as well as criteria for commuting capital punishment sentences to life imprisonment in Hanoi on April 7.
National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee members on August 12 said that the Law on Access to Information was meant to enable people to exercise their rights and strengthen policy transparency.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is also a Politburo member and Secretary of the Government Party Committee, attended the 4th Party Congress of the EVN Party Organisation for the 2025–2030 tenure on August 10, directing EVN to ensure power supply to meet the country’s development demands with double-digit growth set for the coming years.
Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, along with a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived in Seongnam Air Base in Seoul on August 10 afternoon (local time), beginning a state visit to the Republic of Korea from August 10-13.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly departed from Hanoi on August 10 morning for a four-day state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK), which is made at an invitation of RoK President Lee Jae Myung.
As part of the ASEAN Day celebrations, the Vietnamese embassy will also host the ASEAN Family Day 2025 in Ottawa to foster solidarity and community spirit among ASEAN members in Canada.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
Across print, broadcast, and online platforms, Angolan media portrayed State President Luong Cuong's visit as a warm and historic occasion, strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Vietnam’s presence in Africa through the AU.
The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Vietnam pledges to do its utmost to build an ASEAN of solidarity, consensus, and unity in diversity, and to foster a fast and sustainable development path for ASEAN, grounded in science, technology, and innovation, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Party General Secretary To Lam called on the criminal police force to accelerate the application of science, technology, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation in criminal investigation tasks such as crime prevention, detection, tracking and verification, ensuring that no area remains out of their reach.
Many Koreans living, studying, and working in Hanoi see the upcoming state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Party General Secretary To Lam as an opportunity to generate strong synergy in economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural understanding.
The achievements of the five decades of Vietnam–Angola cooperation provide a strong and enduring foundation, as well as momentum for the two sides to consolidate, expand, and bring their partnership into a new phase of development.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the emulation and commendation work is a vital driver, fostering patriotism, dedication, and collective momentum in the run-up to the 11th National Patriotic Emulation Congress, Party congresses at all levels, and the 14th National Party Congress.
Emphasising the need for sustainable, long-term collaboration, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man called on Japanese investors not only to bring in capital but also to share expertise and modern technology, especially in areas such as green transformation, the circular economy, and advanced corporate governance.
President Luong Cuong's activities during his state visit to Angola, the celebration of the financial sector's 80th traditional day, and the Foreign Ministry's flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 58th founding anniversary of ASEAN are among news highlights on August 8.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung praised the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ meaningful initiative, noting that the ASEAN Family Run was not only a sporting activity but also an opportunity for diplomats and their families to show unity, connection, and solidarity within the ASEAN family.
Procurator General Nguyen Hoa Binh (Source: VNA)
