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Vietnam seeks to end executions for drug trafficking in Penal Code draft

The draft would remove drug trafficking from Vietnam’s capital crimes list, leaving the death penalty only for treason, murder, terrorism, and illegal narcotics production if lawmakers pass it.

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Vietnam is considering a draft revision to its Penal Code that would remove drug trafficking from the list of capital crimes, a major change in a country known for one of Southeast Asia’s toughest anti-drug enforcement regimes, South China Morning Post reports.

According to the outlet, the proposal was presented to lawmakers last week, and it would determine whether executions remain an option for drug-related offences. Last year, Vietnam kept drug trafficking on the capital crimes list during an earlier round of death penalty reforms.

If the revised law is passed, capital punishment would apply only to four crimes: treason, murder, terrorism, and illegal narcotics production. The proposal comes amid broader regional debates over whether the death penalty still has a role in society, how much sentencing discretion judges should have, and what tools governments can use to disrupt the drug trade without executions.

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