Strict prisoner amnesty process ensures human rights upheld

Nguyen Van Pha, a member of the Amnesty Consultancy Council, spoke to the Dai Doan Ket (Great Unity) newspaper about pardons to be granted on National Day on Thursday.

Can you tell me something about Amnesty's work this year?

Every country grants amnesty to prisoners. In our country, amnesty is given special attention by the Party, the State and the Fatherland Front because it is in line with our national tradition and sense of morality. In recent years, our amnesty policy has been revised and improved.

In 2007, the National Assembly approved the Amnesty Law, together with guiding documents governing its implementation. It provides a legal basis for amnesty to avoid any negative consequences and ensure prisoners' rights are served.

The Amnesty Consultancy Council, founded by a Presidential decision, has 10 members and is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong.

Granting amnesty involves five stages. In my opinion, our procedures are very strict, to ensure the law is upheld.

This year a great many prisoners will be granted amnesty. What do you have to say about this?

This year, 2010, is special for a number of historical reasons, and a great many prisoners will be granted amnesty. It is expected that about 17,000 prisoners will be set free this National Day, against nearly 5,000 on the same day last year. Therefore, the amnesty process was started early. The Amnesty Law and regulations on amnesty have made the process simpler and more specific.

Under the supervision of the Fatherland Front Central Committee and appraisal groups, and after reading reports from the Ministry of Public Security, the amnesty process this year has been implemented in accordance with the President's request and is in line with the law. There will be fewer errors this year than in previous years.

What obstacles are faced by the authorities when it comes to granting amnesty to a prisoner?

Certain kinds of crime, such as drug-related ones, often carry fines. But most prisoners are poor, so it is difficult to collect the fines. In addition, prisoners' families often live far away, or have changed their address, which adds to the difficulty of fine collection.

Before amnesty is granted, fines have to be paid. Technically, the prisoners themselves must pay the fines, but often it is the families that do so, resulting in additional fees.

The Amnesty Consul- tancy Council and prison bosses have tried to resolve these difficulties to ensure prisoners' rights are served.

What do you think about reintegration of prisoners into society after amnesty has been granted? How can they be prevented from relapsing? What is the role of the Fatherland Front in this process?

According to police reports, the rate of recidivism among those granted amnesty is low, about 4 per cent The main reason is that they do not have jobs or their jobs are not stable, or their professional skills are not good enough to earn a decent income.

In addition, there is the problem of discrimination in the community and in prisoners' families. Furthermore, some prisoners are unrepentant, and are not determined to make a fresh start.

Checking prisoners' records is not the Fatherland Front Committees' main role. Their main role is to join hands with other related bodies and local authorities to help freed prisoners re-integrate into the community.

The committees organise specific activities, such as meeting the newly released prisoners and their families and contacting manufacturing and trading enterprises in the prisoner's local community about job opportunities. HCM City and southern Binh Duong Province have had great results in this area. — VNS