The National Assembly Standing Committee disagreed with a congressional vote which would mean juveniles are fully subject to criminal charges for rape, deliberately injuring people or kidnapping.
Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan at a regular monthly meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee. (Photo: nhandan.com.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) - The National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) disagreedwith a congressional vote which would mean juveniles are fully subject tocriminal charges for rape, deliberately injuring people or kidnapping.
Duringa regular monthly meeting that began on February 20, the NASC debatedamendments to the Penal Code 2015 which last year was suspended from going intoeffect days before implementation due to 90 “technical errors”.
Article12 of the Penal Code 2015, passed by the 13th NA, regulated that any personfrom 14 to 16, while still legally a child, would be held responsible forcriminal charges for some crimes, including rape, deliberately injuring peopleor kidnapping.
TheSupreme People’s Procuracy Chief Justice Le Minh Tri said that the Governmentwanted to narrow down the crime level to which juveniles are subject tocriminal charges, making it so they only face prison terms if their crimes arevery serious, Trí said.
“Thisoption is to ensure a humane policy towards those individuals,” he said.
NACommittee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children Chairman PhanThanh Binh said that those under 16 were considered children according to theChild Law.
“Wehave to consider the future of those children in prison and post-prison,” hesaid. “If they can’t manage their lives outside jail, can they possibly do thatinside?”
“Iacknowledge that there has been an increase in juvenile crime of late, yet wedon’t have any official statistics on how many 14-16-year-old children wereengaged in serious crimes”.
NACommittee for Legal Affairs member Nguyen Khac Dinh said that the juvenileregulation of the Penal Code 2015 was discussed and voted through by 266 out of397 deputies of the 13th NA for a reason.
“Manybelieved that we should only be humane to a group on the condition that no oneis hurt from that decision,” he said.
Dinhsuggested that the issue should be brought to the 14th NA again for anothervote.-VNA
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Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan at a regular monthly meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee. (Photo: nhandan.com.vn) 
