At the beginning of June, in a positive development for the abolition of the death penalty in Vietnam, two Australians who had been sentenced to death have been granted clemency.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that the improvement in diplomatic relations played a crucial role in this decision, following his official visit to Vietnam.

The granting of clemency represents a significant breakthrough and aligns with Vietnam’s ongoing reforms in criminal justice, which were reiterated by the representative from Vietnam’s Ministry of Justice at the 2023 International Congress of Justice Ministers organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio (Rome, March 1-2, 2023). The Vietnamese representative reaffirmed the government’s commitment to gradually reduce the range of crimes eligible for the death penalty, consistent with the reforms introduced in the penal code in 1999 and 2015, and to act in accordance with the principles outlined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Sant’Egidio expresses its satisfaction for the important decision that spares the lives of the two condemned individuals and gives hope for further steps towards a justice free from the death penalty