Vietnam consistently holds fast to its determination and strong efforts to fight acts of torture or cruel treatment, in the spirit of a relevant United Nations convention, a senior Vietnamese official has said.

>> UN convention against torture submitted to NA for ratification Vu Anh Quang,  Director of the Department of International Organizations under  the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the statement at an international conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday on the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UN CAT). The event, jointly held by the ministry and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Vietnam, aimed to provide the participants with a general overview of the UN CAT, thereby raising awareness of organizations and individuals about the prevailing laws and mechanisms that prevent and protect people from torture, Anh said. Anh told the conference that the Vietnamese National Assembly ratified the UN CAT on November 28, showing Vietnam’s respect for its international commitments in the field of human rights and the country’s determination and strong efforts to fight acts of torture, or cruel treatment. The ratification of the convention also shows the consistent policy of the State of Vietnam to respect, protect and promote human rights in accordance with international standards, the official said. This is also a concrete step in the process of proactive international integration of Vietnam; affirming that Vietnam is an active and responsible member of UN on the issues of international concern, he added.

At the conference, Manfred Nowak, a Professor and PhD in international law and human rights at University of Vienna in Austria, who is also the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment, briefed the participants on the main contents of the UNCAT as well as the obligations of UN CAT’s member countries.

Meanwhile, Brian Buchner, Special Investigator II, Office of the Inspector General, Los Angeles Police Department, the U.S., introduced the experience of the United States in the implementation of the Convention CAT. Dr. Pham Minh Tuan, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration of Zone II, located in Ho Chi Minh City, told the conference that the legal system of Vietnam has regulations to protect people who are arrested, temporarily detained or jailed, or are serving jail terms from torture.

However, Vietnam’s Penal Code has not yet criminalized all acts of torture under the concept of torture adopted by the UN CAT, Dr. Tuan said.

In order to make the Code in accordance with the UN CAT. Article 298 of the Code should be amended to expand the scope of acts subject to the charge of “using corporal punishment”, Dr. Tuan said.

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