Vietnam bans firing squad, death by lethal injection only

Vietnam will begin carrying out this week the death penalty by lethal injection instead of firing squad, an official said today.

Legislators seeking a “more humane” method of judicial killing approved the change last year.

“The law on execution by lethal injection to replace firing squads in death penalty cases will take effect from July 1, 2011 throughout Vietnam,” said the official from the Ministry of Public Security. He asked not to be identified.

The ministry recently held a conference to brief police about the new law, the official added.

Most death sentences in Vietnam are handed down to drug traffickers and murderers.

Vietnamese authorities do not issue capital punishment statistics but according to reports in state-controlled media, 19 people have received the death penalty and four have been executed so far this year.

Rights group Amnesty International has said changing one form of execution for another does not address the “inhumanity” of the punishment. It called on Vietnam to work towards abolishing the death penalty.

We need the firing squad here in America. I swear I would behave!

Via AFP