Is Assaulting a Cheating Spouse a Crime?

Recently, a video surfaced showing a group of women beating a beautiful girl on a road in Bozhou, Anhui Province, located in eastern China. A woman attacked her husband’s mistress in the middle of a crowded street with the help of a group of friends. This incident has stirred public opinion due to the brutality and inhumanity of the participants.

Jealousy is a psychological emotional state of humans, and individuals have the right to express it. However, the expression of this emotion must be controlled by reason and self-regulation.

Vietnamese law does not define what constitutes jealousy-induced violence or how it should be handled. However, through acts of jealousy-induced violence, certain factors can be identified to assess the severity of the actions for appropriate measures. Sometimes, excessive jealousy may inadvertently result in violent actions or words that infringe on the health, life, honor, and dignity of others, and such actions may be subject to criminal liability or administrative penalties depending on the severity and consequences of the actions.

According to criminal law, acts of jealousy-induced violence may constitute offenses specified in the Criminal Code 1999 as follows:

- Offense of intentionally causing injury or harm to the health of others (Article 104)- Offense of humiliating others (Article 121)

Accordingly, there will be penalties such as: warning, re-education without detention, fixed-term imprisonment, or life imprisonment.

Additionally, acts of jealousy-induced violence may be subject to administrative penalties for violations of public order and social safety according to Section 1, Chapter 2 of Decree 167/2013/ND-CP with fines ranging from a minimum of 100,000 VND to a maximum of 5,000,000 VND.

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE