Ministry of Health Must Ensure the Supply of Drugs for Use in Lethal Execution

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According to Decree 43/2020/ND-CP, the Ministry of Health is responsible for the execution of the death penalty by lethal injection as follows:

1. Ensure the supply of drugs for the execution of the death penalty according to the annual drug procurement plan of the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defense; guide the preservation and use of drugs used for the execution of the death penalty; take the lead in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defense to issue the list of drugs, drug dosages, and procedures for the use of drugs for the execution of the death penalty.

2. Direct professional agencies, hospitals, health training institutions to cooperate with the temporary detention management agency of the Ministry of Public Security and the criminal judgment execution agency of the Ministry of National Defense to train and instruct health professionals directly related to the execution of the death penalty for officials and soldiers tasked with the death penalty execution.

3. Direct the Departments of Health in provinces and centrally run cities to issue health quarantine certificates for the corpses, ashes, and remains of those executed (if necessary).

4. Direct hospitals under the health sector to:

- Assign doctors to assist the execution officers in locating veins if necessary upon the request of the Chairman of the Execution Committee;

- Receive and preserve the corpses of those executed as transferred by the criminal judgment execution agency.

Additionally, the Decree also defines the responsibility of the Detention Center where the person sentenced to death is held:

- Prepare the conditions and workplace for the Execution Committee.

- Hand over the person sentenced to death to the Execution Team as requested by the Execution Committee.

- Organize meals, drinks (equivalent to five times the standard on holidays and Tet as prescribed for detainees), writing letters, and recording the last words for the person to be executed.

- Hand over to the family members or legal representatives all documents, belongings, assets, and money that the person to be executed left behind during detention (if any).

- Hand over the dossier of the person sentenced to death as prescribed.

For details, see Decree 43/2020/ND-CP, effective from April 15, 2020.

Le Hai

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