Judge Truong Viet Toan explained General Chung’s handshake

The media in Vietnam on Sunday December 13 quoted Judge Truong Viet Toan, vice president of the Hanoi People’s Court, as explaining that “he went to the defendants’ areas, touched their shoulders, encouraged them and shook hands.” Nguyen Duc Chung and his accomplices in the case. “

The VietnamNet newspaper of the Ministry of Information and Communications quoted Mr. Toan, who presided over many important trials, explaining what this newspaper described as “controversial in public” as follows:

“That day, after the sentence was finished, I went back to my office. At that time, of course, I had to go through the defendant’s line. When he passed the defendant Chung, Mr. Chung came over to arrest him.”

“Actually, at the time I was also thinking very fast. After pausing a bit, I finally decided to shake his hand, pat the accused on the shoulder and encourage him:

“Try to renovate well. Five years after renovating it well, it will be fast.”

This report describes that Judge Toan, who presided over this closed-door trial, “shook hands with all the other defendants” during this trial and that although it was held that the judge’s actions “lost their strict, fair dignity” consider “humanitarian action”.

VietnamNet describes that this is not the “first time” that Judge Toan shakes hands and encourages the accused after the trial.

“Before, after Ha Van Tham’s trial, I used to shake hands and encourage defendant Tham to do a good job. Actually, that was simply showing human love for each other,” Toan was quoted as saying by this newspaper.

Judge Toan was also subpoenaed by the Dan Tri newspaper on December 13, in response to this reporter, confirming that he shook hands and encouraged the defendants.

“After the trial was over, I came down to shake hands to encourage the defendants to be sure they will reform so they can go home soon.

“I went down to shake hands with the defendants when the trial ended, the Panel was over, but I didn’t do that during the trial, so this is of a different nature, depending on the moment.

“The sentence is over, in a sense, the accused, the accused is also human, the judge is also human, maybe people will raise their hands and don’t stop.

“I think this is happening normally, showing humanity to each other,” Judge Toan explained.

The image of Judge Toan ‘clapping’ the defendant Chung has been and is widely shared on social media at home and abroad, with many comments ranging from “ridiculous” to “clapping friends on the shoulder”. , to “where is it serious?”, and “what about the defendant in other cases?” …

One person wrote on BBC News’ Vietnamese Facebook: “Mr. Toan’s handshake is Toan’s right, but not in court and when he is not wearing a judge’s gown.”

Another person shared this point of view and wrote: “Yes, human love is not bad, but the solemnity of the court, whether before or after the handshake, is deceptive, especially when you are still wearing a public service jacket with hat. “.

And someone wrote: “It is a lie, the judge has his own way out, if there is no case of passing the prisoner. Deliberately going down to shake the old man’s hand, then leaving him out loud.”

The former chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, Nguyen Duc Chung, was sentenced to 5 years in prison in a closed-door trial for the “appropriation of state secret documents” case.

The three remaining defendants, including Mr. Chung’s driver and secretary, and a police officer, were sentenced by the court to between 18 months and 4 years and 6 months in prison.