Thayer Consultancy Background Brief:

ABN # 65 648 097 123

Carlyle A. Thayer
Dong Tam Trial Metes Out
Death Sentences
September 18, 2020

As a follow up to your recent Background Briefs on the Dong Tam trial, we request
your assessment of the sentences handed down by the tribunal.
ANSWER: Given the high-handed and pre-emptive manner in which the Hanoi
People’s Tribunal conducted the trial of twenty-nine Dong Tam villagers, it is
impossible to know at this stage whether the “punishment fits the crime.”
The initial verdict found six defendants guilty of murder, two were sentenced to death
and the remaining four were given sentences ranging from 12 years to life
imprisonment (see table below). The initial verdict is subject to appeal.

Defendants Charged with Murder Tribunal Sentence

Le Dinh Cong Death

Le Dinh Chuc Death

Le Dinh Doang Life imprisonment

Bui Viet Hieu 16 years imprisonment

Nguyen Van Tuyen 13 years imprisonment

Nguyen Quoc Tien 12 years imprisonment

No compelling evidence was presented in the court proceeding that the deaths of the
three policemen – however horrific – was premeditated because the prosecution’s
case was not subject to robust cross-examination by defence lawyers or any cross-
examination worthy of the name.
Indeed, the tribunal’s proceedings appear to be a case of “rule by law” to cover up the
systematic failure of local authorities to address the grievances of peasant villagers in
a lawful, equitable and peaceful manner.
It should be recalled that on 9 January an estimated 3,000-armed mobile police and
other security officials stormed Dong Tam village at 4:30 in the morning without prior
notice. Some villagers responded by throwing rocks, fire crackers, ‘Molotov cocktails’
(bottles filled with petrol) and homemade ‘grenades.’
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It is to be hoped that the People’s Supreme Court will hear the appeals in court
proceedings that are transparent and legal to ensure that “justice is seen to be done.”

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “Dong Tam Trial Metes Out Death Sentences,”
Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, September 18, 2020. All background briefs are
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