Directive No. 1043/TTg on reviewing and resolving cases of wrongful treatment during the reduction of land rent and land reform

DIRECTIVE

FROM THE PRIME MINISTER NUMBER 1043/TTG, SEPTEMBER 9, 1956
ON THE REVIEW AND SETTLEMENT OF CASES WHERE PERSONS HAVE BEEN WRONGFULLY HANDLED DURING LAND REFORM
REGARDING THE HANDLING OF INNOCENT PERSONS IN LAND REFORM

PRIME MINISTER

Respected: Gentlemen Chairmen of the Administrative Committees of the inter-provincial zones, provinces, cities, and those areas that have reduced rent and implemented land reform.

Also respectfully submitted to: Gentlemen Ministers of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Finance, Central Land Reform Committee.

land reform.

Respectfully submitted to: The Ministers of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice,

the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Finance, the Central Land Reform Committee.

Central.

During the mobilization of the masses for rent reduction and land reform, many serious mistakes were made in arrests and trials, leading to many innocent cadres, staff members, and civilians being detained, controlled, causing great hardship in both material and spiritual life.

In addition, in some state farms and agricultural cooperatives, during the implementation of democratic reforms, incorrect methods such as coercion similar to those used in land reform were also employed, resulting in many cadres, workers, and staff members in these places being wrongfully arrested and tried.

Currently, there are many people who are detained in camps, with poor detention conditions not yet improved; many are sickly.

This situation needs urgent correction.

While awaiting a comprehensive plan to correct the errors in rent reduction and land reform, the Prime Minister decides to immediately review cases where persons were wrongfully arrested or tried, to restore their freedom, and simultaneously lift control measures imposed on those who were wrongfully controlled.

The implementation plan is as follows:

1. Classify and review the cases of individuals detained during rent reduction and land reform and in democratic reform movements. This will be carried out in three steps.

Step one: Review all cases below, regardless of social class, accused of being reactionary, currently detained or already sentenced, during rent reduction and land reform and in democratic reform movements (except for individual cases of clearly guilty reactionaries demanded by the masses to be punished).

- All cadres, soldiers, and public servants who have left their posts.

- Cadres, soldiers, and public servants from the South.

- All half-detached cadres at village and hamlet levels participating in resistance, half-detached cadres at village and hamlet levels belonging to the middle, poor, and old farmer classes participating in work since peace.

- Model fighters, demobilized soldiers, war invalids, guerrillas.

- Intellectuals and public figures (including religious practitioners).

- Families of cadres, soldiers, war invalids, martyrs, and families with meritorious service to the revolution and resistance. If these families are cruel landlords, strong bullies, and evil exploiters with many crimes against policy, they will be reviewed and resolved in step three.

- Cadres, workers, and farmers in state farms and agricultural cooperatives who were arrested and tried during democratic reforms.

- Children under 17 years old.

- Pregnant women or mothers with young children.

- Elderly people over 60 years old.

During the review, these individuals will be released from detention camps to convenient locations to stabilize their thoughts, enjoying a monthly allowance of 26,000 dong; if ill, they will receive medical treatment and nutritional supplements; those in tattered clothing will be provided with a set of outerwear, a shirt, and pants.

Step two: Review the cases of laboring peasants, those with small plots of land, rich peasants, and other exploiting classes, who were wrongly accused of being reactionary and are currently detained or already sentenced during rent reduction and land reform and in democratic reform movements.

- For those reviewed in step two, they will also be released from detention camps and provided with one and a half kilograms of rice per day and five kilograms of rice per month for miscellaneous expenses.

Step three: Review the cases of laboring peasants wrongly classified as landlords and concluded as reactionary, or landlords who participated in resistance and ordinary landlords wrongly concluded as reactionary, sabotage, and are currently detained or already sentenced.

During the review, those mentioned above will remain in the camp and enjoy a minimum food allowance of 30 kilograms per month, and if ill, they will receive medical treatment.

While carrying out the aforementioned tasks, administrative committees need to urgently improve living conditions in detention camps regarding food and accommodation, allowing detainees to receive clothes and gifts, write letters to their families, meet family members, etc., paying special attention to seriously ill individuals.

2. Alongside reviewing and restoring freedom to those wrongfully detained, lifting control measures for those wrongfully controlled (except for cases where the masses demand continued control for landlords with crimes not warranting execution but under control, or habitual criminals).

- For those still under control, provincial administrative committees must review and decide on the duration and disciplinary measures of control appropriately, avoiding restrictions on their livelihood.

- Strictly prohibit surrounding, denouncing, arbitrary arrests, prohibiting torture, and prohibiting the establishment of detention centers at the village level.

3. Inter-provincial zone, provincial, and municipal administrative committees are responsible for organizing implementation. Each province will establish a subcommittee comprising representatives from the administrative committee, court, public security, and land reform committee to implement the aforementioned tasks.

The Government will issue regulations on legal procedures for reviewing and restoring freedom to innocent persons currently detained. Pending this, administrative committees should immediately classify and prepare for the review and restoration of freedom for wrongfully detained persons as stated above.

4. During implementation, inter-provincial zone administrative committees are permitted to advance funds to provinces, which will be settled with the Ministry of Finance later. The Ministry of Finance will instruct financial zones and departments to quickly resolve expenditures related to this matter.

Upon receipt of this directive, inter-provincial zone, provincial, and municipal administrative committees need to carefully study and develop specific plans for implementation.

During implementation, regular reports should be submitted to the Prime Minister's Office, and immediate reports should be made to the Prime Minister's Office when encountering difficulties, with the Prime Minister's Office providing advice for resolution.