Decree-Law No. 133/SL On Punishing Various Types of Traitors and Reactionaries

DECREE

OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

DECREE-LAW NO. 133/SL ON 20TH DAY OF JANUARY YEAR 1953

THE PRESIDENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

Pursuant to Decree-Law No. 21-SL dated February 14, 1946, and subsequent decrees regulating the organization and defining the jurisdiction of military courts to try cases harmful to the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam;

Considering the current situation;

In accordance with the resolution of the Council of Ministers, after consultation with the Standing Committee of the National Assembly,

ISSUES THE DECREE:

Article 1

To consolidate the people's democratic regime, to intensify the struggle for national independence and unity, this decree-law is hereby promulgated with the aim of punishing traitors and reactionaries and trying acts of treason.

PART I: PRINCIPLES

Article 2

The trial and punishment shall be based on the following principles: severe punishment for the masterminds, leaders, and stubborn individuals; leniency for those who were deceived, coerced, or misled.

PART II: CRIMES AND PENALTIES

Article 3

Those who collude with the enemy (imperialist aggressors and puppet traitors), lead military, political, economic, cultural, and social organizations that betray the country, shall be sentenced to death or life imprisonment.

Article 4

Those who commit crimes such as surrounding, capturing, killing, torturing, terrorizing, raping cadres and the people, oppressing, exploiting, plundering the people, conscripting forced laborers and soldiers, collecting taxes for the enemy, shall be punished according to the severity of their crimes as follows:

a) The organizers, planners, and commanders shall be sentenced to death or life imprisonment.

b) Active accomplices causing significant harm shall be sentenced to at least ten years' imprisonment.

c) Those committing the aforementioned crimes with relatively minor offenses shall be sentenced to less than ten years' imprisonment.

Article 5

Those who deceive, coerce the people, organize armed forces to rebel against the people's democratic regime, and terrorize the people, shall be punished as follows:

a) The organizers, planners, commanders, shall be sentenced to death or to at least ten years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment.

b) The active accomplices of the above shall be sentenced to less than ten years' imprisonment; those causing significant harm shall be sentenced to at least ten years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment, or to death.

Article 6

Those who join traitorous reactionary parties or organizations, spread propaganda to lure the people to follow the enemy, or engage in espionage for the enemy, shall be punished as follows:

a) Commanders at all levels shall be sentenced to death or to at least ten years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment.

b) The active accomplices of the above shall be sentenced to less than ten years' imprisonment; those causing significant harm shall be sentenced to at least ten years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment, or to death.

c) Those who support or assist the above organizations in their activities through various means shall be punished according to the severity of their crimes.

, Clause 1, Clause 2 Article 7a of this Regulation.

Those who commit espionage for the enemy, such as:

- Serving as spies within military, civilian, and administrative organizations,

- Intentionally disclosing or selling state secrets to the enemy,

- Investigating state secrets,

- Buying, stealing, or taking possession of secret documents,

- Marking targets for enemy bombardment or pursuit of agencies, cadres, and civilians,

- Serving as couriers delivering letters, documents, information, or people to the enemy, shall be punished as follows:

a) Organizers, commanders, or active accomplices shall be sentenced to death or to at least ten years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment.

b) Ordinary spies with relatively minor offenses shall be sentenced to less than ten years' imprisonment.

Article 8

Those who, for the purpose of treason, obstruct or incite the people to oppose government policies and movements (such as general mobilization, agricultural tax, civilian workers, thrift production, reduced rent, reduced interest...) shall be sentenced to death or to at least ten years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment.

The accomplices of the above and those who follow them shall be sentenced to less than ten years' imprisonment according to the severity of their crimes.

Article 9

Those who, for the purpose of treason, commit any of the following acts to sabotage the national economy and finance:

- Producing, storing, circulating counterfeit Vietnamese currency,

- Storing or circulating enemy currency or puppet currency that has been banned,

- Engaging in price-fixing transactions affecting market prices,

- Sabotaging currency,

- Purchasing rice and other foodstuffs to supply the enemy or to destroy, shall be sentenced to death or to at least ten years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment.

Those who commit the above crimes with relatively minor offenses shall be sentenced to less than ten years' imprisonment.

Those who, for the purpose of treason, commit any of the following acts:

- Poisoning, spreading germs, pests, or using other methods to cause disease and damage crops and harvests,

Article 10

- Robbing, destroying military works, irrigation systems, dykes, warehouses, factories, cutting telegraph and telephone wires, transportation facilities... shall be sentenced to death or to at least ten years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment. If the offense is relatively minor, they shall be sentenced to less than ten years' imprisonment.

Those who, for the purpose of treason, commit any of the following acts to spread propaganda for the enemy:

- Spreading false rumors to cause public panic,

Article 11

- Using any method to spread the oppressive, exploitative, deceptive policies of the enemy,

- Corrupting and debauching the people with servile culture,

- Recruiting puppet troops or forced laborers for the enemy,

- Tempting soldiers, cadres, and civilians to desert the resistance front and follow the enemy, shall be punished as follows:

a) The organizers, planners, commanders, shall be sentenced to at least ten years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment, or to death.

b) The active accomplices with relatively minor offenses shall be sentenced to less than ten years' imprisonment.

Those who, for the purpose of treason, create discord to undermine the solidarity of the resistance among ethnic groups, social strata, religions, democratic parties, and organizations, divide the people from the government, and divide the Vietnamese people from their friendly nations Cambodia and Laos, undermining friendly relations between the Vietnamese people and the Soviet, Chinese, and other democratic peoples, shall be sentenced to less than ten years' imprisonment. If the offense is serious, they shall be sentenced to at least ten years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment, or to death.

Those who plan to break out of prison or rob prisoners during escort, shall be sentenced to death or to at least ten years' imprisonment.

The active accomplices of the above shall be sentenced to less than ten years' imprisonment.

Article 12

Those who shelter, conceal, or assist traitors shall be sentenced to less than ten years' imprisonment. If the offense is serious, they shall be sentenced to at least ten years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment, or to death.

Article 13

Any person who masterminds the destruction of a detention facility or robs and frees prisoners during escort shall be sentenced to death or to imprisonment for a term of ten years or less.

Any accomplices of those above shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of ten years or less.

Article 14

Any person who harbors, conceals, or assists individuals who commit acts of treason shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of ten years or less. If the offense is serious, they shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of ten years to life, or shall be sentenced to death.

PART III: GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 15

Any person committing any of the aforementioned crimes shall lose their citizenship rights and may have part or all of their property confiscated.

If the criminal has died before being tried, their property may still be confiscated in part or in full.

Article 16

Relatives living together with the criminal and relying on the criminal's property for their livelihood, without participating in anti-state activities, shall be allowed to retain part of that property to work and live from.

Article 17

Any person committing the aforementioned crimes who falls under one of the following circumstances may be treated leniently (mitigation of punishment or acquittal):

a) Before being prosecuted, they sincerely repent and make meritorious contributions to atone for their crimes.

b) They voluntarily and truthfully confess, clearly revealing their own plots and actions and those of their accomplices.

c) They were coerced or deceived and did not cause significant harm to the people.

Article 18

Any person committing other acts of treason not specified in this decree shall be tried according to similar offenses.

Article 19

The public has the duty to report or secretly inform responsible authorities about traitors and reactionaries, and to assist in investigations and trials, but must not falsely accuse out of personal grudges.

Those who contribute to reporting or capturing traitors and reactionaries shall be rewarded by the Government.

Article 20

Any provisions contrary to this decree are abolished.

Article 21

The Prime Minister, Minister of Interior, Minister of Justice, and Deputy Minister of Public Security shall implement this decree.