Policemen who tortured suspect to death sentenced to 18 months imprisonment

By Cuu Long   May 17, 2016 | 08:45 pm PT
A police major and one of his officers who allegedly beat a man suspected of stealing a motorbike to death during an interrogation were sentenced yesterday to 18 months and 11 months in jail respectively.

The Supreme People’s Court of the southern province of Dong Nai yesterday sentenced Huynh Ngoc Tong, 41, to 18 months imprisonment, and Pham Xuan Binh, 31, to 11 months and 11 days for the use of corporal punishment.

policemen-who-tortured-suspect-to-death-sentenced-to-18-months-imprisonment

Tong and Binh in court yesterday. Photo VnExpress/A.X

In November 2012, police in Dong Nai arrested Nguyen Tuan Thanh for allegedly stealing a motorbike.

Thanh admitted that he and his accomplices had stolen six motorbikes. After his first interrogation, Thanh was left with heavy bruising on his shoulders, chest, arms and legs.

The following morning, two policemen continued to interrogate Thanh, but they did not record a statement.

Several hours after his interrogation, Thanh was found unconscious and died after being taken to hospital.

An autopsy conducted by the Vietnam Armed Forces Institute of Forensic Medicine showed that Thanh died from multiple beatings.

In court, Tong denied using corporal punishment, while Binh only admitted to punching Thanh, saying that no torture instruments were used. Several other police officers are suspected of being involved in the beatings, but they have not been charged due to lack of evidence.

 
 
go to top