The People’s Court of Phan Thiet city in the central province of Binh Thuan handed down prison sentences of between 2-3.5 years on 30 defendants for their disturbance of public order at the provincial People’s Committee headquarters in June, at the first instance-trial on October 31.

At the first instance trial which was held on October 31

According to the indictment, the disturbance began in Phan Thiet city at about 5pm on June 10, when a group of people gathered and moved from Phan Thiet market to the provincial People’s Committee headquarters to protest a draft law on special administrative-economic units.

They shouted and jostled police and guards of the building and incited bystanders to attack police with bricks and stones.

Some even attacked police with homemade petrol bombs, stones and some other tools, going on to destroy the fence and burn the sentry box and several rooms of the sentry force. They also damaged the fence around some other provincial agencies.

Traffic near the administration’s headquarters was disrupted, while several facilities were damaged.

Police were sent to the site and the crowd only began to dissolve at midnight of June 10.

Police statistics claimed that, three automobiles, 17 motorbikes, and one water pump were burned down. As many as 15 computers were destroyed, while two laptops were stolen. The rioters also damaged some assets of other provincial agencies and wounded many police officers.

The defendants were convicted of “causing public disorder” in accordance with Clause 2, Article 318 of the 2015 Penal Code.

The jury found the actions of the defendants extremely serious, disrupting public safety and affecting the locality’s political security and social order.

To prevent similar crimes, strict punishment should be imposed, it said.

Accordingly, Nguyen Quoc Hue was sentenced to three years and six months in prison. Pham Van Chung, Truong Minh Tai, Le Nhut Ban, Nguyen Quy Lai, Tran Van Cong, and Tang Thanh Thuan, each received three years in prison.

Nguyen Tan Thong, Tran The Nghia, Truong Gia Quoc Huy, Nguyen Toan Trung, Tran Minh Thien, Nguyen Thi Nham, Do Van Tai, Tran Thi Mai Huong, Tran Van Tuan, and Truong Cong Hieu will each serve two years and six months behind bars.

The jury also gave jail sentences of two years and three months to Do Van Co, Dong Kim Hung, Nguyen Huu Thai, and Nguyen Dinh Dong; and two years to Pham Minh Tung, Dang Ngoc Hoa, Dinh Dinh Tai, Nguyen Sinh, Doan Thi Hanh Thuong, Tran Trong Tien, Nguyen Van Khanh, Chung Kim Thanh, and Huynh Huu Long.

The jury said, during the investigation, some defendants had told the truth and admitted their acts were illegal, while some others had yet to reach 18 years old at the time of the incident. Thus, they were given extenuating circumstances.

VNA