Kazakhstan and Vietnam are strengthening cooperation in the
legal sphere. The Mazhilis, a Lower House of the Kazakh Parliament, has
ratified an agreement between the two countries on the transfer of convicted persons.
The document will contribute to the observance of the rights and interests of
Kazakh citizens in Vietnam, in the choice of the place of serving the sentence
for the committed offence. Vietnamese citizens will also receive the same
opportunity. For this to apply, the offenses must be recognized as crimes in
both countries, and the convicted individual must provide voluntary consent. The
agreement was drawn up taking into account the points of contact in various
spheres. For instance, an increasing number of Kazakh citizens are choosing
Vietnam as a vacation destination. In 2020, around 1,000 Kazakh tourists
visited the country, while in the first nine months of this year alone, the
number has exceeded 100,000 people. It is noteworthy that there are currently
no convicted Kazakh citizens in Vietnam, nor are there any Vietnamese citizens
serving sentences in Kazakhstan. Similar agreements have been signed with 24
other countries, and over the past five years, 160 convicted citizens have been
returned to Kazakhstan, 24 of them this year.
«For the state, the protection of citizens
abroad is a task entrusted by the Constitution. This is guaranteed by the basic
law of our country. We do not deny our citizens who have been convicted of
crimes abroad. Work is ongoing with other countries to sign similar agreements
so that Kazakh citizens can serve sentences in their country. These agreements
undoubtedly hold great significance. From a social perspective, those serving
sentences in their own country receive support from their relatives. This
facilitates social and psychological adaptation,» said Galymzhan Koigeldiyev,
Kazakh Deputy Prosecutor General.
