Over 4,000 religious publications introduced to prisoners
4,418 copies of 17 religion-related books have been brought into use at libraries of 54 prisons supervised by the Ministry of Public Security.
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| The Department of Homeland Security coordinated with the Police Department managing prisons, compulsory education institutions and reformatories to bring religious publications to prisoners. (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
The Department of Homeland Security, on the morning of April 1 in Ha Noi, has coordinated with the Police Department managing prisons, compulsory education institutions and reformatories (Ministry of Public Security) in holding a hand-out ceremony of religious books and publications to prisons under the Ministry of Public Security.
The ceremony was co-chaired by Major General Thung Van Nghiem, Deputy Director of the Department of Homeland Security, and Major General Nguyen Viet Hung, Deputy Director of the Police Department managing prisons, education institutions and reformatories (C10), under the witness of representatives of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Information and Communications.
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| Major General Thung Van Nghiem, Deputy Director of the Department of Homeland Security delivering a speech at the ceremony. (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
According to Deputy Director of the Department Thung Van Nghiem, following the Government’s directions, the Department of Homeland Security has coordinated with the C10 and relevant agencies in selecting a list of legal religious publications for using in prison libraries based on the demands of prisoners who are religious dignitaries and believers, as well as the practical conditions of detention facilities.
Beside that, the Department has focused on informing and propagating about ethnicity and religion to religious believers serving prison sentences, in order to raise inmates’ awareness of the Party's perspectives and directions, and of both the Party and State’s policies and laws on beliefs, religions, and religion’s values towards social life.
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| Some religious books handed out at the ceremony. (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
17 books introduced to prisoners include 9 different scriptures and bibles, as well as 8 books providing general information about beliefs and religions; their formation history, impacts on life and society; the Party and State’s perspectives, policies, and laws on belief and religion, as well as on mobilizing the masses of religious believers. There are also English-Vietnamese bilingual scriptures to serve both local and foreign prisoners’ research and usage demand.
With the introduction of religious publications into prisons, the Ministry of Public Security has contributed to law enforcement, especially the 2018’s Law on Belief and Religion and 2019’s Law on Execution of Criminal Judgments, and the human’s equal right to access to religious books and publications.
This also affirms Viet Nam's achievements and consistent policies in ensuring human rights and the freedom of religion and belief, showing Viet Nam’s efforts in implementing international conventions on civil, political, and human rights to other countries.
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| Major General Nguyen Viet Hung, Deputy Director of the Police Department managing prison, compulsory education institutions and reformatories (C10). (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
As the C10 strictly followed the 2019’s Law on Execution of Criminal Judgments, Government’s Decree 133 in 2020, the management, education and re-education of prisoners has been organized effectively. The regimes and policies for inmates, prisoners, and students in prisons, compulsory education institutions, and reformatories were also implemented, said Major General Nguyen Viet Hung at the ceremony.
Particularly, a special attention is paid to the re-education with various methods by organizing many cultural, artistic, physical and sports activities, as well as contests and performances.
Recently, libraries have been built in all prisons, compulsory education institutions and reformatories managed by the C10. Thus, the inmates, prisoners and students there are able to access to books and newspapers from many sources. Each month, the provincial library brings thousands of books to the prisons, enriching the books to better serve inmates, prisoners, and students.
“This task aims to promote educating, converting and humanizing prisoners who are religious believers; to encourage them to truly repent and complete their re-habilitation in order to receive the tolerant policies of the Party and State”, Major General Hung said.
In addition to ensuring the freedom of religion, the activity also guarantees the cultural and educational rights of the retrained prisoners and students.
The Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism are coordinating with local agencies to deliver books from provincial libraries to prison libraries each quarter, ensuring that books and publications are frequently updated for prisoners.
On behalf of the recipients, Mr. Hung affirmed that all books will be distributed and managed appropriately for the use of prison facilities under the Ministry of Public Security.
