Events in the German-Vietnamese Rule of Law Dialogue

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Published: December 19, 2024

On the basis of the 2024 work plan of the German-Vietnamese Rule of Law Dialogue, the IRZ, in cooperation with the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice, held a workshop on the abolition of the death penalty on 10 December 2024. In the context of evaluating the penal code, which was reformed ten years ago, there are considerations to reduce further offences punishable by death. Prof Dr Henning Rosenau, Professor for Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Medical Law at Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg and Executive Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, highlighted the global trends towards the abolition of the death penalty. The focus of the exchange with the Vietnamese participants was on the long-term process of how the death penalty can be eliminated.

A workshop on the topic of commercial arbitration, which is important for the economy, was held with the Vietnam Lawyers Association from 10 to 11 December 2024. Prof Dr Stephan Wernicke, DIHK Chief Legal Officer and Vice-President of the IRZ Board of Trustees, and lawyer Jan Schäfer represented the IRZ. Together with the participants from Vietnamese arbitration institutions, the scientific community, the ordinary courts and others, they held interesting and lively discussions on how modern and attractive arbitration models for investors can be set up. The relevant Vietnamese law from 2011 is to be amended in 2025, so the IRZ would like to continue its advisory services.

The last of the events was a lecture by Prof Dr Henning Rosenau on ‘Euthanasia and the right to a self-determined death’ at Hanoi Law University, attended by around 80 students, who contributed many questions to the subsequent discussion.

Together with Anne Zimmermann, Head of the International Legal Cooperation Division at the Federal Ministry of Justice, and Dr Mario Györi, political attaché at the German Embassy, Angela Schmeink, the IRZ Head of Division for Vietnam and Ukraine, visited the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice to discuss the 2025 work plan for the German-Vietnamese rule of law dialogue with Mr Nguyen Huu Huyen, Director of the Department for International Cooperation.