Sympathetic to the fate of children of death row inmates during the Spring season

Up to now, Nghe An Provincial Police Detention Center is managing and detaining more than 1,000 criminals and inmates, including 109 inmates serving sentences and 33 inmates sentenced to death.

Officers of Nghe An Provincial Police Detention Center visited and gave gifts to the mother and two daughters of death row inmate Phan Van Tuan. Photo: HT

Among these, thousands of days have passed since their arrest, but many prisoners have not received any attention, visits or encouragement from their families. And sadly, most of the relatives of the death row inmates are living a difficult and miserable life in their poor hometowns.

The young wives, unable to bear the alienation of everyone, left the village forever, leaving behind the bamboo fences their thirsty children for their grandparents to raise. There were even more tragic cases when relatives could not care for them and had to go through the procedures to send them to orphanages.

When it comes to children whose parents are dead, the most haunting is probably the orphaned fate of Nguyen Thanh Tr. (born 2002), son of death row inmate Nguyen Khac Long (born 1975), from Nam Long commune, Nam Dan district.

In 2000, Long met and married Ms. Le Thi Ngan (born in 1982), residing in Tien Ky commune, Tan Ky district, but both of them started a business and lived in Tho Son commune, Anh Son district, and Thanh Tr. was the result of that marriage. After 6 years of living together, the couple's feelings faded, Ms. Ngan was determined to divorce and filed for divorce, despite Long's efforts to keep her.

Special meeting between death row inmate Nguyen Khac Long and his son. Photo: HT

On August 5, 2010, knowing that his younger brother Le Van Manh (born in 1983) was taking his wife to court to file for divorce, Long had a sharp knife engraved with the words “hate love” ready, waiting at the Cay Chanh ferry dock in Dinh Son commune, Anh Son district. When the ferry docked, Long jumped down and stabbed his wife and brother-in-law many times, causing both to die on the spot. For this crime, Nguyen Khac Long was sentenced to death.

The only daughter, who had just started second grade at the time, suddenly lost both her parents. Her paternal and maternal grandparents were also unable to raise her, so the SOS Orphanage Vinh took care of Nguyen Thanh Tr.

Two years after the tragedy, Tr. wrote a letter to his death row father, which read:I have missed you so much lately. Are you well and are you living well? I am sorry, because I could not send you a letter last year. Please do not be angry with me! ... I do not want to lose a gentle person like you anymore. I hope you will always be healthy, you must not be sad but you must always smile in life... I promise to always try my best in my studies".

From this letter, along with the apology letter Long sent to his wife and daughter, the detention camp's Board of Directors organized a meeting for the two children afterwards. Recently, sharing with us, Tr. said that his life has regained balance, although there are still many ups and downs after the incident.

In Tr's memory, his father was a very gentle person, loved his children and his wife. The days his mother left, Long took his daughter and traveled all over the Central Highlands to search for her and to try to hold her back, but failed. Perhaps, that was what made Tr "not care much" about his father's actions, as he wrote in his letter to his father.

Nguyen Thanh Tr., son of death row inmate Nguyen Khac Long, next to a letter to his father. Photo: HT

Also in Anh Son district, the tragic story of the family of death row inmate Phan Van Tuan (born in 1982), residing in Hoa Son commune, also made many people sympathize. In 2008, Tuan married Dang Thi Kieu, had two daughters, Phan Thi T. (10 years old) and Phan Thi P. (7 years old), then conflicts arose, Kieu was beaten by her husband so she went to the Central Highlands to live, and Tuan also went to Laos to do business.

In early January 2015, Tuan went to his wife's parents' house to ask for news of his wife but was refused, thinking that his wife's family was covering up for him. Tuan was angry so he went home with a knife and turned around to see his wife's sister, Dang Thi Van (born in 1981), holding her 6-month-old baby, Thai Thi Thuy Linh, standing in front of the door. Seeing this, Tuan rushed in and strangled Van, then continuously swung the knife at the mother and child, causing Van's brain to rupture and she died on the way to the emergency room. The baby was also slashed from the forehead to the cheek, causing 15% damage to her health. For this act, Tuan was sentenced to death by the Supreme People's Court of Appeal for murder in January 2016.

For nearly two years in prison, like many other death row inmates, Phan Van Tuan has had no visitors. Prison officers have repeatedly caught him sobbing in solitary confinement. Upon asking, it was discovered that Tuan regretted what he had done, and felt sorry for his two children who had no one to depend on.

After the incident, the two children were completely entrusted to their grandmother to raise. The grandfather also passed away, leaving the grandmother to work hard to raise two young children, who were still in school age. The family's situation was very pitiful.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Tho - Chairman of Hoa Son Commune People's Committee added: The life of the three grandmothers and grandchildren is quite difficult and miserable, especially after the two children became children of death row inmates. The local government has also coordinated with the school and social organizations, regularly caring for and helping the children, but there are certain limits due to limited funding. Fortunately, the children are obedient and good at studying, knowing how to overcome adversity on their own.

The young wife holds her baby at the trial sentencing Vi Van Hai to death. Photo: HT

Unlike other children of death row inmates, Vi Van M. (born in 2014), the son of death row inmate Vi Van Hai, who committed the shocking “massacre” that killed four people in his family in Phong village, Tam Hop commune, Tuong Duong district in July 2015, is probably too young to feel the pain caused by the crime his parents committed, as well as understand the lack of material things, especially the warmth of family affection since his father received the death sentence.

At the age of 4, although his father was in solitary confinement, M. had almost lost his father forever and had to live with his elderly grandparents. For nearly 3 years, the family of Mr. Vi Van Binh, the biological father of death row inmate Vi Van Hai, has had to live in misery.

Ban Phong returned to peace, but every time he saw his orphaned grandson, alone under the door, he thought of his only son lying in chains in solitary confinement, and his anger welled up.