The loneliness of a death row inmate at a trial

The trial of defendant Va Xong Po (born 1969), residing in Muong Long village, Tri Le commune, Que Phong district (Nghe An province) for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking" was not attended by a single relative.

When he was led into the courtroom, Po looked around, hoping to find his wife or children, but saw only empty benches. Po said that perhaps his wife and children did not know the trial schedule and did not come to court. While waiting for the court to start, the defendant expressed his regret for his wrongdoings. “I am the father of two children, yet I set a bad example for them,” Po choked.

And Xong Po used to have a warm family life with his wife and two children. Every day, Po went to the forest to work on the fields while his wife mainly stayed at home to do housework and take care of the children. Life was not yet rich but warm with the small children in the mountains and forests. But then, Po lost the peace in his small family when he participated in the work.drug traffickingfor an object.

Defendant Va Xong Po was sentenced to death for drug trafficking. Photo: Tran Vu

According to the records as well as the defendant's testimony at the trial, on December 21, 2020, Va Xong Po went to the commune center to go to the market to buy food for his family. On the way home, Po met a Lao man. This man started a conversation and hired Po to transport drugs to Tien Phong commune, Que Phong district (Nghe An province) to deliver to a woman and receive 400 million VND to bring back and will be paid 20 million VND. This man said he would give Po 5 million VND in advance.

Blinded by the amount of money, Va Xong Po agreed to receive a bag of drugs and 5 million VND from the Laotian. Po carefully put the drugs in his jacket and then traveled by motorbike to the instructed location. However, when Va Xong Po was standing on the side of the road at Phu Huong intersection, Tien Phong commune, he was arrested by Quynh Luu district police with more than 1.9 kg of various drugs.

Faced with undeniable evidence, Po bowed his head and admitted his crime. The defendant blamed his difficult circumstances, being an ethnic minority, and lacking knowledge for transporting drugs. The defendant told the court that he would accept any punishment the court gave him. However, when the representative of the People's Procuracy proposed the death penalty, Po's face was panicked, anxiety clearly showing on his face.

Facing the death sentence, the defendant seemed to lose his voice, and said in a choked voice: “Since being detained, I have thought and regretted a lot. I know that being involved in drugs is wrong, but I ask the court to give me a way to live. I am an ethnic minority, I lack legal knowledge, and I have two children...”

During the deliberation that day, Po sat alone in the quiet courtroom. The defendant confided: “Since the day I was arrested, sitting within the four walls of the prison, I realized that the ill-gotten money did not make me richer but pushed my life to the path of death. I felt guilty towards my wife and children, and that I was a bad father for setting a bad example for them. After many days of sitting and thinking in prison, I planned to go to court today to see my wife and children, and my relatives to send their apologies and instructions to everyone, but then I saw no one...”. Po was afraid that he would not have the chance to see his wife and children again.

And then, Po’s fear came true. With the large amount of drugs the defendant was involved in trading, the jury sentenced Va Xong Po to death for the crime of illegal drug trafficking. Although he had somewhat predetermined the sentence he would receive, Po could not hold back his tears before the highest sentence of the law.

The trial ended, Po quietly left the court with the death sentence hanging over his head. Any regrets for Po now seemed too late. But the death row inmate's words of concern were also a reminder to anyone who was planning to get rich from this substance that spreads white death.