The father's sadness as he sent his son to prison

The man sitting in the audience, not knowing what he was thinking, was suddenly startled when he heard the judge ask about him. He quickly stood up and said that after the first instance trial, he had found some documents that were considered asmitigating circumstancesto hope to "relieve" the son of his sins.

His son - Mua Ba Xeng (born in 1998, residing in Na Ngoi commune, Ky Son, Nghe An), was appealed by the High People's Procuracy to increase the sentence of 20 years in prison as announced by the first instance court.

“So sad,” the father began the story about his son. He was a health worker, also holding the position of Deputy Head of the Health Station in a border commune. He said he had a good education, was a party member, and had to be exemplary in everything. This man discussed with his wife to have only two children, so that he could raise them well.

Xeng's parents found some documents that were considered mitigating circumstances in hopes of "clearing" their son's sentence. Photo: Nhu Binh

The process of raising children was exactly as he had planned. The two children went to university one after another. Mua Ba Xeng pursued veterinary medicine at a university in the province, the younger brother followed his father's footsteps, studying in Thai Binh. His wife worked on the farm, and could not speak Kinh fluently. His salary was divided in half to raise the two children, leaving enough for the couple to live frugally. He encouraged his children and wife to work hard and endure hardships, so that when the children became famous, life would be easier.

“Xềnh studies in Vinh City. Whenever I have work, I come down to visit him and check on how he is doing and his studies. When I can’t come down, I call him to remind him to save money, focus on his studies, and not follow bad friends. He is very good at volleyball, playing the position of chan,” he could not hide his pride in his eldest son, in whom he had placed so many expectations.

But he seemed to be worried and worried that being far away from his parents, in the city of Xeng, he could not withstand the pitfalls. When his son finished his first year, he planned to send him in a different direction. “I planned to let him drop out of school and join the army to train. The application was completed a week ago, and I was just waiting for the day of enlistment when Xeng was arrested. The police announced that he was arrested for drugs. I was so shocked when I heard the news that I could not stand still. At that time, he had just entered his second year of school not long ago,” the father said.

According to the investigation agency's documents, on December 16, 2019, Mua Ba Xeng met a man named Ly (unknown background and specific address) at a Tet party in Vinh City. Xeng agreed to deliver drugs and bring money to Ly to get 50 million. On the night of December 21, 2019, Mua Ba Xeng took 50 packages of drugs (more than 1kg) to deliver to customers and was arrested by the police.caught red-handed.

Defendant Mua Ba Xeng. Photo: Nhu Binh

For the crime of “Illegal drug trafficking”, Mua Ba Xeng was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the People’s Court of Nghe An province in a trial on May 6, 2020. Believing that the sentence given by the first instance court was too lenient, the High People’s Procuracy in Hanoi appealed the verdict in the direction of increasing the penalty for Mua Ba Xeng. The representative of the High People’s Procuracy presented arguments and proposed to increase the sentence to life imprisonment for defendant Mua to be commensurate with the defendant’s criminal behavior.

Hearing the sentence that the representative of the Supreme People's Procuracy proposed for his son, the father sighed. "If he gets a life sentence, what will happen to him? The other day I went to visit him, he cried. He said, 'Dad, my life is over.' I love him, but I'm also very angry. He ruined his whole life, making his parents not dare to raise their heads anymore.

In the past, I was considered a prestigious person, trusted and respected, but now I don't dare go anywhere. I have a child in prison, and he is in prison for drugs. Who will listen to me? I am a doctor who cures and saves people, but I am a drug dealer. The poison has killed so many people and destroyed so many families. It hurts so much...", he said, almost crying.

The father paused as if suppressing his emotions. His voice became softer, as if he was talking to himself. “It hurts a lot, it makes me angry, but I can’t bear to say harsh words to my son. Sometimes I think about it and I cry. If it’s wrong, it’s wrong, there’s no other way, I’m just afraid he’ll give up. Every time I visit, I have to suppress my anger and encourage him to try to reform himself so he can hope to come back. He’s only in his 20s, if the law is lenient, then at 40 he still has a chance to start his life over,” the father confided.

The High People's Court's panel of judges determined that the defendant was an ethnic minority, living in the highlands, and committed the crime while still a student; his friends enticed him to commit the crime, so he hired him to carry drugs to earn money. The defendant's actions were to assist others in committing the crime, and he was arrested before he could deliver the drugs, and the consequences of the crime had not yet occurred. During the investigation and trial, the defendant confessed honestly and repented. At the appeal hearing, the defendant's family presented new mitigating circumstances: his grandfather had contributed to the revolution, and his father had achievements during his work that were recognized by the locality.

The sentence that the court of first instance had passed was somewhat lenient, however, the panel of judges considered that, considering the defendant's personal background, role, family circumstances as well as the new mitigating circumstances, the sentence of 20 years in prison was appropriate, ensuring the education and rehabilitation, creating conditions for the defendant to reform and be released from prison soon. Considering the case comprehensively and objectively, the panel of judges of the High People's Court decided not to accept the appeal, upholding the first instance sentence of 20 years in prison for Mua Ba Xeng.

When Ba Xeng's sentence was upheld, the father's face relaxed. The narrow window to return home had opened, now he only hoped his son would have enough determination to reform well, waiting for the chance to rebuild his life.