Defendants at the court on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — The Hà Nội People’s Court on Monday announced death sentences for Lê Đình Chức and Lê Đình Công, who were the masterminds and led the resistance in Đồng Tâm Commune, Mỹ Đức District, resulting in the death of three policemen in January 2020.

The two men, aged 56 and 40, both from Hoành Hamlet, were charged with murder.

Four other defendants were charged with similar offences but received life imprisonment or sentences of 12 to 16 years in prison.

Lê Đình Doanh, 32 years old, Công’s son, was sentenced to life in prison while 77-year-old Bùi Viết Hiểu was charged with 16 years in prison. Nguyễn Quốc Tiến received 13 years and Nguyễn Văn Tuyển 12 years behind bars.

Twenty-three other defendants were charged with resisting on-duty officers.

Among them, Bùi Thị Nối, 62 years old, receive the heaviest sentence with six years in prison.

Nguyễn Văn Quân, Lê Đình Uy, Lê Đình Quang, Bùi Văn Tiến and Lê Đình Quân were sentenced to five years in prison each.

Seventeen others received suspended sentences of 15 months to three years.

Representatives of the victims at the court asked for compensation.

The trial for 29 people involved in the serious case in Đồng Tâm Commune started on September 7.

On September 9, the city's People’s Procuracy decided to change the charges against 19 defendants from ‘murder’ to ‘resisting on-duty officers’.

The procuracy said six defendants – Lê Đình Công, Lê Đình Chức, Lê Đình Doanh, Bùi Viết Hiểu, Nguyễn Quốc Tiến and Nguyễn Văn Tuyển – had demonstrated a clear motive and intention of murder.

The six were the masterminds of the crime, and they also led and directly committed criminal acts. They had closely colluded with others who were key members of a so-called “group of consensus” led by Lê Đình Kình. Kình was shot dead while holding a grenade and calling on others to resist, and therefore not included in this case.

Công was the leader who often incited others to kill police officers by posting video clips and livestreaming on social networks. He also threatened to bomb power stations and kill 300-500 police officers; assigned tasks to other defendants; and actively performed these acts.

Công also directed and contributed money to buy petrol and grenades, guided others on making petrol bombs and tinder, and threw petrol bombs and a grenade toward on-duty officers. That grenade did not explode and the damage to on-duty officers was unintended.

In the impeachment statement, the representative of the People’s Procuracy said that the group of 19 defendants prepared weapons and acted under the direction of Lê Đình Kình and Lê Đình Công. The acts of all defendants assisted others to commit murder, as per the indictment from the Hà Nội People’s Procuracy.

Through public questioning at the trial, the People’s Procuracy found that, having been manipulated and provoked, each defendant participated in committing crimes at every stage and at a certain level. Some contributed money to buying petrol, flares, and grenades, while others made petrol bombs and prepared bricks and stones to throw, and others were involved in transporting and preparing the tools and means for Công’s group to commit murder.

The defendants had a limited awareness of laws and blindly trusted and followed Lê Đình Kình. They are aware of their wrongdoings, gave sincere testimony, and expressed remorse. — VNS