On Sept. 22, 2023, Vietnam executed wrongfully convicted Le Van Manh after he spent 18 years on death row. His case is important for two reasons: it exposed the flaws in Vietnam’s justice system and the state’s failure to secure convictions based on solid evidence. This is why his execution resonates and is a painful reminder of the need for accountability.

Le Van Manh was sentenced to death in 2005 for the rape and murder of a young woman, even though there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime. The prosecution’s case rested solely on a coerced confession – written in a letter to his father after his arrest for an unrelated crime. Manh later retracted the confession, claiming that police had tortured him into writing it. Despite this serious allegation, the courts moved forward with his conviction and eventual execution.