Vietnam: Dang Xuan Dieu in danger due to gross mistreatment in prison

English PEN

Dang Xuan Dieu

PRESS RELEASE

October 27, 2014

Life of Vietnamese Activist in Danger Due to Gross Mistreatment in Prison

The  Vietnamese  government  should  immediately  cease  the  ill- treatment,  physical  and  psychological  abuse  of  Dang  Xuan  Dieu   while  in  arbitrary  detention.
News  reports  of Dang Xuan  Dieu (1) being  forced  to  sleep  and  eat  next  to  his  excrement;  denied  access  to  adequate food, clean drinking water and regular showers; and subjected to humiliation and torture reveal the inhumane conditions of  his detention.
In January 2013, together with 13 activists Dang Xuan Dieu was sentenced to 13 years in prison for “attempting to overthrow the government” based on his work as a community organizer who advocated  for  education  for  children  living  in  pover ty  and  aid  to  people  with  disa bility  and  his writings that highlighted the Vietnamese government’s religious persecution.
In ternational human rights organizations, elected officials and foreign embassies in Hanoi have called  for  Dang Xuan Dieu’s  immediate   release . The  United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention  has  ruled  that  Dang  Xuan  Dieu  and  his  fellow  activists’  detention   was  arbitrary  and unlawful.
According  to  reports, Dang  Xuan  Dieu,  who  is  currently  serving  one  of  the  longest  politically motivated sentences in Vietnam, has been held in solitary confinement and subject to physical and  psychological  abuse  as  punishment  for  protesting  his  ill.  On  several  occasions,  prison officials  forced  Dang  Xuan  Dieu  to  “model”  while  other  prisoners  painted   him  into  a  “half-human/half- beast” figure.

Dang  Xuan  Dieu  has  been  on  prolonged  hunger  strikes  since  April  2014  to  demand  better treatment. In retaliation, prison officials act with impunity and have reportedly let other prisoners beat and treat Dang Xuan Dieu like a “slave.”
Despite  the  signing  of  the  UN  Convention  Against  Torture  and  Other  Cruel,  Inhuman  or Degrading  Treatment  or  Punishment  last  November,  according  to  reports  from  those  in detention,  the  Vietnamese  government  continues  to  show  blatant  disregard  for  the  humane treatment of prisoners.
In light of these reports, we call on foreign embassies in Hanoi to make every effort to visit Dang Xuan Dieu in prison and monitor his health. Attention from distinguished international personnel can and will improve his conditions.

The  Vietnamese  government  must  release  Dang  Xuan  Dieu  immediately  and  unconditionally and  must  take  all  steps  to  provide  him  and  other  prisoners  with  humane  treatment  and appropriate access to sanitary facilities in accord ance with their international obligations.

For more information, please contact:

ACAT France
Christine Lar oque, Asia Programs Manager, laroque@acatfrance.fr  and  +33
1 40 40 74 09

Access
Jochai Ben- Avie, Policy Director, jochai@accessnow.org and +1 347 806 9531

Electronic Frontier Foundation
Eva Galperin, Global Policy Analyst, eva@eff.org and +1 415 436 9333 ex. 111

English PEN
Cat Lucas, Writers at Risk Programme Manager, cat@englishpen.org and +44 20 7324 2539

Media Legal Defence Initiative
Nani Jansen, Legal Director, nani.jansen@mediadefence.org  and +44 780 540 4089

PEN International
Cathy McCann, Researcher, Cathy.McCann@pen- international.org   and +44 20 7405 0338

Viet Tan
Hoang Tu Duy, Spokesperson, dhoang@viettan.org  and +1 202 596 7951

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1
Radio Free Asia, October 8, 2014: “Vietnamese Engineer – Activist Treated Like a ‘Slave,’  R Humiliated in