Defend the Defenders | July 23, 2017
===== July 17 =====
HCM City-based Activist Beaten by Plainclothes Agents after Commemorating China’s Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo
Defend the Defenders: On the evening of July 16, Ms. Suong Quynh, an activist in Ho Chi Minh City, was followed and beaten by a group of plainclothes agents on her way returning home from a ceremony which commemorated the passing of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who won Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.
Ms. Quynh, who has participated in a number of events which aim to promote human rights and democracy in Vietnam, said she was attacked by the plainclothes agents when she was driving her motorbike after leaving the private residence of Professor Tuong Lai, a government critic in HCM City.
The assault was made on Phu My Bridge. At first, she thought they were robbers and shouted out for help, then there were several locals coming to protect her and fight back against the attackers.
One of the attackers said they were police officers and their acts aimed to deal with “reactionary individuals,” the brand Vietnam’s government uses for political dissidents, human rights defenders and social activists. However, local residents continued to beat the attackers until they left the scene.
Ms. Quynh also recognized one police officer who has monitored surveillance over her among the perpetrators.
Thanks to the help of local residents, Quynh suffered light injuries. Later, police came but refused to accompany her to her house. Quynh also refused to go to the local police station to report the attack because she said she feels unsafe to go there.
Government’s violence against activists is systemic in Vietnam with numerous assaults recorded in recent years. Last month, Human Rights Watch released its report documenting 36 attacks against local political dissidents, human rights campaigners, social activists and independent bloggers in the period between January 2016 and April 2017. As many as 45 activists were assaulted in these cases and many of them suffered severe injuries.
——————–
Gov’t Outlines Administrative Fines for Religious Violations
Any organization violating regulations in the field of religion in Vietnam could be fined up to VND60 million ($2,643) under a draft decree the government is seeking feedback on.
The fine is part of the government’s plan to impose administrative fines on administrative violations related to religion and beliefs.
An individual found abusing freedom of religion to encroach, incite and distort the truth about the state will be fined maximum VND30 million while the VND60 million is for an organization.
In addition, the individual or organization must correct the untruthful information while foreigners would be deported from Vietnam in such cases.
The draft decree also stipulates a fine of between VND20 million and VND30 million, or even higher, for domestic religious organizations joining a religious group abroad without the approval of Vietnamese authorities.
If passed, the draft decree will take effect on June 1, 2018.
Meanwhile, the Law on Beliefs and Religion passed by the National Assembly recently will be effective in January next year.
===== July 18 =====
Mother of Prisoner of Conscience in Human Rights Campaign in Australia
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim Lieng, the mother of prisoner of conscience Mr. Dinh Nguyen Kha, is in Australia to call on Australian parliamentarians to increase pressure on Vietnam to release of all jailed rights advocates.
She met with Member of Parliament Milton Dick from Labor Party on July 18 and will meet with Member of Parliament Chris Hayes from the same party at the end of this week.
She had met with Ms. Elaine Pearson, Human Rights Watch Australian director and Dr. Lachlan Strahan, first assistant secretary of the Multilateral Policy Division under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Mrs. Lieng is among many Vietnamese invited to discuss with Australian parliamentarians and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade about human rights ahead of the Vietnam-Australia Human Rights Dialogue scheduled in August, however, she is the only person managed to leave Vietnam while others were blocked by security forces in border gates.
Her son, Mr. Kha, is serving his four-year imprisonment. He was arrested in October 2013 and charged with anti-state propaganda under Article 88 of Vietnam’s 1999 Penal Code.
For more details: Mẹ của Đinh Nguyên Kha vận động tại Úc trước đối thoại nhân quyền
——————–
ARTICLE 19 Urges Vietnam to Allow Media to Have Full Access to Meetings of Parliament
Defend the Defenders: On July 18, the London-based organization ARTICLE 19 issued a statement to condemn Vietnam over limiting the local media’s access to the meetings of the country’s highest legislative body National Assembly (NA) and its Standing Committee, saying the limitation runs counter international human rights standards on the right to information.
ARTICLE made the condemnation few days after NA’s General Secretary Nguyen Hanh Phuc announced a decision of the Standing Committee, according to which reporters will only be allowed to attend the first five minutes of each meeting of the parliament and the Standing Committee. Instead of following the full meetings, journalists will be given press releases at the end of the meeting detailing what was discussed.
The limit will enable members of the Standing Committee to discuss “sensitive” topics more openly and in-depth without fear of leaking “national secrets,” Phuc explained.
Vietnam should immediately reverse the decision to restore transparency in the country’s parliamentary process, said ARTICLE 19 which works so that people everywhere can express themselves freely, access information and enjoy freedom of the press.
Replacing the access of independent media to parliamentary sessions with parliament-issued press releases removes the ability of journalists to hold representatives accountable to the public. It also has an obvious negative impact on unbiased flows of information, ARTICLE 19 said.
Under international human rights standards, journalists should be afforded maximum access to parliaments in order to report on the legislative process and the work of elected representatives, it said, noting this is required as part of the rights to freedom of expression and information (Article 19) and the right to participate in public affairs (Article 25) of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Vietnam is a party.
ARTICLE 19 called on the NA’s Standing Committee to withdraw this groundless decision. Furthermore, information in detail regarding the meetings of the parliament and its Standing Committee should be made accessible and available on all official channels, it concluded.
Vietnam: Media must have full access to meetings of the National Assembly
===== July 21 =====
Vietnam to Try Former Prisoner of Conscience Nguyen Van Oai in August: Lawyer
Defend the Defenders: The People’s Court in the Hoang Mai town, Vietnam’s central province of Nghe An will try former prisoner of conscience Nguyen Van Oai in August, his lawyer Ha Huy Son has announced.
Oai, who was imprisoned for four years between 2011 and 2015, was arrested on January 19 this year and charged with “Resisting persons in the performance of their official duties” under Article 257 and “Failing to execute judgments” under Article 304 of the country’s 1999 Penal Code.
He will face imprisonment of up to three years in jail for every charge if is convicted, according to the current Vietnamese law. He may receive heavy sentence as Hanoi is intensifying its crackdown against local political dissidents, human rights defenders, social activists and independent bloggers.
The Catholic social activist was arrested on his way home from a fishing trip in Hoang Mai town. Local authorities accused him of failing to obey by regulations set for house arrest as he is still under three-year probation period given by the previous sentence.
In August 2011, Oai was arrested for the first time together with 13 other young Catholic activists and they were charged with “Carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration” under Article 79 of the Penal Code. Later, they were sentenced to between four and 13 years in prison.
After his arrest in January this year, the EU, the U.S. and other countries and international human rights have condemned Vietnam’s move, urging the communist government to release him immediately and unconditionally.
In late June, Vietnam sentenced prominent human rights advocate Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh to ten years in prison. The communist government will try social activist Tran Thi Nga on July 25 and it is likely to receive heavy sentence too as the two were charged with the same allegation “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the Penal Code.
Vietnam is imprisoning more than100 activists, according to Human Rights Watch. Hanoi always denies holding any political prisoners, saying it keeps in prison only law violators.
===== July 22 =====
Authorities in HCM City Continue Harassing Environmentalists after Release
Defend the Defenders: Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City continue to harass environmental activists who were detained and interrogated for their voice against waste dumping in the central coastal province of Binh Thuan, the victims said.
During the week, security forces in their localities summoned them for interrogation after their release on late night of July 15.
Ms. Ngo Thi Thu, one of the detained environmentalists, said finally police returned her cell phone and identification card they confiscated upon detention.
On July 15, Thu and eight other activists planned to walk from HCM City to Binh Thuan in a bid to raise their voice against the dumping over one million tons of mud by the China-invested Vinh Tan 1 thermal power plant into Binh Thuan province’s coast.
However, not too far from their starting point, the group was stopped by HCM City police who detained them, beating them and confiscating their cameras, cell phones and other personal items. In police custody, they were interrogated for hours and Tran Dinh Chau said he and Dinh Van Hai, who is invalid, were brutally beaten by police officers.
Some activists said their landlords, under pressure of police, suddenly cancelled contracts, leaving them to move from one to another place. Others said police came to pressure their relatives.
The waste dumping is forecast to cause big negative environmental impact. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment approved the dumping plan which was built with fake signatures of some environmental experts.
Vietnam’s government is prioritizing gross domestic product (GDP)’s growth without paying attention to environmental impacts.
Environmental issues are problematic in Vietnam while environmental activists are suffering from the government’s persecution. As Oliver Ward said in his recent article in ASEAN Today, “the Vietnamese government’s decision to crack down on protestors shows their appetite to endorse foreign governments, not the activists.”
In late June, Vietnam sentenced human rights defender and environmental activist Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh to ten years in prison. On July 25, the communist government will try Tran Thi Nga, another activist who also strongly voiced about environmental issues related with Chinese and Taiwanese projects. In addition, a number of other environmental activists including Nguyen Van Hoa and Nguyen Van Oai have been detained and charged with trumped-up allegations.
===== July 23 =====
Vietnam: Immediately Release Labour and Land Rights Defender Tran Thi Nga
FIDH – Vietnamese authorities must drop all charges against labour and land rights defender Tran Thi Nga and immediately release her, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (an FIDH-OMCT partnership) and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) urged today.
Tran Thi Nga’s trial is scheduled for July 25-26, 2017 at the People’s Court in Ha Nam Province. She has been charged under Article 88 of the Criminal Code (“spreading propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”). If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in jail.
“The harassment, arbitrary arrest, and trial of Tran Thi Nga follow a familiar pattern of repression that will inevitably continue unless Hanoi enacts significant institutional and legislative reforms, including the amendment of the country’s numerous repressive laws,” said FIDH President Dimitris Christopoulos.
Tran Thi Nga was arrested on January 21, 2017 at her home in Phu Ly, Ha Nam Province, after the police searched her house and confiscated several of her personal belongings. On the same day, Tran Thi Nga’s partner Luong Dan Ly, a pro-democracy activist and blogger, was also arrested. He was released the following day.
Police accused Tran Thi Nga of using the Internet “to spread some propaganda videos and writings that are against the Government of the Social Republic of Vietnam”.
“We strongly condemn the prosecution of Tran Thi Nga, which illustrates once more the Vietnamese Government’s relentless efforts to intimidate and silence human rights defenders for their legitimate human rights activities. Vietnam must immediately and unconditionally free Tran Thi Nga and all other jailed human rights defenders,” said OMCT Secretary General Gerald Staberock.
Tran Thi Nga has suffered repeated intimidation, harassment, detention, interrogation, and physical assaults by security agents because of her human rights activities. In May 2014, a group of five men assaulted her with iron rods, breaking her arm and leg. In the days prior to her arrest in January 2017, Tran Thi Nga was subjected to increased police intimidation and harassment, including surveillance of her home and the use of physical force to keep her from leaving her house. Police also refused to allow a neighbour to take her two young sons to the city to buy them food.
“The result of Tran Thi Nga’s trial is a foregone conclusion and it certainly won’t be the last conviction of a human rights defender by Vietnam’s kangaroo courts. Without renewed international pressure, Hanoi’s crackdown on human rights defenders will continue unabated,” said VCHR President Vo Van Ai.
For more information, please contact:
– VCHR: Penelope Faulkner (Vietnamese/English) – Tel: +33 1 45 98 30 85
– FIDH: Andrea Giorgetta (English) – Tel: +66 88 6117722 (Bangkok) / Audrey Couprie & Samuel Hanryon (French/English) – Tel: +33 6 48 05 91 57 (Paris)
– OMCT: Delphine Reculeau (French/English) – Tel: +41 22 809 49 39 (Geneva)
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this program is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
============= end ================
Height Insoles: Hi, I do believe this is an excellent site. I stumbledupon …
http://fishinglovers.net: Appreciate you sharing, great post.Thanks Again. Keep writi…
Achilles Pain causes: Every weekend i used to pay a quick visit this site, as i w…
July 23, 2017
Vietnam Human Rights Defenders’ Weekly July 17-23, 2017: HCM City Activist Assaulted after Commemorating Liu Xiaobo, One Police Officer among Attackers
by Nhan Quyen • DEFENDER’S WEEKLY
Defend the Defenders | July 23, 2017
In the evening of July 16, Ms. Suong Quynh, an activist in Ho Chi Minh City, was followed and beaten by a group of plainclothes agents on her way returning home from a ceremony which commemorated the passing of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.
The assault was made on Phu My Bridge and the victim recognized one of the attacker a police officer who has monitored surveillance over her.
During the week, authorities in HCM City continue harassing nine environmental activists who were barred from walking to Binh Thuan province to protest waste dumping to the local coast. Police summoned them to local police stations and interrogated them for hours, and keep pressuring on their families and request landlords of some activists to cancel contracts to make them no place for staying. On July 15, the city’s police detained, beat and interrogated Ngo Thi Thu, Tran Dinh Chau, Tran Quynh Nhu Uyen and five others.
Vietnam’s communist government will hold the first court hearing of former prisoner of conscience Nguyen Van Oai in August, his lawyer Ha Huy Son has said. Oai, who was arrested on January 19, may face imprisonment of up to six years, according to Vietnam’s current law.
One week ahead of the trial against human rights activist Tran Thi Nga, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (an FIDH-OMCT partnership) and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) issued a joint statement calling on Vietnam’s government to immediately and unconditionally release her and drop all charges against her. “The harassment, arbitrary arrest, and trial of Tran Thi Nga follow a familiar pattern of repression that will inevitably continue unless Hanoi enacts significant institutional and legislative reforms, including the amendment of the country’s numerous repressive laws,” said FIDH President Dimitris Christopoulos.
and other news
===== July 17 =====
HCM City-based Activist Beaten by Plainclothes Agents after Commemorating China’s Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo
Defend the Defenders: On the evening of July 16, Ms. Suong Quynh, an activist in Ho Chi Minh City, was followed and beaten by a group of plainclothes agents on her way returning home from a ceremony which commemorated the passing of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who won Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.
Ms. Quynh, who has participated in a number of events which aim to promote human rights and democracy in Vietnam, said she was attacked by the plainclothes agents when she was driving her motorbike after leaving the private residence of Professor Tuong Lai, a government critic in HCM City.
The assault was made on Phu My Bridge. At first, she thought they were robbers and shouted out for help, then there were several locals coming to protect her and fight back against the attackers.
One of the attackers said they were police officers and their acts aimed to deal with “reactionary individuals,” the brand Vietnam’s government uses for political dissidents, human rights defenders and social activists. However, local residents continued to beat the attackers until they left the scene.
Ms. Quynh also recognized one police officer who has monitored surveillance over her among the perpetrators.
Thanks to the help of local residents, Quynh suffered light injuries. Later, police came but refused to accompany her to her house. Quynh also refused to go to the local police station to report the attack because she said she feels unsafe to go there.
Government’s violence against activists is systemic in Vietnam with numerous assaults recorded in recent years. Last month, Human Rights Watch released its report documenting 36 attacks against local political dissidents, human rights campaigners, social activists and independent bloggers in the period between January 2016 and April 2017. As many as 45 activists were assaulted in these cases and many of them suffered severe injuries.
——————–
Gov’t Outlines Administrative Fines for Religious Violations
Any organization violating regulations in the field of religion in Vietnam could be fined up to VND60 million ($2,643) under a draft decree the government is seeking feedback on.
The fine is part of the government’s plan to impose administrative fines on administrative violations related to religion and beliefs.
An individual found abusing freedom of religion to encroach, incite and distort the truth about the state will be fined maximum VND30 million while the VND60 million is for an organization.
In addition, the individual or organization must correct the untruthful information while foreigners would be deported from Vietnam in such cases.
The draft decree also stipulates a fine of between VND20 million and VND30 million, or even higher, for domestic religious organizations joining a religious group abroad without the approval of Vietnamese authorities.
If passed, the draft decree will take effect on June 1, 2018.
Meanwhile, the Law on Beliefs and Religion passed by the National Assembly recently will be effective in January next year.
===== July 18 =====
Mother of Prisoner of Conscience in Human Rights Campaign in Australia
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim Lieng, the mother of prisoner of conscience Mr. Dinh Nguyen Kha, is in Australia to call on Australian parliamentarians to increase pressure on Vietnam to release of all jailed rights advocates.
She met with Member of Parliament Milton Dick from Labor Party on July 18 and will meet with Member of Parliament Chris Hayes from the same party at the end of this week.
She had met with Ms. Elaine Pearson, Human Rights Watch Australian director and Dr. Lachlan Strahan, first assistant secretary of the Multilateral Policy Division under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Mrs. Lieng is among many Vietnamese invited to discuss with Australian parliamentarians and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade about human rights ahead of the Vietnam-Australia Human Rights Dialogue scheduled in August, however, she is the only person managed to leave Vietnam while others were blocked by security forces in border gates.
Her son, Mr. Kha, is serving his four-year imprisonment. He was arrested in October 2013 and charged with anti-state propaganda under Article 88 of Vietnam’s 1999 Penal Code.
For more details: Mẹ của Đinh Nguyên Kha vận động tại Úc trước đối thoại nhân quyền
——————–
ARTICLE 19 Urges Vietnam to Allow Media to Have Full Access to Meetings of Parliament
Defend the Defenders: On July 18, the London-based organization ARTICLE 19 issued a statement to condemn Vietnam over limiting the local media’s access to the meetings of the country’s highest legislative body National Assembly (NA) and its Standing Committee, saying the limitation runs counter international human rights standards on the right to information.
ARTICLE made the condemnation few days after NA’s General Secretary Nguyen Hanh Phuc announced a decision of the Standing Committee, according to which reporters will only be allowed to attend the first five minutes of each meeting of the parliament and the Standing Committee. Instead of following the full meetings, journalists will be given press releases at the end of the meeting detailing what was discussed.
The limit will enable members of the Standing Committee to discuss “sensitive” topics more openly and in-depth without fear of leaking “national secrets,” Phuc explained.
Vietnam should immediately reverse the decision to restore transparency in the country’s parliamentary process, said ARTICLE 19 which works so that people everywhere can express themselves freely, access information and enjoy freedom of the press.
Replacing the access of independent media to parliamentary sessions with parliament-issued press releases removes the ability of journalists to hold representatives accountable to the public. It also has an obvious negative impact on unbiased flows of information, ARTICLE 19 said.
Under international human rights standards, journalists should be afforded maximum access to parliaments in order to report on the legislative process and the work of elected representatives, it said, noting this is required as part of the rights to freedom of expression and information (Article 19) and the right to participate in public affairs (Article 25) of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Vietnam is a party.
ARTICLE 19 called on the NA’s Standing Committee to withdraw this groundless decision. Furthermore, information in detail regarding the meetings of the parliament and its Standing Committee should be made accessible and available on all official channels, it concluded.
Vietnam: Media must have full access to meetings of the National Assembly
===== July 21 =====
Vietnam to Try Former Prisoner of Conscience Nguyen Van Oai in August: Lawyer
Defend the Defenders: The People’s Court in the Hoang Mai town, Vietnam’s central province of Nghe An will try former prisoner of conscience Nguyen Van Oai in August, his lawyer Ha Huy Son has announced.
Oai, who was imprisoned for four years between 2011 and 2015, was arrested on January 19 this year and charged with “Resisting persons in the performance of their official duties” under Article 257 and “Failing to execute judgments” under Article 304 of the country’s 1999 Penal Code.
He will face imprisonment of up to three years in jail for every charge if is convicted, according to the current Vietnamese law. He may receive heavy sentence as Hanoi is intensifying its crackdown against local political dissidents, human rights defenders, social activists and independent bloggers.
The Catholic social activist was arrested on his way home from a fishing trip in Hoang Mai town. Local authorities accused him of failing to obey by regulations set for house arrest as he is still under three-year probation period given by the previous sentence.
In August 2011, Oai was arrested for the first time together with 13 other young Catholic activists and they were charged with “Carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration” under Article 79 of the Penal Code. Later, they were sentenced to between four and 13 years in prison.
After his arrest in January this year, the EU, the U.S. and other countries and international human rights have condemned Vietnam’s move, urging the communist government to release him immediately and unconditionally.
In late June, Vietnam sentenced prominent human rights advocate Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh to ten years in prison. The communist government will try social activist Tran Thi Nga on July 25 and it is likely to receive heavy sentence too as the two were charged with the same allegation “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the Penal Code.
Vietnam is imprisoning more than100 activists, according to Human Rights Watch. Hanoi always denies holding any political prisoners, saying it keeps in prison only law violators.
===== July 22 =====
Authorities in HCM City Continue Harassing Environmentalists after Release
Defend the Defenders: Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City continue to harass environmental activists who were detained and interrogated for their voice against waste dumping in the central coastal province of Binh Thuan, the victims said.
During the week, security forces in their localities summoned them for interrogation after their release on late night of July 15.
Ms. Ngo Thi Thu, one of the detained environmentalists, said finally police returned her cell phone and identification card they confiscated upon detention.
On July 15, Thu and eight other activists planned to walk from HCM City to Binh Thuan in a bid to raise their voice against the dumping over one million tons of mud by the China-invested Vinh Tan 1 thermal power plant into Binh Thuan province’s coast.
However, not too far from their starting point, the group was stopped by HCM City police who detained them, beating them and confiscating their cameras, cell phones and other personal items. In police custody, they were interrogated for hours and Tran Dinh Chau said he and Dinh Van Hai, who is invalid, were brutally beaten by police officers.
Some activists said their landlords, under pressure of police, suddenly cancelled contracts, leaving them to move from one to another place. Others said police came to pressure their relatives.
The waste dumping is forecast to cause big negative environmental impact. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment approved the dumping plan which was built with fake signatures of some environmental experts.
Vietnam’s government is prioritizing gross domestic product (GDP)’s growth without paying attention to environmental impacts.
Environmental issues are problematic in Vietnam while environmental activists are suffering from the government’s persecution. As Oliver Ward said in his recent article in ASEAN Today, “the Vietnamese government’s decision to crack down on protestors shows their appetite to endorse foreign governments, not the activists.”
In late June, Vietnam sentenced human rights defender and environmental activist Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh to ten years in prison. On July 25, the communist government will try Tran Thi Nga, another activist who also strongly voiced about environmental issues related with Chinese and Taiwanese projects. In addition, a number of other environmental activists including Nguyen Van Hoa and Nguyen Van Oai have been detained and charged with trumped-up allegations.
===== July 23 =====
Vietnam: Immediately Release Labour and Land Rights Defender Tran Thi Nga
FIDH – Vietnamese authorities must drop all charges against labour and land rights defender Tran Thi Nga and immediately release her, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (an FIDH-OMCT partnership) and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) urged today.
Tran Thi Nga’s trial is scheduled for July 25-26, 2017 at the People’s Court in Ha Nam Province. She has been charged under Article 88 of the Criminal Code (“spreading propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”). If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in jail.
“The harassment, arbitrary arrest, and trial of Tran Thi Nga follow a familiar pattern of repression that will inevitably continue unless Hanoi enacts significant institutional and legislative reforms, including the amendment of the country’s numerous repressive laws,” said FIDH President Dimitris Christopoulos.
Tran Thi Nga was arrested on January 21, 2017 at her home in Phu Ly, Ha Nam Province, after the police searched her house and confiscated several of her personal belongings. On the same day, Tran Thi Nga’s partner Luong Dan Ly, a pro-democracy activist and blogger, was also arrested. He was released the following day.
Police accused Tran Thi Nga of using the Internet “to spread some propaganda videos and writings that are against the Government of the Social Republic of Vietnam”.
“We strongly condemn the prosecution of Tran Thi Nga, which illustrates once more the Vietnamese Government’s relentless efforts to intimidate and silence human rights defenders for their legitimate human rights activities. Vietnam must immediately and unconditionally free Tran Thi Nga and all other jailed human rights defenders,” said OMCT Secretary General Gerald Staberock.
Tran Thi Nga has suffered repeated intimidation, harassment, detention, interrogation, and physical assaults by security agents because of her human rights activities. In May 2014, a group of five men assaulted her with iron rods, breaking her arm and leg. In the days prior to her arrest in January 2017, Tran Thi Nga was subjected to increased police intimidation and harassment, including surveillance of her home and the use of physical force to keep her from leaving her house. Police also refused to allow a neighbour to take her two young sons to the city to buy them food.
“The result of Tran Thi Nga’s trial is a foregone conclusion and it certainly won’t be the last conviction of a human rights defender by Vietnam’s kangaroo courts. Without renewed international pressure, Hanoi’s crackdown on human rights defenders will continue unabated,” said VCHR President Vo Van Ai.
For more information, please contact:
– VCHR: Penelope Faulkner (Vietnamese/English) – Tel: +33 1 45 98 30 85
– FIDH: Andrea Giorgetta (English) – Tel: +66 88 6117722 (Bangkok) / Audrey Couprie & Samuel Hanryon (French/English) – Tel: +33 6 48 05 91 57 (Paris)
– OMCT: Delphine Reculeau (French/English) – Tel: +41 22 809 49 39 (Geneva)
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this program is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
============= end ================