Activist Tran Thi Nga
by Defend the Defenders, July 27, 2017
The U.S. and the EU have criticized Vietnam over the conviction of human rights defender Tran Thi Nga, demanding for her immediate and unconditional release.
The moves were made on July 26, one day after the People’s Court in the northern province of Ha Nam found Ms. Nga guilty on allegation of “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the country’s 1999 Penal Code and gave her nine years in prison and an additional five years under house arrest.
In his statement released on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Ambassador Ted Osius said “I am deeply concerned that a Vietnamese court has convicted peaceful activist Tran Thi Nga to nine years in prison and five years of probation under the vague charge of “propaganda against the State”.”
Reiterating that all people have the right to the fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and of peaceful assembly, Ambassador Osius said the trend of increased arrests, convictions, and harsh sentences of peaceful activists in Vietnam since early 2016 is deeply troubling.
The U.S. calls on Vietnam to release Tran Thi Nga and all other prisoners of conscience, and to allow all individuals in Vietnam to express their views freely and assemble peacefully without fear of retribution. It also urges Hanoi to ensure its actions and laws, including the Penal Code, are consistent with the human rights provisions of Vietnam’s constitution and its international obligations and commitments.
In his message released on the same day, Head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam Bruno Angelet said the conviction of Nga for her peaceful expression on labor and land rights directly contradicts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Vietnam is a party.
Freedoms of opinion and expression are fundamental rights, indispensable for individual dignity and fulfillment, as also enshrined in Article 25 of Vietnam’s 2013 Constitution, the ambassador said. It would be just to release unconditionally Ms. Nga, said the diplomat from the 28-nation bloc in Vietnam.
Ambassador Angelet said that the decision by the Vietnamese authorities not to allow representatives of the EU Delegation and those of the EU Member States’ embassies to observe the trial raises questions as to the transparency of the process.
The European Union will continue to monitor the human rights situation in Vietnam, and work with the authorities towards improving the human rights situation in the country, he concluded.
The conviction of Nga has met strong protest worldwide. Few hours after the trial ended, Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists issued their statements protesting against the Vietnamese court’s verdict. Amnesty International said this is an inhumane verdict and it called on Vietnam to immediately annul it because Ms. Nga has only been peacefully protesting for human rights while the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Vietnam to terminate crackdown on brave bloggers like Ms. Nga.
Meanwhile, Phan Van Phong, the partner of Ms. Nga and the father of her two children, said on social media that on July 26, he brought two children of seven and four years to Ha Nam detention facility where Nga is held to demand to meet her and supply foodstuff. However, local authorities said Nga was being disciplined and was not allowed receive family’s support nor meet them for being stubborn and for not confessing to wrongdoings. However, at the time, they did not unveil how long the punishment against the human rights advocate would be.
In Vietnam, prisoners subject to discipline action normally is jailed in a solitary cell which lacks basic necessities, their legs shackled, being denied from family visits. Discipline period normally lasts ten days.
Vietnam prisons often apply discipline measures against prisoners of conscience when needed, to destroy their spirit and their ideals, said former political prisoners.
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July 28, 2017
U.S., EU Condemn Conviction of Dissident Blogger Tran Thi Nga, Urging Vietnam to Release Her
by Nhan Quyen • Tran Thi Nga (Tran Thuy Nga)
Activist Tran Thi Nga
by Defend the Defenders, July 27, 2017
The U.S. and the EU have criticized Vietnam over the conviction of human rights defender Tran Thi Nga, demanding for her immediate and unconditional release.
The moves were made on July 26, one day after the People’s Court in the northern province of Ha Nam found Ms. Nga guilty on allegation of “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the country’s 1999 Penal Code and gave her nine years in prison and an additional five years under house arrest.
In his statement released on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Ambassador Ted Osius said “I am deeply concerned that a Vietnamese court has convicted peaceful activist Tran Thi Nga to nine years in prison and five years of probation under the vague charge of “propaganda against the State”.”
Reiterating that all people have the right to the fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and of peaceful assembly, Ambassador Osius said the trend of increased arrests, convictions, and harsh sentences of peaceful activists in Vietnam since early 2016 is deeply troubling.
The U.S. calls on Vietnam to release Tran Thi Nga and all other prisoners of conscience, and to allow all individuals in Vietnam to express their views freely and assemble peacefully without fear of retribution. It also urges Hanoi to ensure its actions and laws, including the Penal Code, are consistent with the human rights provisions of Vietnam’s constitution and its international obligations and commitments.
In his message released on the same day, Head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam Bruno Angelet said the conviction of Nga for her peaceful expression on labor and land rights directly contradicts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Vietnam is a party.
Freedoms of opinion and expression are fundamental rights, indispensable for individual dignity and fulfillment, as also enshrined in Article 25 of Vietnam’s 2013 Constitution, the ambassador said. It would be just to release unconditionally Ms. Nga, said the diplomat from the 28-nation bloc in Vietnam.
Ambassador Angelet said that the decision by the Vietnamese authorities not to allow representatives of the EU Delegation and those of the EU Member States’ embassies to observe the trial raises questions as to the transparency of the process.
The European Union will continue to monitor the human rights situation in Vietnam, and work with the authorities towards improving the human rights situation in the country, he concluded.
The conviction of Nga has met strong protest worldwide. Few hours after the trial ended, Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists issued their statements protesting against the Vietnamese court’s verdict. Amnesty International said this is an inhumane verdict and it called on Vietnam to immediately annul it because Ms. Nga has only been peacefully protesting for human rights while the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Vietnam to terminate crackdown on brave bloggers like Ms. Nga.
Meanwhile, Phan Van Phong, the partner of Ms. Nga and the father of her two children, said on social media that on July 26, he brought two children of seven and four years to Ha Nam detention facility where Nga is held to demand to meet her and supply foodstuff. However, local authorities said Nga was being disciplined and was not allowed receive family’s support nor meet them for being stubborn and for not confessing to wrongdoings. However, at the time, they did not unveil how long the punishment against the human rights advocate would be.
In Vietnam, prisoners subject to discipline action normally is jailed in a solitary cell which lacks basic necessities, their legs shackled, being denied from family visits. Discipline period normally lasts ten days.
Vietnam prisons often apply discipline measures against prisoners of conscience when needed, to destroy their spirit and their ideals, said former political prisoners.