Police detained Mr. Vuong Van Tha in mid May last year
Defend the Defenders, January 22, 2018
The People’s Court in Vietnam’s southern province of An Giang will hold an open trial on January 23 against Vuong Van Tha, Vuong Van Thuan, Nguyen Nhat Truong and Nguyen Van Thuong on charge of “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the country’s 1999 Penal Code.
According to the court’s decision, the charge is under Clause 2 of the article and the four will face imprisonment of between ten and twenty years in jail, if convicted.
All defendants are with low education. Mr. Tha, 49, and his son Thuan, 28, have yet to pass their primary school while the twin Truong and Thuong, 33, are illiterate.
Mr. Tha’s family was blocked in April-May last year as the local authorities deployed police and militia to station close to their private residence in Vinh Hau commune, An Phu district. The water and electricity supplies were cut.
On May 17, police evicted his family and took them away. Several days later, they publicized their accusation.
Mr. Tha, who served his three-year imprisonment on charge of “abusing democratic freedom” under Article 258 of the 1999 Penal Code, had made numerous live streams on Facebook calling for multi-party democracy and religious freedom. He himself established a Hoa Hao Buddhist sect with few followers.
The arrests of Tha and three others were part of Vietnam’s intensified crackdown on local dissent last year, the hardest campaign for many years.
With little tolerance to government critics, Vietnam arrested at least 45 activists and convicted 19 of them with severe imprisonments of between three and 16 years in 2017.
The trend is ongoing with detention of pro-democracy activist Vu Van Hung and religious freedom advocate Doan Van Dien. Police also seek to arrest labor activist Doan Huy Chuong. All three are former prisoners of conscience.
Vietnam is holding between 120 and 180 prisoners of conscience, according to local and international human rights organizations.
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January 22, 2018
Vietnam to Try Four People on Allegation of “Conducting anti-state propaganda”
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights]
Police detained Mr. Vuong Van Tha in mid May last year
Defend the Defenders, January 22, 2018
The People’s Court in Vietnam’s southern province of An Giang will hold an open trial on January 23 against Vuong Van Tha, Vuong Van Thuan, Nguyen Nhat Truong and Nguyen Van Thuong on charge of “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the country’s 1999 Penal Code.
According to the court’s decision, the charge is under Clause 2 of the article and the four will face imprisonment of between ten and twenty years in jail, if convicted.
All defendants are with low education. Mr. Tha, 49, and his son Thuan, 28, have yet to pass their primary school while the twin Truong and Thuong, 33, are illiterate.
Mr. Tha’s family was blocked in April-May last year as the local authorities deployed police and militia to station close to their private residence in Vinh Hau commune, An Phu district. The water and electricity supplies were cut.
On May 17, police evicted his family and took them away. Several days later, they publicized their accusation.
Mr. Tha, who served his three-year imprisonment on charge of “abusing democratic freedom” under Article 258 of the 1999 Penal Code, had made numerous live streams on Facebook calling for multi-party democracy and religious freedom. He himself established a Hoa Hao Buddhist sect with few followers.
The arrests of Tha and three others were part of Vietnam’s intensified crackdown on local dissent last year, the hardest campaign for many years.
With little tolerance to government critics, Vietnam arrested at least 45 activists and convicted 19 of them with severe imprisonments of between three and 16 years in 2017.
The trend is ongoing with detention of pro-democracy activist Vu Van Hung and religious freedom advocate Doan Van Dien. Police also seek to arrest labor activist Doan Huy Chuong. All three are former prisoners of conscience.
Vietnam is holding between 120 and 180 prisoners of conscience, according to local and international human rights organizations.