Vietnam Human Rights Network Protests against the Prison Sentences Handed down to Three Human Rights Activists Nguyen Van Hai, Ta Phong Tan, and Phan Thanh Hai.

Sept 24, 2012 – During a hasty and crooked trial in Saigon on September 24, 2012, three Vietnamese human rights activist bloggers were severely sentenced on charge of “Conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 88 of the Vietnamese Penal Code as follows: 

–     Nguyen Van Hai, pen name Dieu Cay, recipient of Vietnam Human Rights Award 2008, twelve years in prison and five years under house arrest;

–      Ta Phong Tan, ten years in prison and five years under house arrest;

–    Phan Thanh Hai, pen name Anh Ba Saigon, four years in prison and three years under house arrest.

The Vietnam Human Rights Network takes for granted that those individuals have only peacefully exercised their civil liberties and human rights guaranteed to citizens, as recognized by the International Human Rights Law and even by the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Facing the escalating repression against political dissidents, and especially the practice of criminalizing their legitimate political expressions by Hanoi authorities, we firmly:

–    Denounce the illegitimate convictions and imprisonment of the three human rights activists Nguyen Van Hai, Ta Phong Tan, and Phan Thanh Hai;

–  Demand the Vietnam Government to immediately release these dissidents, together with all other prisoners of conscience currently in detention for their completely peaceful activities;

–     Call on democratic governments and international human rights organizations to intervene to secure the release of the three dissidents, and the respect for the Vietnamese people’s rights to freely express their political opinions as specified by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

For more information, please contact: Tung Nguyen, DPA (714) 657-9488

Source: http://www.vietnamhumanrights.net/website/VNHRN_092412.htm

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