Vietnam CSOs protest using violence against peaceful Human Rights activists

by CSOs

Tell the World

Hanoi, May 30, 2014.

Dear Governments and International Human Rights Organizations.

We, the civil society organizations and human rights defenders in Vietnam, jointly express our concerns about the violence that has happened to peaceful human rights activists lately.

• On March 21, 2014 Trinh Anh Tuan was surveilled by three plainclothes police officers when he attended a human rights event at a coffee shop in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. After the event the police officers followed him on motorbike and deliberately ran into him. He fell to the ground and they kept beating him and destroyed his mobile phone.

• On March 22, 2014, while riding his motorcycle Mr. Truong Van Dung was attacked by a group of five young strangers. They hit his legs with metal tubes, and when Mr Dung fell, this young group  stomped on his face, causing serious injuries;

• On March 24, 2014, while Mr. Nguyen Bac Truyen was on a taxi to the Australian Embassy in Hanoi.  He was stopped by a group of five young strangers who proceeded to attack him. He suffered many injuries to his face, including a broken nose.

• On May 8, 2014 , while Mr. Nguyen Van Dai was drinking coffee with his four friends, he was attacked by a group of 5 young strangers. He was assaulted and incurred head injuries that required 4 stitches.

• On May 25, 2014, while Ms. Tran Thi Nga and her two young children were on a motorcycle, she was assaulted by a group of 5 young strangers. She was beaten with metal tubes and left with a broken left arm, a broken right knee and multiple injuries all over her body.

Before and immediately after the peaceful human rights activists were attacked, they had been watched and followed very closely by security forces. We suspect that the authorities were complicit in these attacks. 

We call on Governments and International Human Rights Organizations to condemn the violent attacks aimed at peaceful human rights activists in Vietnam, at the same time, please pressure  the government of Vietnam to investigate  and stop this sort of violence.

With our sincere appreciation,

1 / Brotherhood for Democracy;

2 / Bau Bi Tuong Than Association;

3 / Civil Society Forum;

4 / Committee to Form Association To Protect Aggrieved Citizens;

5/ Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience;

6/ Movement of The Path of Vietnam;

7/ Vietnamese Women for Human Rights;

8/ Vietnam Human Rights Committee.