August 30, 2014

Vietnam Defends Imprisoning Three Activists on Fabricated Traffic Obstruction

by • Bui Thi Minh Hang, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh, Nguyen Van Minh

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Vu Quoc Ngu, Aug 29, 2014
The trial against three social activists Bui Thi Minh Hang, Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh and Nguyen Van Minh was held according to Vietnam’s law, said Spokesman Le Hai Binh of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Văn Minh (T) Bùi Hằng (G) và Thúy Quỳnh (DR)

Văn Minh (T) Bùi Hằng (G) và Thúy Quỳnh
(DR)

The court found them guilty and the jail sentences given for them are needed to ensure national security, social order and peaceful environment for the people, the spokesman said at a press conference in Hanoi on Aug 28, two days after the People’s Court in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap held a hearing for the trio on accusation of obstructing traffic regulations to cause social disorder according to Article 245 of the country’s Criminal Code.

On Aug 26, the court gave a three-year imprisonment to Mrs. Hang, who is an activist against China’s violations of Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Sea, illegal land seizure and religious freedom violations; a 24-month sentence to rights activist Quynh; and a 30-month jail term to independent Hoa Hao Buddhist practitioner Minh for traffic offense which are bogus, according to human rights bodies.
The trial was held with thousands of policemen and militia tightening security, according to observers. About 70 activists from many provinces and cities to support the trio were arrested and some were severely beaten by policemen outside of the courtroom when they tried to attend the open hearing.
The Vietnamese government has criminalized the political case since Mrs. Hang is famous for her activities protesting China’s violations of the country’s sovereignty, land corruption and the government’s harassment against unsanctioned Hoa Hao Buddhist sect, said local observers.
Mrs. Hang was among the key figures in the anti-China protests in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in 2011-2013, during which Beijing conducted a number of assertive moves to violate Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Sea, including sending ships to cut seismic cables of PetroVietnam offshore. She had been detained many times by the police, and two times was imprisoned for several months by Hanoi’s authorities for her patriotism as well as protests for authorities’ illegal seizure of land of other citizens.
Prior to the trial, the Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) called on the Vietnamese government to release Hang and her two colleagues while the U.S. announced it will closely watch the case.
Many countries and international human rights bodies have criticized Vietnam’s government for imprisoning the three social activists, urging Hanoi to respect freedom of expression and unconditionally release the trio and other jailed political prisoners and bloggers.
Immediately after the trial ended, the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam issued a statement expressing deep concerns about Vietnam’s conviction and sentencing the trio. This conviction appears to be inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression and Vietnam’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and commitments reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the embassy said.
The U.S. calls on Hanoi to release unconditionally the trio, as well as all other prisoners of conscience, and allow all Vietnamese to express their political views.
Mr. Christoph Strässer, human rights commissioner of the German Federal Government on Aug 27 expressed his deep concerns on long-term imprisonments over the three activists, saying it approved that Vietnam’s human rights situation is still bad as the government critics have been harassed, suppressed and imprisoned. He asked Vietnam’s authorities to immediately release the trio, saying Hanoi should respect international norm on human rights after the communist nation was elected in UN Human Rights Council.
On their joint release on Aug 27, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a joint program of the FIDH and the World Organization Against Torture – OMCT) together with the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) said the arbitrary imprisonment of three human rights defenders on trumped-up charges makes a mockery of Vietnam’s human rights commitments and obligations
Eight months after being elected to the UN Human Rights Council, Vietnam continues its business-as-usual repression of all voices of dissent, said FIDH President Karim Lahidji, adding Hanoi’s commitments to improve its legal and judicial system and to adopt policies and measures to ensure respect of human rights have not materialized.
It’s time for the international community to make the release of all political prisoners, including human rights defenders, a key demand in its interaction with Hanoi, he said.
“Voicing your opinion, traveling to visit other prisoners or advocating for the rights of others is a right but never a criminal offense. The ruling of today is a shameful example of a judiciary not fulfilling its tasks as protector of rights but serving as a willful instrument of power,” noted OMCT Secretary General Gerald Staberock in a comment.
Vietnam is one of the world’s biggest enemies of Internet, with dozens of journalists and bloggers are being imprisoned, according to the Journalists Without Borders. It has also imprisoned around 200 political prisoners, according to international human rights bodies.
Hanoi always denies holding any prisoners of conscience but only law violators.
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