WE CONDEMN AND OPPOSE VIOLENCE AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS, MAY 2015

FVPOC | Cập nhật 21/05/2015

HR defender Dinh Quang Tuyen (right) and FPoC Pham Ba Hai (left)

In 2014, security forces staged 31 physical attacks, directly threatening hundreds of dissidents.

Less than five months in 2015, the communist dictatorship did not stop using violence to attack dissidents and human rights defenders, there were 9 attacks targeting at least 17 people.

1. Morning Jan 1, 2015 a group of land petitioners to park in front of the Palace of Independence displayed banners demanding civil rights, human rights, demanding the communists return land and property they were deprived of. While people are taking photos, suddenly police cars rushed into. Police, secret agents, and militia squeezed their hands, legs, hair to pull all 9 women into cars heading to the police headquarters District 1, Saigon. During police interrogation, they were beaten. Mrs. Lu Thi Thu Vanwas beaten at her eyes.

2. On Jan 01, 2015 morning, believers of Mennonite Church gathered to pray at Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang’s house. Local authorities have mobilized numerous policemen and militia, stationed at both ends of the alley leading to Pastor Quang’s house. They prevented all believers not let anyone go into. Many believers were immediately detained and beaten. Pastor Quang went to the police station to ask why they detained and beat his followers. When he left for home, he was also attacked to his shirt torn.
3. At 4:30 PM, Jan 18, 2015, Pastor Huynh Thuc Khai – invalid at legs, paid the visit to Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang. Leaving Pastor Quang’s house about 100 meters, Pastor Khai was attacked by two masked plain clothes from behind, caused him to fall down on the road. Thugs hit him in the stomach and face. Pastor Quang rushed in to rescue him. Three minutes later, two young men backed with 5 other thugs, all masked, hands with stones stormed two pastors.

4. Gourd and Squash Mutual Association and friends were beaten after leaving PoC Tran Anh Kim on Jan 21, 2014. As soon as everyone left the Kim’s house, police and thugs surrounded the 16-seat vehicle carrying people. They plunged inside the vehicle to blow activists. Then taking the entire 14 people to the police station of Thai Binh City and continued pulling people off the vehicle to beat at the police station yard. Each activist was hit by three or four plain clothes. The former film star Kim Chi (70 years) was also beaten to break her glasses wearing. Blogger JB Nguyen Huu Vinh and Truong Dung got the most serious attack.

5. On Tet Festival Feb 17, 2015. Five Land petitioners came Bac Giang province president’s house to dialogue peacefully about their long complaints about land. The provincial president called the police to arrest them and questioned at Hoang Van Thu Ward police station, Bac Giang City. On the bike back to home out of the police station, Suot and Mrs. Luyen were attacked by wood sticks from four men covered by raincoats. Two women were hit in their legs, hands, and chest. While Mrs. Nhuong alone walked out of the ward gate and then  being slapped at her face to mouth bleeding by thugs. She stampeded to find protection and reached a police car. The car drove her back to the police station Hoang Van Thu Ward where she was, again, beaten. She fled into the house opposite for refuge.

6. On Mar 18, 2015 Tien Son and Ha Thanh, the members of Rescue Land Petitioners (Cuu Lay Dan Oan), went to deliver 80 scholarships to poor children of land petitioners in Duong Noi. They were injured by the physical attack of four thugs.

7. On the morning of April 22, blogger Trinh Anh Tuan (aka. Gio Lang Thang) went to the market to buy milk for his baby. When he arrived on the desert road ò Long Bien District, Hanoi, three plain clothes riding bikes kicked him fallen out of his bike to the pavement. All three rushed to kicking, trampling on him. They used a brick hit on his head, hands.

8. At 7:30 AM, May 11, 2015, activist Nguyen Chi Tuyen took his child to school. When returning home for the job, he confronted five thugs on two motorcycles, one carried two, one did three. They stopped his bike and then hit him by iron tube. The blood bled from a 6 cm long wound on his head.

9. On the morning of Hochiminh’s birthday, May 19, 2015, human rights defender Dinh Quang Tuyen (aka Tuyen Xich Lo) was going to ride a bicycle for exercise. He saw a local police sitting opposite the alley making a phone call. Feeling the bad thing, after riding a short distance, he stopped to observe. Immediately two masked men on a motorcycle approached fast and launch a powerful punch in the middle of his face, breaking the nose.

Disguised as thugs to attack because of personal conflicts, the Vietnam security police forces cloaked their filthy approach as using violence to humiliate human rights defenders. This approach is “safe” for the government because the democratic countries concern on human rights in Vietnam did not pay attention greater than dissidents’ arrests.

Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience strongly condemns and protests the use of violence to harm dissidents. It is more urgent as the number of victims is increasing.

The individual security policeman masqueraded as thug executed the order to assault human rights defenders will have to be put on trial for justice, happiness and safety of society. The police officer issued the order to attack will be responsible for the consequences caused to dissidents and their family members.

We call on all democratic governments and their diplomatic corps in Hanoi, the international human rights organizations to raise their voices to protect victims of physical attacks. Demanding the Vietnam government to end violence should be placed as a pre-condition for signing economic or military agreements.

Using violence to suppress that the Vietnam  police state implements will never end if the voice of conscience is not taken up timely.

Vietnam, May 20, 2015.

FVPoC Executive Board.

*Translation by Trang Thien Long.