Widow Vu Thi Hai with special clothes to protest land seizure in Hanoi street earlier this year
The court found Vu Thi Hai, a resident from the northern province of Ninh Binh, guilty of causing public disorders near the parliament’s building three months ago.
By Vu Quoc Ngu, Sept 28, 2015
The People’s Court in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi on Monday sentenced a land petitioner to 18 months in prison in a nominally opentrial that was in fact closed to the public and the defendant’s relatives.
The court found Vu Thi Hai, a resident from the northern province of Ninh Binh, guilty of causing public disorders near the parliament’s building three months ago.
On June 9, Hai and many other land petitioners strived to approach the building of Vietnam’s legislative body National Assembly in the city’s center in a bid to meet with lawmakers to hand over their petitions to them. However, security forces detained her and some others, taking them to Ha Dong district where they released others but kept widow Hai and later charged her for conducting public disturbance under Article 245 of the country’s Penal Code.
On the day of the trial, authorities in Hanoi deployed a large number of police officers and plainclothes agents to block other land petitioners from approaching the court houseon Doi Can street. Authorities did not allow Duong Van Tuyen, a son of Hai’s, to enter the courtroom.
Police detained dozens of land petitioners who unfurled banners and chanted outside of the courtroom to demand for Hai’s unconditional release, taking them to Ha Dong, about 15 kilometers from the city’s center and released them later that day.
Hai became a land petitioner several years ago after local authorities allegedly cheated her family and transferred the ownership of about five hectares of her family’s land to local communal cadres.
Hai protested the grabbing by going to government agencies in different levels from the home district to the highest level in Hanoi to file complaints against the illegal land seizure. However, not only had her voice been ignored, the police considered her as a trouble maker and often harassed her and other land petitioners.
Duong Van Tuyen, who has tried to seek justice for his mother, has also been suppressed by Hanoi’s police. Security forces in the capital city deported him on September 1, several hours before the grand parade which marked the country’s 70th independence day.
Mrs. Hai joined hundreds of other land petitioners nationwide to rally in Hanoi’s streets and gather in front of government buildings to demand for the return of their land or market price compensation for their illegally-seized land. They live in streets, sleep in parks and often receive financial supports from people.
Hanoi police have regularly attacked these petitioners, beating them and destroying their temporary tents or hiring thugs to throw dirty substances at them in a bid to expel them back to their home provinces.
Numerous Vietnamese land petitioners have been arrested and charged with conducting public disturbance under Article 245 of the Penal Code. Many of them have been jailed for peaceful protest against illegal land seizure, according to local media.
Land seizure is one of the systematic issues in communist Vietnam where all land belongs to the state and residents have only the right to use it.
According to the current Land Law, the government can take land from the people for defense purposes and socio-economic development. In many localities, local authorities have seized land from residents for urban and industrial development without paying adequate compensations.
Illegal land seizures in many Vietnamese provinces and cities have triggered strong protest from the land owners. In 2013, aquatic farmer Doan Van Vuon used hand-made explosives to attack policemen and soldiers who came to evict his family from his rented land, injuring two soldiers. Vuon was sentenced to seven years in jail.
Height Insoles: Hi, I do believe this is an excellent site. I stumbledupon …
http://fishinglovers.net: Appreciate you sharing, great post.Thanks Again. Keep writi…
Achilles Pain causes: Every weekend i used to pay a quick visit this site, as i w…
September 28, 2015
Hanoi Court Sentences Land Petitioner to 18 Months in Prison
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights], Vu Thi Hai (Ninh Binh)
Widow Vu Thi Hai with special clothes to protest land seizure in Hanoi street earlier this year
By Vu Quoc Ngu, Sept 28, 2015
The People’s Court in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi on Monday sentenced a land petitioner to 18 months in prison in a nominally opentrial that was in fact closed to the public and the defendant’s relatives.
The court found Vu Thi Hai, a resident from the northern province of Ninh Binh, guilty of causing public disorders near the parliament’s building three months ago.
On June 9, Hai and many other land petitioners strived to approach the building of Vietnam’s legislative body National Assembly in the city’s center in a bid to meet with lawmakers to hand over their petitions to them. However, security forces detained her and some others, taking them to Ha Dong district where they released others but kept widow Hai and later charged her for conducting public disturbance under Article 245 of the country’s Penal Code.
On the day of the trial, authorities in Hanoi deployed a large number of police officers and plainclothes agents to block other land petitioners from approaching the court houseon Doi Can street. Authorities did not allow Duong Van Tuyen, a son of Hai’s, to enter the courtroom.
Police detained dozens of land petitioners who unfurled banners and chanted outside of the courtroom to demand for Hai’s unconditional release, taking them to Ha Dong, about 15 kilometers from the city’s center and released them later that day.
Hai became a land petitioner several years ago after local authorities allegedly cheated her family and transferred the ownership of about five hectares of her family’s land to local communal cadres.
Hai protested the grabbing by going to government agencies in different levels from the home district to the highest level in Hanoi to file complaints against the illegal land seizure. However, not only had her voice been ignored, the police considered her as a trouble maker and often harassed her and other land petitioners.
Duong Van Tuyen, who has tried to seek justice for his mother, has also been suppressed by Hanoi’s police. Security forces in the capital city deported him on September 1, several hours before the grand parade which marked the country’s 70th independence day.
Mrs. Hai joined hundreds of other land petitioners nationwide to rally in Hanoi’s streets and gather in front of government buildings to demand for the return of their land or market price compensation for their illegally-seized land. They live in streets, sleep in parks and often receive financial supports from people.
Hanoi police have regularly attacked these petitioners, beating them and destroying their temporary tents or hiring thugs to throw dirty substances at them in a bid to expel them back to their home provinces.
Numerous Vietnamese land petitioners have been arrested and charged with conducting public disturbance under Article 245 of the Penal Code. Many of them have been jailed for peaceful protest against illegal land seizure, according to local media.
Land seizure is one of the systematic issues in communist Vietnam where all land belongs to the state and residents have only the right to use it.
According to the current Land Law, the government can take land from the people for defense purposes and socio-economic development. In many localities, local authorities have seized land from residents for urban and industrial development without paying adequate compensations.
Illegal land seizures in many Vietnamese provinces and cities have triggered strong protest from the land owners. In 2013, aquatic farmer Doan Van Vuon used hand-made explosives to attack policemen and soldiers who came to evict his family from his rented land, injuring two soldiers. Vuon was sentenced to seven years in jail.