Mr. Ngo Duy Quyen, his wife Le Thi Cong Nhan and their baby Luka
Many activists have expressed their concerns about the police’s ongoing harassment against Quyen and Nhan. They have called on international and domestic human rights bodies as well as social activists to pay special attention to the couple which vows to fight for pluralistic politics and human rights respect in the Southeast Asian country.
By Vu Quoc Ngu, Mar 02, 2016
Vietnam’s security forces have continued their intimidation against Hanoi-based activists Ngo Duy Quyen and his wife Le Thi Cong Nhan after detaining the husband and searching their private residence and robbing money and other items one month ago, the victims complained.
Mr. Quyen, a member of the charity group Bau Bi Tuong Than (People’s Solidarity) which has provided financial assistance for prisoners of conscience and their families, reported from his home town Bac Giang that many security agents are gathering around his family’s house where he and his younger brother Ngo Quynh are running a farm.
Mrs. Nhan, a former political prisoner and member of the independent labor union Lao Dong Viet (Viet Labors) said from Hanoi that the private apartment of her mother in which the couple lives is also blocked by many police officers.
Many activists have expressed their concerns about the police’s ongoing harassment against Quyen and Nhan. They have called on international and domestic human rights bodies as well as social activists to pay special attention to the couple which vows to fight for pluralistic politics and human rights respect in the Southeast Asian country.
Last week, Hanoi police summoned Quyen two times to work for a petition of local independent civil society organizations (CSOs) to Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang. In the petition which was sent by Quyen via post office few months ago, the local independent CSOs raised their concerns on recent deaths of many detainees in police stations and detention facilities.
Mr. Quyen, who is very active in peaceful demonstrations against China’s violations of Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Sea and human rights violations in the communist nation, rejected the police’s request, saying he has nothing to work with police but willing to meet with the minister or his representative on the matter.
On February 4, few days prior to the Lunar New Year or Tet festival, police in Hanoi detained Quyen when he was delivering agricultural products grown by him and his brother in their farm to clients in the capital city.
Few hours later, police violently entered the apartment of his mother-in-law and searched the house without warrant. They confiscated around $600, the money he got from selling farm produce, and many personal items, including laptops and four cell phones without making clear minutes.
After a long interrogation which lasted from the afternoon and until midnight, police released him but asked him to come back to police station on the next day.
Mr. Quyen had been detained many times during peaceful anti-China demonstrations. In other cases, he was barred from going out to attend social activities.
Due to his political activities, he has been suppressed by local authorities. Under police’s pressure, Quyen was forced to quit his job as legal expert in a law company. He tried to work in other fields, however, he was forced to abandon them because he could not tolerate systemic corruption among state officials.
Finally, Quyen returned to his hometown in Bac Giang, and together with his brother Quynh, a former prisoner of conscience, he set up an organic farm for the production of chicken, ducks, fish and vegetables. His high-quality products meet high demand, and he became a regular supplier of safe farm produce for social activists in Hanoi and adjacent localities.
Quyen’s detention is the first political case in Vietnam one week after the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam ended its 12th National Congress, with election of the new leadership for the next five-year term. Police generals have dominated the new leadership, with four generals elected to the party’s 19-member Politburo, the most powerful body in the communist nation, and two others in the party’s Secretariat. Three other police generals were elected to the 200-member Central Committee which has the highest power in between consecutive party congresses.
The detention took place on the same day when Vietnam and 11 other nations signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in New Zealand. The pact, which is expected to boost trade and investment between Vietnam and other Asia-Pacific nations, needs approval of parliaments of the countries members, some of which are concerned about increasing human rights violations in Vietnam.
Mr. Pham Van Troi, leader of the unsanctioned Brotherhood for Democracy, said the police’s main goal in detaining Quyen is to search his apartment for documents of his wife Nhan, who is one of the key members of Lao Dong Viet which advocates for workers’ rights. In recent weeks, police in Ho Chi Minh City have intensified their surveillance on other leaders of Lao Dong Viet, including former prisoners of conscience Do Thi Minh Hanh and Truong Minh Duc, Mr. Troi noted.
Vietnam has yet to allow workers to form their independent labor unions to protect their rights while the Vietnam General Trade Union is under government control and has no activities to effectively protect workers’ rights.
The communists have vowed to maintain the country under a one-party regime, and their government has used controversial Penal Code articles such as Articles 79, 88 and 258 to silence political dissidents, social activists and human rights defenders. The ruling party has ordered the country’s security forces to prevent the establishment of opposition parties while Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang, who is set to succeed incumbent President Truong Tan Sang in July, labeled 60 unregistered civil societies as “reactionary groups.”
With more police generals taking up key positions in the party and state agencies, Vietnam is expected to continue its socialism path and prioritize the deepening of the comprehensive strategic partnership with China, which has been increasingly aggressive in the East Sea to turn the sea into its own lake, observers said, adding more political suppression will be seen in coming days.
According to the New York-based Human Rights Watch, Vietnam is holding at least 130 political prisoners while Hanoi consistently denies it is keeping any prisoner of conscience and insists that only law violators are imprisoned.
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March 2, 2016
Vietnam Security Forces Continue to Harass Hanoi-based Activists after Detaining, Robbing Last Month
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights], Le Thi Cong Nhan, Ngo Duy Quyen
Mr. Ngo Duy Quyen, his wife Le Thi Cong Nhan and their baby Luka
By Vu Quoc Ngu, Mar 02, 2016
Vietnam’s security forces have continued their intimidation against Hanoi-based activists Ngo Duy Quyen and his wife Le Thi Cong Nhan after detaining the husband and searching their private residence and robbing money and other items one month ago, the victims complained.
Mr. Quyen, a member of the charity group Bau Bi Tuong Than (People’s Solidarity) which has provided financial assistance for prisoners of conscience and their families, reported from his home town Bac Giang that many security agents are gathering around his family’s house where he and his younger brother Ngo Quynh are running a farm.
Mrs. Nhan, a former political prisoner and member of the independent labor union Lao Dong Viet (Viet Labors) said from Hanoi that the private apartment of her mother in which the couple lives is also blocked by many police officers.
Many activists have expressed their concerns about the police’s ongoing harassment against Quyen and Nhan. They have called on international and domestic human rights bodies as well as social activists to pay special attention to the couple which vows to fight for pluralistic politics and human rights respect in the Southeast Asian country.
Last week, Hanoi police summoned Quyen two times to work for a petition of local independent civil society organizations (CSOs) to Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang. In the petition which was sent by Quyen via post office few months ago, the local independent CSOs raised their concerns on recent deaths of many detainees in police stations and detention facilities.
Mr. Quyen, who is very active in peaceful demonstrations against China’s violations of Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Sea and human rights violations in the communist nation, rejected the police’s request, saying he has nothing to work with police but willing to meet with the minister or his representative on the matter.
On February 4, few days prior to the Lunar New Year or Tet festival, police in Hanoi detained Quyen when he was delivering agricultural products grown by him and his brother in their farm to clients in the capital city.
Few hours later, police violently entered the apartment of his mother-in-law and searched the house without warrant. They confiscated around $600, the money he got from selling farm produce, and many personal items, including laptops and four cell phones without making clear minutes.
After a long interrogation which lasted from the afternoon and until midnight, police released him but asked him to come back to police station on the next day.
Mr. Quyen had been detained many times during peaceful anti-China demonstrations. In other cases, he was barred from going out to attend social activities.
Due to his political activities, he has been suppressed by local authorities. Under police’s pressure, Quyen was forced to quit his job as legal expert in a law company. He tried to work in other fields, however, he was forced to abandon them because he could not tolerate systemic corruption among state officials.
Finally, Quyen returned to his hometown in Bac Giang, and together with his brother Quynh, a former prisoner of conscience, he set up an organic farm for the production of chicken, ducks, fish and vegetables. His high-quality products meet high demand, and he became a regular supplier of safe farm produce for social activists in Hanoi and adjacent localities.
Quyen’s detention is the first political case in Vietnam one week after the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam ended its 12th National Congress, with election of the new leadership for the next five-year term. Police generals have dominated the new leadership, with four generals elected to the party’s 19-member Politburo, the most powerful body in the communist nation, and two others in the party’s Secretariat. Three other police generals were elected to the 200-member Central Committee which has the highest power in between consecutive party congresses.
The detention took place on the same day when Vietnam and 11 other nations signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in New Zealand. The pact, which is expected to boost trade and investment between Vietnam and other Asia-Pacific nations, needs approval of parliaments of the countries members, some of which are concerned about increasing human rights violations in Vietnam.
Mr. Pham Van Troi, leader of the unsanctioned Brotherhood for Democracy, said the police’s main goal in detaining Quyen is to search his apartment for documents of his wife Nhan, who is one of the key members of Lao Dong Viet which advocates for workers’ rights. In recent weeks, police in Ho Chi Minh City have intensified their surveillance on other leaders of Lao Dong Viet, including former prisoners of conscience Do Thi Minh Hanh and Truong Minh Duc, Mr. Troi noted.
Vietnam has yet to allow workers to form their independent labor unions to protect their rights while the Vietnam General Trade Union is under government control and has no activities to effectively protect workers’ rights.
The communists have vowed to maintain the country under a one-party regime, and their government has used controversial Penal Code articles such as Articles 79, 88 and 258 to silence political dissidents, social activists and human rights defenders. The ruling party has ordered the country’s security forces to prevent the establishment of opposition parties while Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang, who is set to succeed incumbent President Truong Tan Sang in July, labeled 60 unregistered civil societies as “reactionary groups.”
With more police generals taking up key positions in the party and state agencies, Vietnam is expected to continue its socialism path and prioritize the deepening of the comprehensive strategic partnership with China, which has been increasingly aggressive in the East Sea to turn the sea into its own lake, observers said, adding more political suppression will be seen in coming days.
According to the New York-based Human Rights Watch, Vietnam is holding at least 130 political prisoners while Hanoi consistently denies it is keeping any prisoner of conscience and insists that only law violators are imprisoned.