Statement of Defend the Defender about Recent Attack against Its Staff

Severely injured Nguyen Cong Thu cannot go to hospital as police gather outside of his house in An Giang province

Defend the Defenders | Apr 02, 2016

On April 1, Nguyen Cong Thu, religious activist and staff of Defend the Defenders, was severely beaten by numerous police officers and plainclothes agents in Long Dien A commune in Cho Moi district, An Giang province when he was on his way to visit his fiancée’s family.

Thu, a follower of Hoa Hao Buddhist sect, received severe injuries after being attacked by police officers and thugs. Thu recognized the police chief in Long Dien A commune and a police officer from the Cho Moi district police among the attackers, who threatened to kill him if he continues his human rights activities.

Dozens of police and plainclothes gathered around his house after the attacks, not allowing the family to take him to local medical facilities for urgent treatment.

Defend the Defenders strongly condemns the brutal acts of the police Cho Moi district and Long Dien A commune, and consider the attacks serious violations of human rights.

Defend the Defenders demands the Ministry of Public Security and the Police Department in An Giang province to thoroughly investigate the case and bring the perpetrators to court.

The police in An Giang province, particularly Cho Moi district, are responsible for the health conditions of Mr. Thu and the safety of him and his family members.

Thu is not the only staff of Defend the Defenders who have been suppressed by Vietnam’s security forces in recent years. In March last year, Mr. Vu Quoc Ngu, executive officer of the non-profit independent human rights body, was also attacked by plainclothes agents of Thanh Tri district, Hanoi.

Along with beating, Vietnam’s security forces have also harassed other staff of Defend the Defenders, including its founder Pham Ba Hai.

Both Hai and Ngu have been banned from international travel.