Former prisoner of conscience Pham Minh Vu (left) at a peaceful demonstration on environmental issue in Hanoi in May 2016
Mr. Vu, a former prisoner of conscience, was arrested by security forces from the central province of Quang Tri on Wednesday. After long-lasting interrogation, the police forces were forced to release him unconditionally as Vu refused to cooperate with investigation officers who tried to accuse him of carrying out anti-state activities without solid evidence.
By Vu Quoc Ngu, June 30, 2016
Vietnam’s security forces on June 30 released pro-democracy fighter Pham Minh Vu but detained two other social activists, Mr. Tran Tu Long and his Vietnamse-American girlfriend Truong Tue Minh, local social networks reported.
Mr. Vu, a former prisoner of conscience, was arrested by security forces from the central province of Quang Tri on Wednesday. After a long interrogation, the police forces were forced to release him unconditionally as Vu refused to cooperate with investigation officers who tried to accuse him, without solid evidence, of carrying out anti-state activities.
Vu, who is a member of the unsanctioned Brotherhood of Democracy, spent 18 months in prison on charge of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens” under Article 258 of the Penal Code for trying to cover news about the anti-China protests in the southern province of Dong Nai in May 2014.
Since his release in mid-November last year, he has actively participated in public gatherings which aim to promote multi-party democracy and human rights as well as protect the environment and the country’s sovereignty against China’s violations in the East Sea (South China Sea). Police detained him several times while he was attending peaceful events organized by Vietnamese activists.
Meanwhile, the security forces in Ho Chi Minh City detained environmentalists Long and Minh when they were traveling on a motorbike in Nha Be district. Local activists reported that police held the duo in the district police station for interrogation. It is unclear what the police’s allegation against the two activists were.
Mr. Long and his girlfriend participated in a number of peaceful demonstrations on environmental issues, particularly raising their voices to demand government transparency in the investigation of the massive death of marine species in the central coastal region which was likely caused by discharge into the sea of huge volume of improperly-treated waste from the Ha Tinh province-based steel plant owned by the Taiwanese Formosa Plastic Group.
Many activists in HCMC, Hanoi and other localities have complained that they have been put under de facto house arrest in recent days when the government plans to release its official investigation results on the environmental disaster in the central coastal region. Local authorities have deployed large numbers of plain clothes and police officers near private residences of many activists in a bid to prevent them from public gatherings.
Social networks have also reported that the government has sent military and police armed forces to the areas near the Formosa steel plant in a bid to prevent violent demonstrations against Chinese and Taiwanese factories similar to those in May 2014 which killed a number of Chinese citizens and destroyed hundreds of companies from China and Taiwan.
Vietnam has shown zero tolerance to recent spontaneous demonstrations. In June-May, the security forces in Hanoi and HCMC violently dispersed peaceful demonstrations on environmental issues, arresting and beating hundreds of activists, including the elderly, women and children.
Earlier this week, newly-appointed Minister of Public Security To Lam requested the security forces to apply tougher measures to deal with spontaneous protests although the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are enshrined in the country’s 2013 Constitution.
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June 30, 2016
Vietnam Releases One Activist, Detaining Two Others amid Rising Public Dissatisfaction
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights], Pham Minh Vu, Tran Tu Long, Truong Tue Minh
Former prisoner of conscience Pham Minh Vu (left) at a peaceful demonstration on environmental issue in Hanoi in May 2016
By Vu Quoc Ngu, June 30, 2016
Vietnam’s security forces on June 30 released pro-democracy fighter Pham Minh Vu but detained two other social activists, Mr. Tran Tu Long and his Vietnamse-American girlfriend Truong Tue Minh, local social networks reported.
Mr. Vu, a former prisoner of conscience, was arrested by security forces from the central province of Quang Tri on Wednesday. After a long interrogation, the police forces were forced to release him unconditionally as Vu refused to cooperate with investigation officers who tried to accuse him, without solid evidence, of carrying out anti-state activities.
Vu, who is a member of the unsanctioned Brotherhood of Democracy, spent 18 months in prison on charge of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens” under Article 258 of the Penal Code for trying to cover news about the anti-China protests in the southern province of Dong Nai in May 2014.
Since his release in mid-November last year, he has actively participated in public gatherings which aim to promote multi-party democracy and human rights as well as protect the environment and the country’s sovereignty against China’s violations in the East Sea (South China Sea). Police detained him several times while he was attending peaceful events organized by Vietnamese activists.
Meanwhile, the security forces in Ho Chi Minh City detained environmentalists Long and Minh when they were traveling on a motorbike in Nha Be district. Local activists reported that police held the duo in the district police station for interrogation. It is unclear what the police’s allegation against the two activists were.
Mr. Long and his girlfriend participated in a number of peaceful demonstrations on environmental issues, particularly raising their voices to demand government transparency in the investigation of the massive death of marine species in the central coastal region which was likely caused by discharge into the sea of huge volume of improperly-treated waste from the Ha Tinh province-based steel plant owned by the Taiwanese Formosa Plastic Group.
Many activists in HCMC, Hanoi and other localities have complained that they have been put under de facto house arrest in recent days when the government plans to release its official investigation results on the environmental disaster in the central coastal region. Local authorities have deployed large numbers of plain clothes and police officers near private residences of many activists in a bid to prevent them from public gatherings.
Social networks have also reported that the government has sent military and police armed forces to the areas near the Formosa steel plant in a bid to prevent violent demonstrations against Chinese and Taiwanese factories similar to those in May 2014 which killed a number of Chinese citizens and destroyed hundreds of companies from China and Taiwan.
Vietnam has shown zero tolerance to recent spontaneous demonstrations. In June-May, the security forces in Hanoi and HCMC violently dispersed peaceful demonstrations on environmental issues, arresting and beating hundreds of activists, including the elderly, women and children.
Earlier this week, newly-appointed Minister of Public Security To Lam requested the security forces to apply tougher measures to deal with spontaneous protests although the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are enshrined in the country’s 2013 Constitution.