Human rights lawyer Le Quoc Quan at an anti-China protest in Hanoi in 2011
Security forces in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi have barred a number of local activists from attending a ceremony to mark the National Day [July 4] of the U.S. which is organized by the American Embassy in the Southeast Asian nation.
By Vu Quoc Ngu, July 1, 2016
Security forces in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi have barred a number of local activists from attending a ceremony to mark the Independence Day [July 4] of the U.S. which is organized by the American Embassy.
Among the blocked activists are human rights lawyer and former prisoner of conscience Le Quoc Quan and blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh, the victims said.
Mr. Quan, who was freed last year, said when he left his private in My Dinh, around 5.30 PM today [July 1] to go to the event at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy, dozens of police officers and plainclothes agents blocked his way, not allowing him to move out of the area.
Blogger Vinh, who has written numerous articles for the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) and Radio of Free Asia (RFA) on multi-party democracy and human rights, also reported that the local authorities deployed a number of plainclothes agents near his private house and blocked him from going out.
Vinh said he was also invited by the American Embassy to the event, however, he couldn’t come due to the police blockade.
Many other activists have reported that they have been under close police surveillance in recent days for unknown reasons.
It is not the first time Hanoi security forces barred local activists from meeting with foreign diplomats. In April and May, before and during the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to Vietnam, a number of activists and independent journalists had been barred from going to meet with Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel and Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski as well as attending a meeting between President Obama and representatives of local civil societies.
Vietnam has also blocked around 100 local activists from going abroad to meet with foreign politicians and international human rights activists or attend workshops and training courses. Authorities have also confiscated passports of many political dissidents and human rights activists, and refused to grant passports for many others, citing a controversial decree on national security.
Meanwhile, the security forces in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday released two local activists Mr. Tran Tu Long and his girlfriend Truong Tue Minh. Police of Nha Be district detained the duo yesterday when they were traveling on their motorbike in the areas. 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 a Ha Tinh province-based steel plant owned by the Taiwanese Formosa Plastic Group.
Police in the central coastal province of Quang Tri on June 29 detained former prisoner of conscience Pham Minh Vu but freed him on the next day after failing to force him to making confession to trumped-up allegations. Vu, who was released November last year, has actively participated in public gatherings to promote human rights and multi-party democracy as well as raise concerns about environmental pollutions across the nation.
Vietnam’s government has tightened public security measures to maintain the one-party regime. Earlier this week, Minister of Public Security Senior Lieutenant General To Lam, who is a member of the party’s Politburo, ordered the security forces to apply tougher measures to prevent peaceful spontaneous demonstrations.
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July 1, 2016
Vietnam Blocks Local Activists from Attending U.S. Independent Day in Hanoi
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights], Le Quoc Quan, Nguyen Huu Vinh JB, Tran Tu Long, Truong Tue Minh
Human rights lawyer Le Quoc Quan at an anti-China protest in Hanoi in 2011
By Vu Quoc Ngu, July 1, 2016
Security forces in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi have barred a number of local activists from attending a ceremony to mark the Independence Day [July 4] of the U.S. which is organized by the American Embassy.
Among the blocked activists are human rights lawyer and former prisoner of conscience Le Quoc Quan and blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh, the victims said.
Mr. Quan, who was freed last year, said when he left his private in My Dinh, around 5.30 PM today [July 1] to go to the event at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy, dozens of police officers and plainclothes agents blocked his way, not allowing him to move out of the area.
Blogger Vinh, who has written numerous articles for the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) and Radio of Free Asia (RFA) on multi-party democracy and human rights, also reported that the local authorities deployed a number of plainclothes agents near his private house and blocked him from going out.
Vinh said he was also invited by the American Embassy to the event, however, he couldn’t come due to the police blockade.
Many other activists have reported that they have been under close police surveillance in recent days for unknown reasons.
It is not the first time Hanoi security forces barred local activists from meeting with foreign diplomats. In April and May, before and during the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to Vietnam, a number of activists and independent journalists had been barred from going to meet with Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel and Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski as well as attending a meeting between President Obama and representatives of local civil societies.
Vietnam has also blocked around 100 local activists from going abroad to meet with foreign politicians and international human rights activists or attend workshops and training courses. Authorities have also confiscated passports of many political dissidents and human rights activists, and refused to grant passports for many others, citing a controversial decree on national security.
Meanwhile, the security forces in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday released two local activists Mr. Tran Tu Long and his girlfriend Truong Tue Minh. Police of Nha Be district detained the duo yesterday when they were traveling on their motorbike in the areas. 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 a Ha Tinh province-based steel plant owned by the Taiwanese Formosa Plastic Group.
Police in the central coastal province of Quang Tri on June 29 detained former prisoner of conscience Pham Minh Vu but freed him on the next day after failing to force him to making confession to trumped-up allegations. Vu, who was released November last year, has actively participated in public gatherings to promote human rights and multi-party democracy as well as raise concerns about environmental pollutions across the nation.
Vietnam’s government has tightened public security measures to maintain the one-party regime. Earlier this week, Minister of Public Security Senior Lieutenant General To Lam, who is a member of the party’s Politburo, ordered the security forces to apply tougher measures to prevent peaceful spontaneous demonstrations.