Prominent Vietnamese Activists Detained, Beaten while Attending Workshop on Civil Society in Vung Tau

Participants of a workshop on civil society in Vung Tau on Oct 8 before being suppressed by local police

By Defend the Defenders, October 09, 2016

Security forces in Vietnam’s southern city of Vung Tau on October 8 detained a group of around 30 activists when they gathered at a local hotel to attend a workshop on civil society. The local police interrogated, beat and destroyed their communication devices before releasing them at midnight of the same day.

Among those detained were prisoners of conscience Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, lawyer Le Cong Dinh, Pham Ba Hai, Le Thang Long, Nguyen Thuy Quynh, activists Nguyen Thanh Hai, Ngo Thi Hong Lam, Nguyen Trang Nhung and others from Saigon and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Participants said when they started the workshop in Herra Palace hotel in the city at 2.30PM, local authorities deployed a large number of police officers to block the hotel and later came in and arrested all activists.

Later, the police divided the detainees into small groups and took them to many police stations where they confiscated their cell phones and cameras and interrogated them. During questioning, they brutally beat many activists, including Ms. Nguyen Thuy Quynh and Mr. Le Cong Dinh.

The police said the workshop was illegal as the organizers failed to get permission from the local authorities while the activists answered that they have no need to obtain approval from state agencies since the right to assembly is enshrined in the country’s 2013 Constitution.

Police confiscated the detained activists’ communication devices and threw them into water before returning them to the owners, activists said.

At mid-night, police in Vung Tau took the detainees to remote areas and released them one by one in different places. Many of them had difficulty in finding ways to come back to the city since they were not familiar with the areas and they had no cell phone to contact each other.

Ms. Nguyen Thuy Quynh said police confiscated her identification card after torturing her. They attacked her again before forcing her out of their car into the dark. Ms. Ngo Thi Hong Lam said after being released, they avoided lighted places and ran into the dark to hide as they feared that the police may send thugs to beat them again.

Le Cong Dinh said police officers tortured him and robbed his smart phones so after being released at midnight he couldn’t contact other activists. He took a taxi to return to Saigon during the night.

Vietnam’s security forces have strived not to allow activists to gather for demonstrations or experience sharing as the ruling communist party vows to keep the country under a one-party regime and requests the police forces to make all efforts to prevent the formation of opposition parties.

On April 8, security forces in Hanoi also dispersed a peaceful gathering of local activists, detaining and beating many dissidents, social activists and human rights defenders.

On February 20-21, police in Ba Ria-Vung Tau harassed participants of a workshop on cyber security organized by Defend the Defenders with participation of dozens of activists from the southern region in a local resort. Police also said the organizer must get approval first and requested suspension of the workshop. They continued to cause trouble when the activists held meetings in one of rented rooms.

Authorities in many Vietnamese localities, especially Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, have been deploying large number of plainclothes agents to patrol near private residences of local activists, placing them under de facto house arrest in a bid to block them from going out to attend peaceful gatherings or meetings with foreign diplomats.

In its second session on October 20-November 19, Vietnam’s parliament is scheduled to approve a draft law on association which has a number of regulations limiting the rights of association which are enshrined in the Constitution, observers said.