Defend the Defenders | March 05, 2017
===== February 27 =====
Vietnamese Activist and His Friend Kidnapped, Tortured and Robbed in Central Region
Defend the Defenders: On February 27, Protestant pastor Nguyen Trung Ton, president of Brotherhood for Democracy, and his friend Nguyen Viet Tu were kidnapped, beaten and robbed by plainclothes agents of the central provinces of Quang Binh and Ha Tinh, Mr. Ton informed Defend the Defenders.
On Sunday, the duo went to Ba Don town in Quang Tri to meet with local activists. Arriving at the location at around 9:00pm on Sunday, they were kidnapped by local plainclothes agents who travelled in a seven-seat car. The kidnappers beat the duo, covered their heads with cloth and forced them into the car. After a several hour journey, they stopped the car in Ha Linh commune, Huong Khe district in the neighboring province of Ha Tinh.
During the journey, in a remote area of Ha Linh, the kidnappers beat them with iron bars, robbing them of all their belongings. Finally, they released them during the cold night in the mountainous region. When they left, Mr. Ton tried to recognize the car registration number, however, the kidnappers had covered it in mud.
Suffering from numerous injuries, Ton and his friend sought refuge in the house of forest farmers, who provided them with food and clothes and helped them contact Mr. Ton’s family. The next morning, the duo took a taxi and returned to Thanh Hoa where Ms. Ton lives.
Mr. Ton was a prisoner of conscience. He was arrested in 2011 and sentenced to two years in prison on charges of “anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the Penal Code. Released in early 2013, he has continued to fight for human rights and multi-party democracy. Recently, he was elected as the head of the Brotherhood for Democracy, which was co-funded by prominent human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai, who was arrested late 2015 on allegations of “anti-state propaganda.”
In recent years, Mr. Ton and his family have been constantly harassed by local authorities in Thanh Hoa province. In addition to publicly defaming him through local media, the radio and loudspeakers in his neighborhood, plainclothes agents have disrupted the business of his wife at a local wet market. They even destroyed her booth of seafood products.
In addition to arresting and charging local activists with controversial, national security provisions such as Articles 79, 87, 88 and 258 of the Penal Code, Vietnam’s government has deployed other tactics to discourage political dissidents, social activists and human rights defenders from continuing their work, including kidnapping, torturing and robbing.
Many activists, including Nguyen Trung Truc and Mai Van Tam from Quang Binh, Nguyen Cong Huan from Nghe An, and Nguyen Ho Nhat Thanh from Ho Chi Minh City, were kidnapped, beaten and robbed after being taken away from plainclothes agents.
Physical attacks by police and plainclothes agents are on the rise in Vietnam. Nationwide, as many as 140 activists were physically attacked by Vietnam’s security forces in 2016 compared to 65 in 2014 and 125 in 2015, according to statistics of the Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience.
Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Thai Binh, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Gia Lai and Lam Dong were the localities where local police showed the highest level of brutality and disrespect for the rule of law by frequently resorting to arbitrary detention.
Report on the kidnapping, torture and robbery inflicted to Pastor Nguyen Trung Ton
——————–
Activist Attacked while Visiting Haiphong-based Prisoner of Conscience
Defend the Defenders: On February 27, former political prisoner Huynh Anh Tu was attacked on a street in Haiphong City when he visited Nguyen Xuan Nghia, who is also a former prisoner of conscience.
Mr. Tu, who completed a 14-year imprisonment sentence in 2013, and his wife Pham Thanh Nghien, who is also a former prisoner of conscience, visited Mr. Nghia in his private residence in the northern port city. When they left Nghia’s house to get into a taxi, a man attacked Mr. Tu and ran away.
Luckily, Mr. Tu said the attack did not cause any serious injury to him.
Tu is not the first activist being attacked while visiting Mr. Nghia. On other occasions, plainclothes agents assaulted Nghia’s visitors or damaged their vehicles.
Along with suppressing political dissidents, social activists and human rights advocates and their families, Vietnam’s authorities have also harassed activists visiting them. Similar attacks were reported in many places in all regions.
===== March 01 =====
Front Line Defenders Condemns Brutal Assault against Pro-Democracy Activist Nguyen Trung Ton
Defend the Defenders: On March 01, the Dublin-based Front Line Defenders issued a statement slamming the attack against Protestant pastor Nguyen Trung Ton, president of Brotherhood for Democracy, and his friend Nguyen Viet Tu in Quang Binh and Ha Tinh province on the evening of February 27 and early morning of February 28.
The Irish human rights group said it is very concerned about physical assaults against human rights defenders by plainclothes agents, which have become a common occurrence in Vietnam in the past number of years as a means to dissuade them from doing their work.
Front Line Defenders urged Vietnam’s authorities to: (i) carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the assault against Nguyen Trung Ton and Nguyen Viet Tu, with a view to publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards, (ii) take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of Nguyen Trung Ton, and (iii) guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Vietnam are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.
===== March 02 =====
Vietnam Arrests Two Activists for Spreading “Toxic Video Clips” on Internet
Defend the Defenders: The Security Investigation Agency of the Hanoi Police Department arrested two activists, Vu Quang Thuan and Nguyen Van Dien, for making and spreading “harmful video clips” on the Internet, state media reported Friday.
Mr. Thuan, born in 1966, and Mr. Dien, born in 1983, both live in the capital city’s Dong Da district.
The police said they conducted a search of their private residences and are continuing to investigate the case.
The charges against the two activists are unclear. They may face charges of conducting “anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the Penal Code or “abusing democratic freedoms” under the Code’s Article 258.
In recent months, the duo produced tens of video clips in which Mr. Thuan as a speaker criticized the Communist leaders and their government for human rights violations, corruption, and weak response to China’s violations of the country’s sovereignty in the East Sea (South China Sea).
Late President Ho Chi Minh and incumbent General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong are among figures criticized by Mr. Thuan, who is a former prisoner of conscience.
Their clips were viewed by millions of Vietnamese Internet users.
Vietnam’s communist government has used controversial articles such as 79, 88, and 258 of the Penal Code to silent local political dissidents, social activists and human rights defenders despite international calls for the removal of these “national security” provisions from the Penal Code.
So far this year, Hanoi has arrested five activists. In January, Vietnamese authorities arrested human rights activists Tran Thi Nga and Nguyen Van Oai, as well as blogger Nguyen Van Hoa. Land rights and labor rights activist Nga is charged with “anti-state propaganda,” while pro-democracy activist Oai is accused of resisting on-duty state officials. Blogger Hoa is accused of “abusing democratic freedoms.”
According to Amnesty International, Vietnam is holding at least 112 prisoners of conscience. Hanoi has consistently denied this, saying it holds only persons who broke the law.
===== March 04 =====
Vietnamese Lawyers Offer Legal Assistance for Suspect in North Korean Assassination
Defend the Defenders: The Vietnam Bar Federation said it is willing to offer legal support to the Vietnamese citizen who has been charged with the killing of the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
The federation has proposed the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs to send lawyers to provide legal assistance for Doan Thi Huong, who is facing the death penalty in Malaysia after being charged with the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, said Chairman of the federation Do Ngoc Thinh.
“We have also discussed with some lawyers who have experience of international courts, and they are all willing to join,” Thinh was quoted by Dan Tri newswire as saying.
On March 1, Huong, 28, and Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, were charged by a Malaysian Court with the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, the older brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un at a Malaysian airport last month.
Malaysian police accused the two women of having smeared the VX nerve agent, a weapon of mass destruction which is banned around the world, on Kim’s face at a Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13.
Both women claimed they thought they were merely taking part in a prank video.
Selvam Shanmugam, who was appointed by Malaysia’s authorities as Huong’s lawyer, said after the trial that she denied the charge and said that she was innocent.
The next court hearing will be held on April 13. Vietnam’s government has yet to send lawyers to represent Huong while Indonesia sent four lawyers to defend its citizen.
===== March 05 =====
Dozens of Peaceful Demonstrators Detained in Saigon; Activists in Other Localities under House Arrest
Defend the Defenders: On Sunday March 5, Vietnam’s security forces arrested dozens of peaceful demonstrators in Ho Chi Minh City and placed under de facto house arrest many other activists in Hanoi and other localities on the day of national protest.
In the early morning of the holiday, tens of activists gathered at the Notre Dame Saigon Church in the center of HCM City to hold a demonstration to protest the government’s bad management of socio-economic issues and its increasing suppression of local dissent. Since mid-February, former prisoner of conscience Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly and other activists have called for a nationwide general protest on March 5 to oppose the Communist government.
Shortly after the activists gathered, security forces in HCM City detained them and forced them into buses which left the scene for an unknown location. As of Sunday evening, police were keeping the detainees in custody.
Plainclothes agents also kidnapped two Catholic priests, Truong Hoang Vu and Le Xuan Loc, when they were on their way to the Notre Dame Saigon Church. The two priests said they were ill-treated by police officers before being released several hours later.
Some activists nonetheless held small demonstrations in the outskirts of the country’s biggest economic hub with banners calling on all Vietnamese citizens to take action to rescue the country’s sea and environment as well as to fight for human rights and multi-party democracy.
Many activists, including labor activists Do Thi Minh Hanh and Truong Minh Duc, could not join the protest since their private residences had been blocked by plainclothes agents several days prior to Sunday.
In Hanoi and other localities, authorities successfully prevented local activists from gathering by sending numerous plainclothes agents to station around the private residences of local activists, effectively placing them under de facto house arrest.
Also on Sunday, thousands of Catholic followers in Song Ngoc, Phu Yen and Manh Son parishes in Quynh Luu district and Vinh Hoa parish in Yen Thanh district of Nghe An took to the streets to protest the polluting Formosa steel plant. On February 14, many Song Ngoc residents were beaten by security forces in Nghe An as they were on their way to Ha Tinh province to file lawsuits against the Taiwanese plant, which illegally discharged industrial toxic chemicals into the Vietnamese sea, causing the mass death of fish on 200 kilometers of coastline in the central region.
In Ha Tinh, thousands of Catholic followers from Du Yen and Dong Yen held protests near the Formosa plant. Vietnam’s authorities deployed thousands of heavily-armed commandos and police officers to protect the plant.
It seems the Formosa steel plant continues to release toxic substances into Vietnam’s sea despite its pledge not to repeat its harmful actions.
Height Insoles: Hi, I do believe this is an excellent site. I stumbledupon …
http://fishinglovers.net: Appreciate you sharing, great post.Thanks Again. Keep writi…
Achilles Pain causes: Every weekend i used to pay a quick visit this site, as i w…
March 6, 2017
Vietnam Human Rights Defenders Weekly, February 28-March 05: Vietnam’s Persecution of Dissent Continues
by Nhan Quyen • DEFENDER’S WEEKLY
Defend the Defenders | March 05, 2017
One week after the visit to Vietnam of the Subcommittee on Human Rights of the European Parliament, the Communist government in Hanoi continues to persecute dissent by arresting, detaining, and carrying out physical attacks against local activists.
On Monday, plainclothes agents in Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh kidnapped, tortured and robbed pro-democracy activist Nguyen Trung Ton and his friend. The duo was beaten and will go through a long recovery process as a result of the severe injuries they sustained.
A plainclothes agent in Haiphong also attacked former prisoner of conscience Huynh Anh Tu when he visited Nguyen Xuan Nghia, a local ex-political prisoner.
On March 2, security forces in Hanoi arrested activists Vu Quang Thuan and Nguyen Van Dien, accusing them of posting “harmful videoclips” on the Internet. However, the police have not made public the official charges against the two activists, who produced tens of live streaming videos on their Facebook accounts to criticize the Communist leadership for systemic corruption, bad management and weak response to China’s violations of the country’s sovereignty in the East Sea (South China Sea). Their video clips have spread fast on the Internet and have been viewed by millions of Vietnamese citizens.
On Sunday, many activists in Saigon gathered to the Notre Dame Saigon Church to protest the polluting Formosa steel plant. The local police quickly arrested and took them to an unknown location. They also barred many other activists from attending the general demonstration called by former political prisoner Nguyen Van Ly and other activists.
In Hanoi and other localities, security forces successfully prevented local activists from holding peaceful demonstrations as authorities sent a large number of plainclothes agents to their private residences in order to prevent them from going out on Sunday, and even in some cases several days earlier.
Still, thousands of Catholic followers in Nghe An and Ha Tinh held large demonstrations to condemn the Formosa Plastic Group’s illegal discharge of toxic chemicals into Vietnam’s sea, demanding it to compensate more than the $500 million it has pledged and to cease its operations in Vietnam. Local authorities deployed a large number of police and military forces to protect the group’s steel plant in Ky Anh district.
===== February 27 =====
Vietnamese Activist and His Friend Kidnapped, Tortured and Robbed in Central Region
Defend the Defenders: On February 27, Protestant pastor Nguyen Trung Ton, president of Brotherhood for Democracy, and his friend Nguyen Viet Tu were kidnapped, beaten and robbed by plainclothes agents of the central provinces of Quang Binh and Ha Tinh, Mr. Ton informed Defend the Defenders.
On Sunday, the duo went to Ba Don town in Quang Tri to meet with local activists. Arriving at the location at around 9:00pm on Sunday, they were kidnapped by local plainclothes agents who travelled in a seven-seat car. The kidnappers beat the duo, covered their heads with cloth and forced them into the car. After a several hour journey, they stopped the car in Ha Linh commune, Huong Khe district in the neighboring province of Ha Tinh.
During the journey, in a remote area of Ha Linh, the kidnappers beat them with iron bars, robbing them of all their belongings. Finally, they released them during the cold night in the mountainous region. When they left, Mr. Ton tried to recognize the car registration number, however, the kidnappers had covered it in mud.
Suffering from numerous injuries, Ton and his friend sought refuge in the house of forest farmers, who provided them with food and clothes and helped them contact Mr. Ton’s family. The next morning, the duo took a taxi and returned to Thanh Hoa where Ms. Ton lives.
Mr. Ton was a prisoner of conscience. He was arrested in 2011 and sentenced to two years in prison on charges of “anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the Penal Code. Released in early 2013, he has continued to fight for human rights and multi-party democracy. Recently, he was elected as the head of the Brotherhood for Democracy, which was co-funded by prominent human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai, who was arrested late 2015 on allegations of “anti-state propaganda.”
In recent years, Mr. Ton and his family have been constantly harassed by local authorities in Thanh Hoa province. In addition to publicly defaming him through local media, the radio and loudspeakers in his neighborhood, plainclothes agents have disrupted the business of his wife at a local wet market. They even destroyed her booth of seafood products.
In addition to arresting and charging local activists with controversial, national security provisions such as Articles 79, 87, 88 and 258 of the Penal Code, Vietnam’s government has deployed other tactics to discourage political dissidents, social activists and human rights defenders from continuing their work, including kidnapping, torturing and robbing.
Many activists, including Nguyen Trung Truc and Mai Van Tam from Quang Binh, Nguyen Cong Huan from Nghe An, and Nguyen Ho Nhat Thanh from Ho Chi Minh City, were kidnapped, beaten and robbed after being taken away from plainclothes agents.
Physical attacks by police and plainclothes agents are on the rise in Vietnam. Nationwide, as many as 140 activists were physically attacked by Vietnam’s security forces in 2016 compared to 65 in 2014 and 125 in 2015, according to statistics of the Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience.
Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Thai Binh, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Gia Lai and Lam Dong were the localities where local police showed the highest level of brutality and disrespect for the rule of law by frequently resorting to arbitrary detention.
Report on the kidnapping, torture and robbery inflicted to Pastor Nguyen Trung Ton
——————–
Activist Attacked while Visiting Haiphong-based Prisoner of Conscience
Defend the Defenders: On February 27, former political prisoner Huynh Anh Tu was attacked on a street in Haiphong City when he visited Nguyen Xuan Nghia, who is also a former prisoner of conscience.
Mr. Tu, who completed a 14-year imprisonment sentence in 2013, and his wife Pham Thanh Nghien, who is also a former prisoner of conscience, visited Mr. Nghia in his private residence in the northern port city. When they left Nghia’s house to get into a taxi, a man attacked Mr. Tu and ran away.
Luckily, Mr. Tu said the attack did not cause any serious injury to him.
Tu is not the first activist being attacked while visiting Mr. Nghia. On other occasions, plainclothes agents assaulted Nghia’s visitors or damaged their vehicles.
Along with suppressing political dissidents, social activists and human rights advocates and their families, Vietnam’s authorities have also harassed activists visiting them. Similar attacks were reported in many places in all regions.
===== March 01 =====
Front Line Defenders Condemns Brutal Assault against Pro-Democracy Activist Nguyen Trung Ton
Defend the Defenders: On March 01, the Dublin-based Front Line Defenders issued a statement slamming the attack against Protestant pastor Nguyen Trung Ton, president of Brotherhood for Democracy, and his friend Nguyen Viet Tu in Quang Binh and Ha Tinh province on the evening of February 27 and early morning of February 28.
The Irish human rights group said it is very concerned about physical assaults against human rights defenders by plainclothes agents, which have become a common occurrence in Vietnam in the past number of years as a means to dissuade them from doing their work.
Front Line Defenders urged Vietnam’s authorities to: (i) carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the assault against Nguyen Trung Ton and Nguyen Viet Tu, with a view to publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards, (ii) take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of Nguyen Trung Ton, and (iii) guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Vietnam are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.
===== March 02 =====
Vietnam Arrests Two Activists for Spreading “Toxic Video Clips” on Internet
Defend the Defenders: The Security Investigation Agency of the Hanoi Police Department arrested two activists, Vu Quang Thuan and Nguyen Van Dien, for making and spreading “harmful video clips” on the Internet, state media reported Friday.
Mr. Thuan, born in 1966, and Mr. Dien, born in 1983, both live in the capital city’s Dong Da district.
The police said they conducted a search of their private residences and are continuing to investigate the case.
The charges against the two activists are unclear. They may face charges of conducting “anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the Penal Code or “abusing democratic freedoms” under the Code’s Article 258.
In recent months, the duo produced tens of video clips in which Mr. Thuan as a speaker criticized the Communist leaders and their government for human rights violations, corruption, and weak response to China’s violations of the country’s sovereignty in the East Sea (South China Sea).
Late President Ho Chi Minh and incumbent General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong are among figures criticized by Mr. Thuan, who is a former prisoner of conscience.
Their clips were viewed by millions of Vietnamese Internet users.
Vietnam’s communist government has used controversial articles such as 79, 88, and 258 of the Penal Code to silent local political dissidents, social activists and human rights defenders despite international calls for the removal of these “national security” provisions from the Penal Code.
So far this year, Hanoi has arrested five activists. In January, Vietnamese authorities arrested human rights activists Tran Thi Nga and Nguyen Van Oai, as well as blogger Nguyen Van Hoa. Land rights and labor rights activist Nga is charged with “anti-state propaganda,” while pro-democracy activist Oai is accused of resisting on-duty state officials. Blogger Hoa is accused of “abusing democratic freedoms.”
According to Amnesty International, Vietnam is holding at least 112 prisoners of conscience. Hanoi has consistently denied this, saying it holds only persons who broke the law.
===== March 04 =====
Vietnamese Lawyers Offer Legal Assistance for Suspect in North Korean Assassination
Defend the Defenders: The Vietnam Bar Federation said it is willing to offer legal support to the Vietnamese citizen who has been charged with the killing of the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
The federation has proposed the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs to send lawyers to provide legal assistance for Doan Thi Huong, who is facing the death penalty in Malaysia after being charged with the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, said Chairman of the federation Do Ngoc Thinh.
“We have also discussed with some lawyers who have experience of international courts, and they are all willing to join,” Thinh was quoted by Dan Tri newswire as saying.
On March 1, Huong, 28, and Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, were charged by a Malaysian Court with the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, the older brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un at a Malaysian airport last month.
Malaysian police accused the two women of having smeared the VX nerve agent, a weapon of mass destruction which is banned around the world, on Kim’s face at a Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13.
Both women claimed they thought they were merely taking part in a prank video.
Selvam Shanmugam, who was appointed by Malaysia’s authorities as Huong’s lawyer, said after the trial that she denied the charge and said that she was innocent.
The next court hearing will be held on April 13. Vietnam’s government has yet to send lawyers to represent Huong while Indonesia sent four lawyers to defend its citizen.
===== March 05 =====
Dozens of Peaceful Demonstrators Detained in Saigon; Activists in Other Localities under House Arrest
Defend the Defenders: On Sunday March 5, Vietnam’s security forces arrested dozens of peaceful demonstrators in Ho Chi Minh City and placed under de facto house arrest many other activists in Hanoi and other localities on the day of national protest.
In the early morning of the holiday, tens of activists gathered at the Notre Dame Saigon Church in the center of HCM City to hold a demonstration to protest the government’s bad management of socio-economic issues and its increasing suppression of local dissent. Since mid-February, former prisoner of conscience Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly and other activists have called for a nationwide general protest on March 5 to oppose the Communist government.
Shortly after the activists gathered, security forces in HCM City detained them and forced them into buses which left the scene for an unknown location. As of Sunday evening, police were keeping the detainees in custody.
Plainclothes agents also kidnapped two Catholic priests, Truong Hoang Vu and Le Xuan Loc, when they were on their way to the Notre Dame Saigon Church. The two priests said they were ill-treated by police officers before being released several hours later.
Some activists nonetheless held small demonstrations in the outskirts of the country’s biggest economic hub with banners calling on all Vietnamese citizens to take action to rescue the country’s sea and environment as well as to fight for human rights and multi-party democracy.
Many activists, including labor activists Do Thi Minh Hanh and Truong Minh Duc, could not join the protest since their private residences had been blocked by plainclothes agents several days prior to Sunday.
In Hanoi and other localities, authorities successfully prevented local activists from gathering by sending numerous plainclothes agents to station around the private residences of local activists, effectively placing them under de facto house arrest.
Also on Sunday, thousands of Catholic followers in Song Ngoc, Phu Yen and Manh Son parishes in Quynh Luu district and Vinh Hoa parish in Yen Thanh district of Nghe An took to the streets to protest the polluting Formosa steel plant. On February 14, many Song Ngoc residents were beaten by security forces in Nghe An as they were on their way to Ha Tinh province to file lawsuits against the Taiwanese plant, which illegally discharged industrial toxic chemicals into the Vietnamese sea, causing the mass death of fish on 200 kilometers of coastline in the central region.
In Ha Tinh, thousands of Catholic followers from Du Yen and Dong Yen held protests near the Formosa plant. Vietnam’s authorities deployed thousands of heavily-armed commandos and police officers to protect the plant.
It seems the Formosa steel plant continues to release toxic substances into Vietnam’s sea despite its pledge not to repeat its harmful actions.