Mr. Vu Quang Thuan (right) and Mr. Nguyen Van Dien (left) at a meeting with EU diplomat in Hanoi
By Defend the Defenders, March 21, 2017
Two Vietnamese political dissidents Vu Quang Thuan and Nguyen Van Dien are said to be charged with anti-state propaganda under Article 88 of the country’s Penal Code and face long sentences if convicted according to the current Vietnamese law.
On the evening of March 2, the two were detained by plainclothes agents at their shared apartment in Dong Da district in the capital city of Hanoi. While their friends suggested they may be kidnapped, state media reported on the next day that they were arrested by Hanoi’s police on allegation of spreading “harmful video clips” on Facebook.
The police investigation agency was said to conduct a search in their rent apartment.
On March 13, the police informed the family of Mr. Dien that he is charged with anti-state propaganda.
There is no information about the official charge against Mr. Thuan. Mr. Le Trong Hung, a member of the Chan hung Nuoc Viet (Reviving Vietnam campaign) together with the two detainees said Mr. Thuan is likely facing the same accusation.
According to the Vietnamese Penal Code, the two activists will face sentences of between three and twenty years of imprisonment.
In recent months, the duo produced and posted on their Facebook pages 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. Their clips were viewed by millions of Vietnamese Internet users.
This was the second arrest of Thuan within seven years. In 2011, he held a protest before the Vietnamese Embassy on Kuala Lumpur to demand the Vietnamese communist government to release all prisoners of conscience, and improve freedom, democracy and human rights situation in home country. He had planned for a self-immolation at the Twin Towers in Malaysia but the plan did not succeed. He was then extradited to Vietnam and was arrested but released two years later without being tried as the government considered him as suffering from a mental condition.
Mr. Thuan and Mr. Dien are among the five activists Vietnam has arrested so far in 2017. Others are human rights activist Tran Thi Nga, former prisoner of conscience Nguyen Van Oai, and blogger Nguyen Van Hoa.
Land rights and labor rights activist Nga is charged with “anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 while pro-democracy activist Oai is accused of resisting on-duty state officials under Article 145. Blogger Hoa is accused of “abusing democratic freedoms” under Article 258.
According to Amnesty International, Vietnam is holding at least 112 prisoners of conscience. Hanoi has consistently denied this, saying it only detains persons who broke the law.
In mid-March, the U.S. released its report, identifying the most significant human rights problems in Vietnam as severe government restrictions of citizens’ political rights, particularly their right to change their government through free and fair elections; limits on citizens’ civil liberties, including freedom of assembly, association, and expression; and inadequate protection of citizens’ due process rights, including protection against arbitrary detention.
Other human rights violations included arbitrary and unlawful deprivation of life; police attacks and corporal punishment; arbitrary arrest and detention for political activities; continued police mistreatment of suspects during arrest and detention, including the use of lethal force and austere prison conditions; and denial of the right to a fair and expeditious trial.
Two Vietnamese political dissidents, Vu Quang Thuan and Nguyen Van Dien, are said to have been charged with conducting “anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the country’s Penal Code. They face lengthy sentences if convicted according to the current Vietnamese law.
In the evening of March 2, the two were arrested by plainclothes agents at the apartment they share in Dong Da district in the capital city of Hanoi. While their friends suggested they may have been kidnapped, state media reported on the next day that they had been arrested by Hanoi’s police on allegations of spreading “harmful video clips” on Facebook.
The police investigation agency was said to have conducted a search in their apartment.
On March 13, the police informed the family of Mr. Dien that he had been charged with “anti-state propaganda.”
There is no information about the official charges against Mr. Thuan. Mr. Le Trong Hung, a member of the Chan hung Nuoc Viet (Reviving Vietnam campaign), of which the two detainees are also members, said Mr. Thuan is likely facing the same accusation.
According to the Vietnamese Penal Code, the two activists face imprisonment of between three and twenty years.
In recent months, the duo produced and posted on their Facebook pages 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. Their clips were viewed by millions of Vietnamese Internet users.
This was the second arrest of Thuan within seven years. In 2011, he held a protest before the Vietnamese Embassy on Kuala Lumpur to demand that the Vietnamese Communist government release all prisoners of conscience and improve respect for fundamental freedoms, democracy and human rights. He had planned for a self-immolation at Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas towers but the plan did not succeed. He was arrested and extradited to Vietnam, where he was then detained. He was released two years later without being tried as the government considered he suffered from a mental condition.
Mr. Thuan and Mr. Dien are among the five activists Vietnam has arrested so far in 2017. Others are human rights activist Tran Thi Nga, former prisoner of conscience Nguyen Van Oai, and blogger Nguyen Van Hoa.
Land rights and labor rights activist Nga was charged with “anti-state propaganda” under Article 88, while pro-democracy activist Oai is accused of resisting on-duty state officials under Article 145. Blogger Hoa is accused of “abusing democratic freedoms” under Article 258.
According to Amnesty International, Vietnam is holding at least 112 prisoners of conscience. Hanoi has consistently denied this, saying it only detains persons who broke the law.
Mid-March, the U.S. released a report identifying the most significant human rights problems in Vietnam as severe government restrictions of citizens’ political rights, particularly their right to change their government through free and fair elections; limits on citizens’ civil liberties, including freedom of assembly, association, and expression; and inadequate protection of citizens’ due process rights, including protection against arbitrary detention.
Other human rights violations included arbitrary and unlawful deprivation of life; police attacks and corporal punishment; arbitrary arrest and detention for political activities; continued police mistreatment of suspects during arrest and detention, including the use of lethal force and austere prison conditions; and denial of the right to a fair and expeditious trial.
Late February, Amnesty International said in its annual report that severe restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, of association and of peaceful assembly continued in Vietnam in 2016-2017.
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March 21, 2017
Two Vietnamese Government Critics Charged with Anti-state Propaganda, Facing Long Sentences
by Nhan Quyen • Nguyen Van Dien, Vu Quang Thuan
Mr. Vu Quang Thuan (right) and Mr. Nguyen Van Dien (left) at a meeting with EU diplomat in Hanoi
By Defend the Defenders, March 21, 2017
Two Vietnamese political dissidents Vu Quang Thuan and Nguyen Van Dien are said to be charged with anti-state propaganda under Article 88 of the country’s Penal Code and face long sentences if convicted according to the current Vietnamese law.
On the evening of March 2, the two were detained by plainclothes agents at their shared apartment in Dong Da district in the capital city of Hanoi. While their friends suggested they may be kidnapped, state media reported on the next day that they were arrested by Hanoi’s police on allegation of spreading “harmful video clips” on Facebook.
The police investigation agency was said to conduct a search in their rent apartment.
On March 13, the police informed the family of Mr. Dien that he is charged with anti-state propaganda.
There is no information about the official charge against Mr. Thuan. Mr. Le Trong Hung, a member of the Chan hung Nuoc Viet (Reviving Vietnam campaign) together with the two detainees said Mr. Thuan is likely facing the same accusation.
According to the Vietnamese Penal Code, the two activists will face sentences of between three and twenty years of imprisonment.
In recent months, the duo produced and posted on their Facebook pages 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. Their clips were viewed by millions of Vietnamese Internet users.
This was the second arrest of Thuan within seven years. In 2011, he held a protest before the Vietnamese Embassy on Kuala Lumpur to demand the Vietnamese communist government to release all prisoners of conscience, and improve freedom, democracy and human rights situation in home country. He had planned for a self-immolation at the Twin Towers in Malaysia but the plan did not succeed. He was then extradited to Vietnam and was arrested but released two years later without being tried as the government considered him as suffering from a mental condition.
Mr. Thuan and Mr. Dien are among the five activists Vietnam has arrested so far in 2017. Others are human rights activist Tran Thi Nga, former prisoner of conscience Nguyen Van Oai, and blogger Nguyen Van Hoa.
Land rights and labor rights activist Nga is charged with “anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 while pro-democracy activist Oai is accused of resisting on-duty state officials under Article 145. Blogger Hoa is accused of “abusing democratic freedoms” under Article 258.
According to Amnesty International, Vietnam is holding at least 112 prisoners of conscience. Hanoi has consistently denied this, saying it only detains persons who broke the law.
In mid-March, the U.S. released its report, identifying the most significant human rights problems in Vietnam as severe government restrictions of citizens’ political rights, particularly their right to change their government through free and fair elections; limits on citizens’ civil liberties, including freedom of assembly, association, and expression; and inadequate protection of citizens’ due process rights, including protection against arbitrary detention.
Other human rights violations included arbitrary and unlawful deprivation of life; police attacks and corporal punishment; arbitrary arrest and detention for political activities; continued police mistreatment of suspects during arrest and detention, including the use of lethal force and austere prison conditions; and denial of the right to a fair and expeditious trial.
Two Vietnamese political dissidents, Vu Quang Thuan and Nguyen Van Dien, are said to have been charged with conducting “anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the country’s Penal Code. They face lengthy sentences if convicted according to the current Vietnamese law.
In the evening of March 2, the two were arrested by plainclothes agents at the apartment they share in Dong Da district in the capital city of Hanoi. While their friends suggested they may have been kidnapped, state media reported on the next day that they had been arrested by Hanoi’s police on allegations of spreading “harmful video clips” on Facebook.
The police investigation agency was said to have conducted a search in their apartment.
On March 13, the police informed the family of Mr. Dien that he had been charged with “anti-state propaganda.”
There is no information about the official charges against Mr. Thuan. Mr. Le Trong Hung, a member of the Chan hung Nuoc Viet (Reviving Vietnam campaign), of which the two detainees are also members, said Mr. Thuan is likely facing the same accusation.
According to the Vietnamese Penal Code, the two activists face imprisonment of between three and twenty years.
In recent months, the duo produced and posted on their Facebook pages 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. Their clips were viewed by millions of Vietnamese Internet users.
This was the second arrest of Thuan within seven years. In 2011, he held a protest before the Vietnamese Embassy on Kuala Lumpur to demand that the Vietnamese Communist government release all prisoners of conscience and improve respect for fundamental freedoms, democracy and human rights. He had planned for a self-immolation at Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas towers but the plan did not succeed. He was arrested and extradited to Vietnam, where he was then detained. He was released two years later without being tried as the government considered he suffered from a mental condition.
Mr. Thuan and Mr. Dien are among the five activists Vietnam has arrested so far in 2017. Others are human rights activist Tran Thi Nga, former prisoner of conscience Nguyen Van Oai, and blogger Nguyen Van Hoa.
Land rights and labor rights activist Nga was charged with “anti-state propaganda” under Article 88, while pro-democracy activist Oai is accused of resisting on-duty state officials under Article 145. Blogger Hoa is accused of “abusing democratic freedoms” under Article 258.
According to Amnesty International, Vietnam is holding at least 112 prisoners of conscience. Hanoi has consistently denied this, saying it only detains persons who broke the law.
Mid-March, the U.S. released a report identifying the most significant human rights problems in Vietnam as severe government restrictions of citizens’ political rights, particularly their right to change their government through free and fair elections; limits on citizens’ civil liberties, including freedom of assembly, association, and expression; and inadequate protection of citizens’ due process rights, including protection against arbitrary detention.
Other human rights violations included arbitrary and unlawful deprivation of life; police attacks and corporal punishment; arbitrary arrest and detention for political activities; continued police mistreatment of suspects during arrest and detention, including the use of lethal force and austere prison conditions; and denial of the right to a fair and expeditious trial.
Late February, Amnesty International said in its annual report that severe restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, of association and of peaceful assembly continued in Vietnam in 2016-2017.