Jailed members of Brotherhood for Democracy, six of them will be tried on April 5-6
Defend the Defenders, April 2, 2018
Families of six key members of the unsanctioned Brotherhood for Democracy have yet to be granted with permissions to attend their first-instance hearing on allegation of subversion on April 5-6, Defend the Defenders has learned.
On the afternoon of April 3, wives of prominent human rights attorney Nguyen Van Dai, Protestant pastor Nguyen Trung Ton, engineer Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Bac Truyen, and veteran journalist Truong Minh Duc came to the People’s Court of Hanoi to request the permissions from the court. However, representatives of the court received their requests without giving decisions about the matter.
The five wives said they will come back to the court tomorrow to send their requests.
Without the court’s permisions, the wives and relatives of the defendants cannot be allowed to attend the open trial.
Defend the Defenders has also learned that the court had granted permissions for some diplomatic corporations including the EU Delegation in Vietnam, the US Embassy and the Australian Embassy to send their diplomats to observe the trial. In many cases in the past, Vietnam’s authorities denied to grant similar permissions.
It is unclear whether foreign diplomats will be allowed to enter the courtroom or just observe the trial via tele screen in an another room, as it happened in some cases.
The family of Ms. Le Thu Ha, assistant of lawyer Nguyen Van Dai, has also yet to get such a permission.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dai and Ms. Le Thu Ha were arrested on December 16, 2015 and charged with “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the country’s 1999 Penal Code.
On July 30 last year, Vietnam’s communist government arrested Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Trung Ton, Truong Minh Duc and Nguyen Bac Truyen and charged them with “carrying out attempts to overthrow the people’s administration” under Article 79 of the Penal Code. The first three are senior members of the online pro-democracy group while Nguyen Bac Truyen is its co-founder but left the organization several years before being detained.
On the same day, Vietnam also charged Mr. Dai and Ms. Ha with subversion.
If convicted, the six defendants face life imprisonment or even death penalty, according to the current Vietnamese law.
All of them, with exception of Ms. Ha, are former prisoners of conscience, had served three or for years in prison on allegation of “conducting anti-state propaganda” due to their peaceful activities which aim to promote human rights and multi-democracy.
Vietnam says political hearings are open, however, activists and some cases even relatives of defendants are not allowed to enter courtrooms as authorities fill the courtrooms with plainclothes agents and pro-government people. In many cases, authorities deny foreign diplomats’ request to attend, taking technical issues as excuse.
In all political hearings in the past, security forces blocked all roads leading to the courtrooms, and in many cases, police detained, beat and robbed dozens activists and relatives of defendants.
The Brotherhood for Democracy is the center of Vietnam’s ongoing crackdown on political dissidents, human rights defenders, social activists and bloggers.
Afther the mass arrest in late July last year, Vietnam has arrested four other members of the organizations namely Nguyen Van Tuc, Nguyen Trung Truc, Tran Thi Xuan and Vu Van Hung. The first three were charged with subversion while the last was alleged with “inflicting injuries” under Article 134 of the 2015 Penal Code.
Since the begining of 2017, Vietnam has arrested at least 46 activists and convicted around 25 with lengthy sentences of between three and 16 years in prison. Among convicted are female activists Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh and Tran Thi Nga, who have two kids each and received ten and nine years imprisonment, respectively.
Many foreign governments and international human rights organizations have condemned Vietnam’s ongoing persecution against local activists, demanding Vietnam to release all political prisoners and respect basic rights enshrined in the country’s 2013 Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in which Vietnam is a signatory party.
Vietnam is holding more than 80 political prisoners, according to the New York-based organization Human Rights Watch.
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April 3, 2018
Families of Six Pro-democracy Activists Yet to Be Granted With Permissions to Attend Their Upcoming Trial
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights]
Jailed members of Brotherhood for Democracy, six of them will be tried on April 5-6
Defend the Defenders, April 2, 2018
Families of six key members of the unsanctioned Brotherhood for Democracy have yet to be granted with permissions to attend their first-instance hearing on allegation of subversion on April 5-6, Defend the Defenders has learned.
On the afternoon of April 3, wives of prominent human rights attorney Nguyen Van Dai, Protestant pastor Nguyen Trung Ton, engineer Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Bac Truyen, and veteran journalist Truong Minh Duc came to the People’s Court of Hanoi to request the permissions from the court. However, representatives of the court received their requests without giving decisions about the matter.
The five wives said they will come back to the court tomorrow to send their requests.
Without the court’s permisions, the wives and relatives of the defendants cannot be allowed to attend the open trial.
Defend the Defenders has also learned that the court had granted permissions for some diplomatic corporations including the EU Delegation in Vietnam, the US Embassy and the Australian Embassy to send their diplomats to observe the trial. In many cases in the past, Vietnam’s authorities denied to grant similar permissions.
It is unclear whether foreign diplomats will be allowed to enter the courtroom or just observe the trial via tele screen in an another room, as it happened in some cases.
The family of Ms. Le Thu Ha, assistant of lawyer Nguyen Van Dai, has also yet to get such a permission.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dai and Ms. Le Thu Ha were arrested on December 16, 2015 and charged with “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the country’s 1999 Penal Code.
On July 30 last year, Vietnam’s communist government arrested Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Trung Ton, Truong Minh Duc and Nguyen Bac Truyen and charged them with “carrying out attempts to overthrow the people’s administration” under Article 79 of the Penal Code. The first three are senior members of the online pro-democracy group while Nguyen Bac Truyen is its co-founder but left the organization several years before being detained.
On the same day, Vietnam also charged Mr. Dai and Ms. Ha with subversion.
If convicted, the six defendants face life imprisonment or even death penalty, according to the current Vietnamese law.
All of them, with exception of Ms. Ha, are former prisoners of conscience, had served three or for years in prison on allegation of “conducting anti-state propaganda” due to their peaceful activities which aim to promote human rights and multi-democracy.
Vietnam says political hearings are open, however, activists and some cases even relatives of defendants are not allowed to enter courtrooms as authorities fill the courtrooms with plainclothes agents and pro-government people. In many cases, authorities deny foreign diplomats’ request to attend, taking technical issues as excuse.
In all political hearings in the past, security forces blocked all roads leading to the courtrooms, and in many cases, police detained, beat and robbed dozens activists and relatives of defendants.
The Brotherhood for Democracy is the center of Vietnam’s ongoing crackdown on political dissidents, human rights defenders, social activists and bloggers.
Afther the mass arrest in late July last year, Vietnam has arrested four other members of the organizations namely Nguyen Van Tuc, Nguyen Trung Truc, Tran Thi Xuan and Vu Van Hung. The first three were charged with subversion while the last was alleged with “inflicting injuries” under Article 134 of the 2015 Penal Code.
Since the begining of 2017, Vietnam has arrested at least 46 activists and convicted around 25 with lengthy sentences of between three and 16 years in prison. Among convicted are female activists Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh and Tran Thi Nga, who have two kids each and received ten and nine years imprisonment, respectively.
Many foreign governments and international human rights organizations have condemned Vietnam’s ongoing persecution against local activists, demanding Vietnam to release all political prisoners and respect basic rights enshrined in the country’s 2013 Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in which Vietnam is a signatory party.
Vietnam is holding more than 80 political prisoners, according to the New York-based organization Human Rights Watch.