URGENT ACTION: ONGOING PUNISHMENT FOR PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE

Amnesty International, October 25, 2018

Human rights defender Trần Thị Nga is being punished by prison authorities, for ‘not following prison principles’, without any reason being provided. Prohibited from seeing her family, and only allowed one heavily restricted phone call per month, there are grave concerns for her well-being. Detained since January 2017, Tran Thi Nga is a prisoner of conscience and must be immediately and unconditionally released.

Prison authorities have recently told Trần Thị Nga’s family that she is being punished for “not following prison principles”. No documentation has been provided to explain what Tran Thi Nga has been accused of doing. As a result, all visitation rights have been suspended since 28 July 2018 and she has only been permitted to make three phone calls in the past three months to her brother. Each conversation is restricted to five minutes and she is forbidden from discussing anything about herself or the prison conditions. Without any direct confirmation that Tran

Thi Nga is in good health, her family remain deeply concerned about her well-being and safety, especially following being beaten up by inmates and their death threats received earlier this year.

Trần Thị Nga, also known by her nickname “Thúy Nga”, was arrested and accused of “conducting propaganda against the state” in January 2017, after her involvement in peaceful protests following the 2016 Formosa environmental disaster. On 25 July 2017, the court of Ha Nam, a province of northern Viet Nam, convicted and sentenced her to nine years in prison and five years of house arrest.

In February 2018, Trần Thị Nga was moved to Gia Trung prison, located 1300 kilometres away from her home, a common tactic by Vietnamese authorities to further punish prisoners of conscience. Despite the logistical difficulties in getting to the prison, Tran Thi Nga’s husband has said that he will try again to visit the prison next month to demand an update about her situation.

Trần Thị Nga is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of her rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Please write immediately in Vietnamese, English or your own language, calling Viet Nam’s authorities to:

 Release Trần Thị Nga immediately and unconditionally, as she is a prisoner of conscience detained solely for peacefully exercising her rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;

 Ensure that pending her release, she is protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and all allegations are effectively investigated impartially and independently and those responsible are brought to account;

 End prison transfers as a punitive measure and ensure that Trần Thị Nga has regular access to her family and lawyer of her choice, as well as to the adequate medical care she may require.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 6 DECEMBER 2018 TO:

State president

Nguyễn Phú Trọng

2 Hùng Vương, Ba Đình,

Hà Nội, Việt Nam.

Fax: +844 3733 5256

Email: webmaster@president.gov.vn

Salutation: Your Excellency

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Prison director

Nguyễn Đình Ba

Trung tâm Ayon,

Trại giam Gia Trung,

Thị trấn Mang Yang, tỉnh Gia Lai,

Việt Nam.

Salutation: Dear Director

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And copies to:

Minister of Public Security

Tô Lâm 44 Yết Kiêu St.

Hoàn Kiếm District,

Hà Nội, Việt Nam

Fax: +844 382 318 72 c/o Ministry of

Foreign Affairs

Email: ttll.mfa@mofa.gov.vn