Defend the Defenders | April 21, 2019
Defend the Defenders and 19 other international rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have sent a joint letterto European Union (EU)’s leadership to urge the union to work for release of human rights defender Nguyen Bac Truyen.
In their joint letter sent to EU’s High Representative/Vice President Mogherini, the group of 20 right organization express their deep concern about the arrest and sentencing of Mr. Truyen, asking the 28-nation group to take all necessary measures to secure his immediate and unconditional release.
The Police Department in Ho Chi Minh City has yet allowed jailed activist Huynh Duc Thanh Binh to meet with his lawyer since his arrest in early July last year. Binh, who was charged with subversion for his peaceful activities, was permitted to meet with his mother for the first time after more than nine months of incommunicado detention.
Authorities in the southern province of Ben Tre are likely to try local democracy activist Nguyen Ngoc Anh soon. His wife was informed by police that the investigation of his case had ended and the case was sent to the People’s Court. Mr. Anh was arrested on August 30, 2018 on allegation of “conducting anti-state propaganda under Article 117 of the country’s 2015 Penal Code and he faces imprisonment of up to 12 years if is convicted.
On April 19, authorities in HCM City deported Vietnamese French Daniel Modanafter holding him in police custody for the past 50 days. Danial Modan and his Vietnamese friend Tran Duy Chien were arrested on February 27 when they planned to go to the US General Consulate in HCM City to express their greeting to President Donald Trump who was in Hanoi that time to participate in the US-North Korea Summit.
Social activists who are working against the arbitrary placement of tollboothson national highwayshave been facing persecution from authorities and companies who are running those booths. The persecution is in various forms, including arrest in the case of Ha Van Nam or physical assaults in the case of school teacher Dang Thi Hue from Thai Binh province or verbal threatening against them and their children.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training has issued a circular which aims to silence students and their parents amid increasing scandals of teachers, school managers and also mistreatment between students.
Accordingto the document which will be effective on May 25, teachers, students and their parents should not disseminate, comment and propagandize information and pictures which go against the party’s policy and laws or may affect the educational environment on social media, including Facebook which has over 40 million accounts in Vietnam.
Vietnam is listed at 176th place among 180 countries in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Border.
===== April 15 ======
DTD Joins with 19 Other NGOs to Call for Release of Nguyen Bac Truyen
Defend the Defenders has joined with 20 other international non-government organizations (NGOs) such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to submit an open letter to EU’s leadership to request for release of legal expert and human rights defender Nguyễn Bắc Truyển.
In their joint letter sent to EU’s High Representative/Vice President Mogherini, the group of 20 right organization express their deep concern about the arrest and sentencing of Mr. Truyen, asking the 28-nation group to take all necessary measures to secure his immediate and unconditional release.
As the EU and Vietnam move towards the conclusion of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, said the coalition, adding it is imperative that human rights concerns are at the forefront of negotiations. The group said it shares the concerns expressed in the November 2018 European Parliament’s urgency resolution on Vietnam, and echo the call made by 32 MEPs in their letter to you and Commissioner Malmström on 17 September 2018, urging the EU to articulate a series of human rights benchmarks in Vietnam, including the release of Nguyễn Bắc Truyển and all people imprisoned for exercising their basic rights.
In line with the EU Guidelines on human rights defenders, the right groups strongly urge the EU’s leadership to lead EU efforts, taking all necessary measures to urge Vietnam to immediately and unconditionally release Nguyễn Bắc Truyển, and ensuring his safety and that of his family. They further urge you to call on Vietnam to end all violations and reprisals against human rights defenders, and to demonstrate its commitment to improving its human rights record.
The full open letter: Joint NGO Letter Calls for Release of Nguyen Bac Truyen
=====
Hanoi-based Activists Under House Arrest When Dong Tam Villagers Mark 2nd Anniversary of Victory
Defend the Defenders:Authorities in Hanoi have sent plainclothes agents and militia to private residences of dozens of local activists, effectively placing them de facto under house arrest in a bid to prevent them from going to Dong Tam villages, My Duc district when the people here mark the second anniversary of victory regarding land dispute.
As Dong Tam people plan to mark the event by holding a meeting in the commune on April 15, the police blockage started on April 14. Several undercover police officers and militial werre deployed to every activist, among those are Mr. Nguyen Tuong Thuy and Le Hoang as well as land petitioner Trinh Ba Phuong from Duong Noi.
Activist Ha Thanh from Thanh Tri district, who said he was not invited to go to the event, was also under close surveillance of the local police.
In the evening of April 14, Hanoi sent about a hundred of mobile police to Dong Tam village. However, no incident has been reported.
===== 17/4 =====
Jailed Activist Huynh Duc Thanh Binh Yet to Be Permitted to Meet with His Lawyer after Nine Months of Detention
Defend the Defenders, April 18, 2019
The Police Department in Ho Chi Minh City have yet allowed jailed activist Huynh Duc Thanh Binh to meet with his lawyer since his arrest in early July last year.
Ms. Hue, the mother of Mr. Binh, said right after his detention on July 7, 2018, she signed a legal contract with Saigon-based attorney Nguyen Van Mieng and he is Binh’s lawyer. After signing the contract, the lawyer sent his request for meeting with his client to the department, however, it replied that Binh will not be permitted to access legal assistance until the investigation completes.
After many requests, Ms. Hue was allowed to meet with Binh for the first time on April 17. She said that he is healthy and remains strong despite being held incommunicado since his arrest.
Mr. Binh, 23, is a member of the unregistered group Vietnamese Students Association for Human Rights established by imprisoned democracy activist Tran Hoang Phuc. On July 7 last year, he and his friends Tran Long Phi and Vietnamese American Michael Minh Phuong Nguyen were kidnapped by plainclothes agents when they returned in HCM City from a tour to the central region.
Later, police in HCM City charged them with “carrying out activities aimed to overthrow the government” under Article 109 of the 2015 Penal Code, with them maximum punishment is life imprisonment or even death penalty for the convicted.
On July 8, police also detained Binh’s father Huynh Duc Thinh, who is a former political prisoner. Mr. Thinh was also held incommunicado until late January this year but he is requested to report to the city’s police every week. Thinh has not been permitted to visit his son.
Both Binh and Phi, also 23, participated in the mass peaceful demonstration in Saigon in mid June last year to protest two bills Special Economic Zones and Cyber Security, the first one seems to favor Chinese investors and ignore the country’s sovereignty while the secone bill aims to silence online critics. Mr. Michael visited Vietnam from late June.
The arrests of the trio are part of ongoing Vietnam’s crackdown on local political dissidents, human rights defenders and social activists. Last year, Vietnam arrest 27 activists and convicted 41 individuals, sentenced them to a total more than 300 years in prison and 169 years of probation.
——————–
Democracy Activist Nguyen Ngoc Anh’s Trial Expected Soon
Defend the Defenders: Authorities in Vietnam’s southern province of Ben Tre are likely to try local democracy activist Nguyen Ngoc Anh soon, Defend the Defenders has learned.
Local police officers told his wife Chau that his case had been sent to the province’s People’s Court after more than eight months of investigation. Mr. Anh was arrested on August 30, 2018 on allegation of “conducting anti-state propaganda under Article 117 of the country’s 2015 Penal Code.
Anh, 39, is facing imprisonment up to 12 years if is convicted, according to the current Vietnamese law.
Anh has not been allowed to meet with his lawyer since his arrest. His wife has signed a legal contract with Saigon-based attorney Nguyen Van Mieng, however, Anh is likely to self defense in his upcoming trial, said Mrs. Chau.
===== April 19 ====
Vietnamese French Deported to France After 50 Days of Detention in HCM City
Defend the Defenders: Vietnam’s authorities have deported Vietnamese French Daniel Modanafter holding him in police custody for the past 50 days, Defend the Defenders has learned.
In his live stream on Facebook, Daniel Modan said he arrived in Paris on April 19, leaving his 50-day detention in the Temporary detention facility located on No. 4 Phan Dang Luu street under the authority of the Police Department in Ho Chi Minh City.
Danial Modan and his Vietnamese friend Tran Duy Chien were arrested on February 27 when they planned to go to the US General Consulate in HCM City to express their greeting to President Donald Trump who was in Hanoi that time to participate in the US-North Korea Summit.
The two guys were taken to a police station for interrogation. Chien said he was brutally beaten during the interrogation which lasted several days before being released. However, due to his French citizenship, Daniel Modan was not beaten, he claimed.
During his detention, French diplomats came to meet him and work for his release, he said.
He and his family live in France. Several years ago, Daniel Modan returned in Vietnam and lived in HCM City. He has posted and shared a number of articles on his Facebook account Daniel Modanto call for human rights and multi-party democracy.
===== April 20 =====
Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training to Silence Students, Their Parents
Defend the Defenders: Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training has issued a circular which aims to silence students and their parents amid increasing scandals of teachers, school managers and also mistreatment between students.
Accordingto the document which will be effective on May 25, teachers, students and their parents should not disseminate, comment and propagandize information and pictures which go against the party’s policy and laws or may affect the educational environment on social media, including Facebook which has over 40 million accounts in Vietnam.
The circular also requests students’ parents not to “fabricate information and insult teachers.”
The ministry said the violators will face hard punishment from schools before their cases are sent to police for criminal charges.
The circular was issued amid increasing unveiled scandals in Vietnam’s education sector, including large-scale cheating in the national high education examination, teachers’ molestation, violent treatment against students, mistreatment between students, and feeding kindergarten students with low-quality food, including pork infested with tapeworm.
===== April 21 =====
Anti-BOT Activists Continue to Face Persecution
Defend the Defenders: Social activists who are working against the arbitrary placement of tollboothson national highwayshave been facing persecution from authorities and companies who are running those booths, Defend the Defenders has learned.
School teacher Dang Thi Hue (Facebooker Như Huệ) from the northern province of Thai Binh, who is among most active anti-BOT fighters, was seriously injuried from a traffic accident intentionally caused by two thugs who followed her all day.
She was also threatened via phone SMSs which say she would be arrested and charged with “abusing democratic freedom” under Article 331 of the Penal Code for online calling on drivers to boyttcot of a number of toll booths, including Thang Long-Noi Bai, My Loc in Nam Dinh and An Suong in Ho Chi Minh City.
Another female activist with Facebook nick Nguyễn Trần Công from the neighboring province Nam Dinh said she is also under threat of people from companies who are operating toll booths which were placed wrongly in a bid to get more drivers paying although they actually do not use the additional services of these firms. After failing to kidnap her earlier this week, thugs turn to threaten her two kids, saying they will hurt them if she continue to protest these toll booths.
Vietnam has nearly 100 toll booths and dozens of them were intentionally placed in wrong places by developers who get more money from more drivers, including drivers who do not use their services. These developers are getting strong support from senior officials.
Dozens of activists have participated in campaigns against these toll booths and their actions aim to cause traffic jams in these booths. In response, developers, with support of the local authorities, send thugs to beat the activists while police have been sent to disperse the gathering of drivers.
A number of activists have been kidnapped and beaten, and got arrested. Last month, police in Bac Ninh province arrested Hanoi-based activst Ha Van Nam and charged him with “causing public disorders” in a trumped-up case. He may face imprisonment of up to seven years if is convicted.
Activist Phuong Ngo and her fellows were beaten many times, however, they continue to work for removing wrongly-placed toll booths.
=====================
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April 23, 2019
Vietnam Human Rights Defenders’ Weekly Report for April 15-21, 2019: 20 International NGOs Call for Release of HRD Nguyen Bac Truyen
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights]
Defend the Defenders | April 21, 2019
Defend the Defenders and 19 other international rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have sent a joint letterto European Union (EU)’s leadership to urge the union to work for release of human rights defender Nguyen Bac Truyen.
In their joint letter sent to EU’s High Representative/Vice President Mogherini, the group of 20 right organization express their deep concern about the arrest and sentencing of Mr. Truyen, asking the 28-nation group to take all necessary measures to secure his immediate and unconditional release.
The Police Department in Ho Chi Minh City has yet allowed jailed activist Huynh Duc Thanh Binh to meet with his lawyer since his arrest in early July last year. Binh, who was charged with subversion for his peaceful activities, was permitted to meet with his mother for the first time after more than nine months of incommunicado detention.
Authorities in the southern province of Ben Tre are likely to try local democracy activist Nguyen Ngoc Anh soon. His wife was informed by police that the investigation of his case had ended and the case was sent to the People’s Court. Mr. Anh was arrested on August 30, 2018 on allegation of “conducting anti-state propaganda under Article 117 of the country’s 2015 Penal Code and he faces imprisonment of up to 12 years if is convicted.
On April 19, authorities in HCM City deported Vietnamese French Daniel Modanafter holding him in police custody for the past 50 days. Danial Modan and his Vietnamese friend Tran Duy Chien were arrested on February 27 when they planned to go to the US General Consulate in HCM City to express their greeting to President Donald Trump who was in Hanoi that time to participate in the US-North Korea Summit.
Social activists who are working against the arbitrary placement of tollboothson national highwayshave been facing persecution from authorities and companies who are running those booths. The persecution is in various forms, including arrest in the case of Ha Van Nam or physical assaults in the case of school teacher Dang Thi Hue from Thai Binh province or verbal threatening against them and their children.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training has issued a circular which aims to silence students and their parents amid increasing scandals of teachers, school managers and also mistreatment between students.
Accordingto the document which will be effective on May 25, teachers, students and their parents should not disseminate, comment and propagandize information and pictures which go against the party’s policy and laws or may affect the educational environment on social media, including Facebook which has over 40 million accounts in Vietnam.
Vietnam is listed at 176th place among 180 countries in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Border.
===== April 15 ======
DTD Joins with 19 Other NGOs to Call for Release of Nguyen Bac Truyen
Defend the Defenders has joined with 20 other international non-government organizations (NGOs) such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to submit an open letter to EU’s leadership to request for release of legal expert and human rights defender Nguyễn Bắc Truyển.
In their joint letter sent to EU’s High Representative/Vice President Mogherini, the group of 20 right organization express their deep concern about the arrest and sentencing of Mr. Truyen, asking the 28-nation group to take all necessary measures to secure his immediate and unconditional release.
As the EU and Vietnam move towards the conclusion of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, said the coalition, adding it is imperative that human rights concerns are at the forefront of negotiations. The group said it shares the concerns expressed in the November 2018 European Parliament’s urgency resolution on Vietnam, and echo the call made by 32 MEPs in their letter to you and Commissioner Malmström on 17 September 2018, urging the EU to articulate a series of human rights benchmarks in Vietnam, including the release of Nguyễn Bắc Truyển and all people imprisoned for exercising their basic rights.
In line with the EU Guidelines on human rights defenders, the right groups strongly urge the EU’s leadership to lead EU efforts, taking all necessary measures to urge Vietnam to immediately and unconditionally release Nguyễn Bắc Truyển, and ensuring his safety and that of his family. They further urge you to call on Vietnam to end all violations and reprisals against human rights defenders, and to demonstrate its commitment to improving its human rights record.
The full open letter: Joint NGO Letter Calls for Release of Nguyen Bac Truyen
=====
Hanoi-based Activists Under House Arrest When Dong Tam Villagers Mark 2nd Anniversary of Victory
Defend the Defenders:Authorities in Hanoi have sent plainclothes agents and militia to private residences of dozens of local activists, effectively placing them de facto under house arrest in a bid to prevent them from going to Dong Tam villages, My Duc district when the people here mark the second anniversary of victory regarding land dispute.
As Dong Tam people plan to mark the event by holding a meeting in the commune on April 15, the police blockage started on April 14. Several undercover police officers and militial werre deployed to every activist, among those are Mr. Nguyen Tuong Thuy and Le Hoang as well as land petitioner Trinh Ba Phuong from Duong Noi.
Activist Ha Thanh from Thanh Tri district, who said he was not invited to go to the event, was also under close surveillance of the local police.
In the evening of April 14, Hanoi sent about a hundred of mobile police to Dong Tam village. However, no incident has been reported.
===== 17/4 =====
Jailed Activist Huynh Duc Thanh Binh Yet to Be Permitted to Meet with His Lawyer after Nine Months of Detention
Defend the Defenders, April 18, 2019
The Police Department in Ho Chi Minh City have yet allowed jailed activist Huynh Duc Thanh Binh to meet with his lawyer since his arrest in early July last year.
Ms. Hue, the mother of Mr. Binh, said right after his detention on July 7, 2018, she signed a legal contract with Saigon-based attorney Nguyen Van Mieng and he is Binh’s lawyer. After signing the contract, the lawyer sent his request for meeting with his client to the department, however, it replied that Binh will not be permitted to access legal assistance until the investigation completes.
After many requests, Ms. Hue was allowed to meet with Binh for the first time on April 17. She said that he is healthy and remains strong despite being held incommunicado since his arrest.
Mr. Binh, 23, is a member of the unregistered group Vietnamese Students Association for Human Rights established by imprisoned democracy activist Tran Hoang Phuc. On July 7 last year, he and his friends Tran Long Phi and Vietnamese American Michael Minh Phuong Nguyen were kidnapped by plainclothes agents when they returned in HCM City from a tour to the central region.
Later, police in HCM City charged them with “carrying out activities aimed to overthrow the government” under Article 109 of the 2015 Penal Code, with them maximum punishment is life imprisonment or even death penalty for the convicted.
On July 8, police also detained Binh’s father Huynh Duc Thinh, who is a former political prisoner. Mr. Thinh was also held incommunicado until late January this year but he is requested to report to the city’s police every week. Thinh has not been permitted to visit his son.
Both Binh and Phi, also 23, participated in the mass peaceful demonstration in Saigon in mid June last year to protest two bills Special Economic Zones and Cyber Security, the first one seems to favor Chinese investors and ignore the country’s sovereignty while the secone bill aims to silence online critics. Mr. Michael visited Vietnam from late June.
The arrests of the trio are part of ongoing Vietnam’s crackdown on local political dissidents, human rights defenders and social activists. Last year, Vietnam arrest 27 activists and convicted 41 individuals, sentenced them to a total more than 300 years in prison and 169 years of probation.
——————–
Democracy Activist Nguyen Ngoc Anh’s Trial Expected Soon
Defend the Defenders: Authorities in Vietnam’s southern province of Ben Tre are likely to try local democracy activist Nguyen Ngoc Anh soon, Defend the Defenders has learned.
Local police officers told his wife Chau that his case had been sent to the province’s People’s Court after more than eight months of investigation. Mr. Anh was arrested on August 30, 2018 on allegation of “conducting anti-state propaganda under Article 117 of the country’s 2015 Penal Code.
Anh, 39, is facing imprisonment up to 12 years if is convicted, according to the current Vietnamese law.
Anh has not been allowed to meet with his lawyer since his arrest. His wife has signed a legal contract with Saigon-based attorney Nguyen Van Mieng, however, Anh is likely to self defense in his upcoming trial, said Mrs. Chau.
===== April 19 ====
Vietnamese French Deported to France After 50 Days of Detention in HCM City
Defend the Defenders: Vietnam’s authorities have deported Vietnamese French Daniel Modanafter holding him in police custody for the past 50 days, Defend the Defenders has learned.
In his live stream on Facebook, Daniel Modan said he arrived in Paris on April 19, leaving his 50-day detention in the Temporary detention facility located on No. 4 Phan Dang Luu street under the authority of the Police Department in Ho Chi Minh City.
Danial Modan and his Vietnamese friend Tran Duy Chien were arrested on February 27 when they planned to go to the US General Consulate in HCM City to express their greeting to President Donald Trump who was in Hanoi that time to participate in the US-North Korea Summit.
The two guys were taken to a police station for interrogation. Chien said he was brutally beaten during the interrogation which lasted several days before being released. However, due to his French citizenship, Daniel Modan was not beaten, he claimed.
During his detention, French diplomats came to meet him and work for his release, he said.
He and his family live in France. Several years ago, Daniel Modan returned in Vietnam and lived in HCM City. He has posted and shared a number of articles on his Facebook account Daniel Modanto call for human rights and multi-party democracy.
===== April 20 =====
Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training to Silence Students, Their Parents
Defend the Defenders: Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training has issued a circular which aims to silence students and their parents amid increasing scandals of teachers, school managers and also mistreatment between students.
Accordingto the document which will be effective on May 25, teachers, students and their parents should not disseminate, comment and propagandize information and pictures which go against the party’s policy and laws or may affect the educational environment on social media, including Facebook which has over 40 million accounts in Vietnam.
The circular also requests students’ parents not to “fabricate information and insult teachers.”
The ministry said the violators will face hard punishment from schools before their cases are sent to police for criminal charges.
The circular was issued amid increasing unveiled scandals in Vietnam’s education sector, including large-scale cheating in the national high education examination, teachers’ molestation, violent treatment against students, mistreatment between students, and feeding kindergarten students with low-quality food, including pork infested with tapeworm.
===== April 21 =====
Anti-BOT Activists Continue to Face Persecution
Defend the Defenders: Social activists who are working against the arbitrary placement of tollboothson national highwayshave been facing persecution from authorities and companies who are running those booths, Defend the Defenders has learned.
School teacher Dang Thi Hue (Facebooker Như Huệ) from the northern province of Thai Binh, who is among most active anti-BOT fighters, was seriously injuried from a traffic accident intentionally caused by two thugs who followed her all day.
She was also threatened via phone SMSs which say she would be arrested and charged with “abusing democratic freedom” under Article 331 of the Penal Code for online calling on drivers to boyttcot of a number of toll booths, including Thang Long-Noi Bai, My Loc in Nam Dinh and An Suong in Ho Chi Minh City.
Another female activist with Facebook nick Nguyễn Trần Công from the neighboring province Nam Dinh said she is also under threat of people from companies who are operating toll booths which were placed wrongly in a bid to get more drivers paying although they actually do not use the additional services of these firms. After failing to kidnap her earlier this week, thugs turn to threaten her two kids, saying they will hurt them if she continue to protest these toll booths.
Vietnam has nearly 100 toll booths and dozens of them were intentionally placed in wrong places by developers who get more money from more drivers, including drivers who do not use their services. These developers are getting strong support from senior officials.
Dozens of activists have participated in campaigns against these toll booths and their actions aim to cause traffic jams in these booths. In response, developers, with support of the local authorities, send thugs to beat the activists while police have been sent to disperse the gathering of drivers.
A number of activists have been kidnapped and beaten, and got arrested. Last month, police in Bac Ninh province arrested Hanoi-based activst Ha Van Nam and charged him with “causing public disorders” in a trumped-up case. He may face imprisonment of up to seven years if is convicted.
Activist Phuong Ngo and her fellows were beaten many times, however, they continue to work for removing wrongly-placed toll booths.
=====================