Liberal Publishing House: Declaration about one of Liberal Publishing House’s collaborators has been prosecuted on May 6th, 2021.

Liberal Publishing House, May 6, 2021

Press release

Yesterday, on May 5, 2021, a series of domestic newspapers reported on the prosecution of Mr. Nguyen Bao Tien, a collaborator of Liberal Publishing House.

We would like to report in full the process of Tien participating in publishing books for Liberal Publishing House and being arrested:

Around July and August 2019, the civil police forces of Ho Chi Minh City tightened the delivery of postal services to prevent the way of transferring books of Liberal Publishing House to readers. Facing this difficulty, the Publisher called for the community’s help. Our call was supported by many people, including Mr. Nguyen Bao Tien from Phu Yen. Mr. Tien contacted us and since then has become an enthusiastic partner of Liberal Publishing House. However, since October 2nd 2019, we completely lost contact with him, his Facebook and Whatsapp accounts were locked.

Then, around November and December 2019, we were continuously receiving notices from readers – who were interrogated by police – about police investigating “a book-making line in Phu Yen.” From this information, we know that Tien was arrested and that the civil police forces is seeking to blame him completely for the activities of Liberal Publishing House.

Until yesterday, May 5^th, 2021, the Vietnamese press simultaneously reported on the arrest and prosecution against Nguyen Bao Tien, that is, 18 months after Tien’s disappearance.

Since its inception and operation up to now, the Liberal Publishing House’s members and partners have been continuously persecuted, detained and harassed. Typical is the arrest of Ms. Pham Doan Trang, an author, co-founder and former member of Liberal Publishing House.

WE – LIBERAL PUBLISHER DECLARE:

1. The fact that Phu Yen provincial’s civil police forces arrested and prosecuted Mr. Nguyen Bao Tien has too many doubts. We urge Phu Yen civil police forces to answer clearly to the public, what exact date was Tien arrested when sending the book?
2. We have grounds to suspect that Tien has been arrested and detained since October 2019, so that Mr. Tien may have been illegally arrested or detained for the past 18 months.
3. Mr. Nguyen Bao Tien’s work is completely justified, he only exercises the right to freedom of speech, freedom of publication and the right to read books in a peaceful manner. Rights are recognized in international conventions to which the Vietnamese government has signed.

NGUYEN BAO TIEN IS GUILTLESS.

4. The dictatorial government of the communist Vietnam’s action of stifling the right to freedom of speech, the right to free reading is inhuman, and it sows crimes.
5. We – Liberal Publishing House – strongly condemn this crime of the Vietnamese communist government, demanding that the government release Nguyen Bao Tien and other prisoners of conscience immediately and unconditionally.
6. We urge the international community, human rights organizations and citizens to speak up for Mr. Nguyen Bao Tien in this illegal arrest and detention. We hope the community helps us to reach Mr Tien’s family to assist him in legal matters in the future.

Liberal Publishing House