Vietnamese and International Civil Society Call for an Investigation into Dong Tam Incident

February 25, 2020

Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger

President

Human Rights Council

United Nations

Geneva, Switzerland

Re: Request to investigate the gross human rights violations in Dong Tam, Vietnam 

Dear Ambassador,

We, the undersigned human rights organizations, write to draw your attention to the recent crackdown in Dong Tam near Hanoi.

On January 9, Vietnamese authorities reportedly mobilized 3,000 riot police to raid Hoanh Hamlet, Dong Tam Commune, killing 84-year-old community leader Le Dinh Kinh and arresting at least 27 residents (names included below). This occurred in the context of a prolonged land dispute in which the Hanoi municipal authorities tried to seize valuable land for redevelopment—threatening the livelihood and displacement of nearly 10,000 long-time residents.

Prior to the attack, police locked down the whole area and suspended phone and internet service. Independent journalists and international media outlets were banned from traveling to Dong Tam to report on the attack. Trinh Ba Phuong, a citizen journalist, based 25 miles away in Hanoi, was detained and put under house arrest for broadcasting a live stream on Facebook, reporting on the events as riot police stormed Dong Tam.

Since then, both Trinh Ba Phuong and his brother Trinh Ba Tu, as well as a number of other activists, continue to be harassed and threatened with arrest for trying to shed further light onto the police action. Vietnamese authorities pressured Facebook to remove content about Dong Tam and government trolls have targeted the accounts of human rights activists.

A month after the attack, at least 27 residents are still being held incommunicado and their well-being is unknown. They are all barred from legal access. Under the pretext of blocking “terrorist financing”, the Ministry of Public Security ordered Vietcombank to freeze the bank account to which hundreds of individuals donated money to support Le Dinh Kinh’s family with funeral expenses. The holder of the account, social activist Nguyen Thuy Hanh, has not been able to withdraw VND528 million  ($23,000).

This appalling police brutality in Dong Tam and the repression following reveals the escalation of human rights abuse in Vietnam. The Vietnamese government continues to show complete disregard for international conventions including the UN Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Therefore, we urgently call on you and the UN Human Rights Council to:

• Arrange for a Special Rapporteur to investigate the Dong Tam incident and provide recommendations on holding any officials responsible for gross human rights abuses accountable.
• Urge the Vietnamese government to release all individuals arbitrarily detained during the police raid on Dong Tam on January 9th and to cease all forms of retaliation against the residents of Dong Tam and their supporters
• Insist that the Vietnamese government allow independent media organizations and civil society to freely travel to Dong Tam and speak with local residents without fear of retribution

Signed,

Nathalie Seff

Executive Director

Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT) France

Nguyen Le Hung

Bau Bi Tuong Than Association

Nguyen Van Dai

Brotherhood For Democracy

Vu Manh Hung

Chu Van An Educational Profession Association 

Rodolphe Prom

Destination Justice

Nguyen Tuong Thuy

Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam

Liberal Publishing House

Reverend Anthony Dang Huu Nam

My Khanh Parish, Vinh Diocese 

Christophe Deloire

General Secretary

Reporters Without Borders 

Safeguard Defenders

Reverend JB Nguyen Dinh Thuc

Song Ngoc Parish, Vinh Diocese

Nguyen Tang Luy

Swiss-Vietnam Committee (COSUNAM)

Do Hoang Diem

Viet Tan

Duong Thi Phuong Hang

Vietnamese Journalists Union

Trinh Thi Ngoc Kim

Vietnamese Students Union

Watchdogs Unleashed

List of those who were arrested during the Dong Tam incident: