Dr. Nguyen Thanh Giang: the 18th session of the UN Human Rights Council UPR for Vietnam

Lady and Gentlemen,

I’m a 78 years old Geophysicist currently living in Hanoi. I’m not a politician. My main task at the time was to conduct research on Palaeomagnetism. I had retired but have been bothered by the government’s brutal violation of the people’s freedom and human rights causing me to speak up. At the end of 1998, I was imprisoned by Mr. Do Muoi, the general secretary of the communist party, solely because of my essay “ Nhan Quyen – Khat vong ngan doi” (Human rights – Forever quest) presenting the fundamental ideas about human rights in which I declared “Human rights is higher than state rights”. Those were the days close to Tet celebration and one of my students who worked for the police at the time had asked for a temporary mercy delay of my imprisonment. In March of 1999, they finally executed the order and put me in jail. Protests erupted in the US, French, Australia…the US Congress and the US State department raised concerns, under that pressure they must reluctantly released me after several months of isolated imprisonment. There was no trial, no prosecution and not even an apology to me.

Failing to imprison me for a long period of time, they must now resort to surround my house, harass and isolate me. In the past they had cut off my telephone service, my internet connection and now conduct surveillance and eardrop 24/24h. When they suspect something, they sent in tens of policemen  to surround my house and install a check stop in front of my house. The latest incident occurred on November 29 of 2013 when they received information that Mr. Pham Chi Dung, a democracy activist, would visit me. Without any evident, the communist propaganda printed papers accused me of being a betrayer, a counter-revolution agent and a spy. They had come and searched my house 9 times (they even searched the rice container and the toilet) and despite the fact that they couldn’t find any evident to prosecute me, they took away my research papers, my office equipments and interrogated me almost 20 times ……

Look into the bright side, my suffering can’t be compared with other people such as Mr. Nguyen Van Ly, Nguyen Van Hai (Dieu Cay), Nguyen Xuan Nghia…… It pains me greatly thinking of other activists who are also intellects with a heart for human rights such as: Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Vi Đuc Hoi, Do Thi Minh Hanh, Nguyen Tien Trung, Le Quoc Quan, Cu Huy Ha Vu, Tran Anh Kim …… I urge you to pay attention to people who were released from prison earlier but are living in miserable condition right now due to the government policy of discrimination and harass such as Le Thi Cong Nhan, Pham Thanh Nghien, Nguyen Van Dai, Pham Hong Son, Huynh Thuc Vy……

It is admitted that Human right in Vietnam has made considerable progress. However, because of the fact that it began with terribly low level when the Vietnamese Communist party adopted the Marxist Leninism, my people has been suffered in the darkness of Marxist Leninism shadow ever since.

Mr. Tran Phu, the first general secretary of the communist party, had declared: “Tri, Phu, Dia, Hao, dao tan goc, troc tan re”. In the length of human’s history, have you ever heard such a verbal decree before? The many “grand plans” of the communist party such as: Cai Cach Ruong Dat, Nhan Van Giai Pham, Xet Lai Chong Dang… are extensions of the core policy of the communist party: elimination of the best of the country. It means taking away people’s right to live, country’s right to progress. Everytime Tet comes, they hang up banners that celebrate the “party” first and then celebrate the season and country. They force the military to be loyal to the “party” first, not country first. They force the police to be the shield and sword of the “party”.

Obviously the foundation of democracy and human right had been destroyed since the day the communist party took power. They had done some cosmetic modification to mislead the mass but the reality is very bad.

I regret that I can’t be there with you, but I hope that you will pay attention to my colleagues’ reports. Those are representatives from organizations such as VOICE, Mang Luoi Blogger Viet Nam, No-U Viet Nam, Dan Lam Bao, Con Duong Viet Nam, Phat Giao Hoa Hao Truyen Thong, Hoi Ai Huu Tu Nhan Chinh Tri va Ton Giao Viet Nam…

I hope that you will contribute your voice to a call to abolish the article 258 in the civil law and release all Vietnam political prisoners.

Hanoi, January 26, 2014

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Giang

Số nhà 6 – Tập thể Địa Vật lý Máy bay

Trung Văn – Từ Liêm – Hanoi

Email: thanhgiang36@yahoo.com

Mobi: 0984 724 165