Anti-corruption campaigner and citizen journalist Do Cong Duong and former prisoner of conscience Ms. Bui Thi Minh Hang
Defend the Defenders, June 3, 2018
Authorities in Vietnam’s northern province of Bac Ninh are intimidating the family of anti-corruption activist Do Cong Duong, who was arrested on January 26 and charged with “Abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens” under Article 331 of the country’s 2015 Penal Code.
On June 1, Bac Ninh province’s Police Department sent two letters to Mr. Duong’s family, asking his daughters Do Hong Anh, 14, and Do Lan Anh, 17, to reportto the department’s Investigation Agency the next day to “work” on his case.
However, his wife and the two girls rejected the summoning, saying they have nothing to discusswith the police.
Mr. Duong, 54, was arrested on January 26 while filming a land seizure in the neighboring commune of Tam Son in Tu Son town.Police announced nine days later they had charged him with “causing public disorders”but in April, they changed the allegation to “Abusing democratic freedoms.” He will face imprisonment of up to seven years in prison if convicted.
Mr. Duong is an activist on land issue. Together with other local residents, he filled a letter to the state’s leaders to accuse Tu Son town’s government of illegal land seizure.
Duong is also a citizen journalist, producing hundreds of video clips which he has posted on his Facebook accountto report local officials’ corruption and cronyism, including provincial communist leader Nguyen Nhan Chien, who has big houses and has promoted numerous relatives to key positions in provincial agencies. The state-run media has also covered news affirming the information unveiled by Mr. Duong.
Due to his anti-corruption activities, Duong and his family have been persecuted by local authorities. He was summoned by the police for interrogation many times. Police also came to his private residence to threaten him.
His house has been attacked with a stinking concoction of feces, shrimp paste, and petrol, and his children have been discriminated in schools.
Duong’s arrest is likely reprisal for his efforts to fight illegal land grabbing and corruption, said his fellow My while hisattorney lawyer HaHuy Son said authorities in Bac Ninh provinceand Tu Son townare seeking to silence the anti-corruption activist and citizen journalist without respecting the country’s law and the presumption of innocence.
Land grabbing is a systemic problem in Vietnam where all land belongs to the state and local residents only have lease rights. The central government and local governments are authorized to seize any land from citizens for socio-economic development without paying adequate compensation.
In many localities, authorities have grabbed local residents’ land at very low compensation prices and sold it to property and industrial developers at prices much higher.
Thousands of farmers losing their land in that way are gathering in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to demand justice. The land petitioners are treated like second-class residents by the government. They are living in streets and house with cheap renting fees, being subjects of torture and detention by security forces.
Vietnam is among most corrupt nations in the world. According to Trading Economics, the nation scored 35 points out of 100 on the 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. Corruption Index in Vietnam averaged 27.80 points from 1997 until 2017, reaching an all time high of 35 points in 2017 and a record low of 24 points in 2002.
In Vietnam where communists have ruled for decades, the government strictly controls media. Dozens of bloggers and independent journalists have been harassed and jailed.
Vietnam’s press freedom index is ranked at the 175th out of 179 countries in the Reporters Without Borders’ 2017 Report.
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June 3, 2018
Vietnam Police Intimidate Family of Jailed Anti-corruption Activist, Summoning His Children for Interrogation
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights], Do Cong Duong
Anti-corruption campaigner and citizen journalist Do Cong Duong and former prisoner of conscience Ms. Bui Thi Minh Hang
Defend the Defenders, June 3, 2018
Authorities in Vietnam’s northern province of Bac Ninh are intimidating the family of anti-corruption activist Do Cong Duong, who was arrested on January 26 and charged with “Abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens” under Article 331 of the country’s 2015 Penal Code.
On June 1, Bac Ninh province’s Police Department sent two letters to Mr. Duong’s family, asking his daughters Do Hong Anh, 14, and Do Lan Anh, 17, to reportto the department’s Investigation Agency the next day to “work” on his case.
However, his wife and the two girls rejected the summoning, saying they have nothing to discusswith the police.
Mr. Duong, 54, was arrested on January 26 while filming a land seizure in the neighboring commune of Tam Son in Tu Son town.Police announced nine days later they had charged him with “causing public disorders”but in April, they changed the allegation to “Abusing democratic freedoms.” He will face imprisonment of up to seven years in prison if convicted.
Mr. Duong is an activist on land issue. Together with other local residents, he filled a letter to the state’s leaders to accuse Tu Son town’s government of illegal land seizure.
Duong is also a citizen journalist, producing hundreds of video clips which he has posted on his Facebook accountto report local officials’ corruption and cronyism, including provincial communist leader Nguyen Nhan Chien, who has big houses and has promoted numerous relatives to key positions in provincial agencies. The state-run media has also covered news affirming the information unveiled by Mr. Duong.
Due to his anti-corruption activities, Duong and his family have been persecuted by local authorities. He was summoned by the police for interrogation many times. Police also came to his private residence to threaten him.
His house has been attacked with a stinking concoction of feces, shrimp paste, and petrol, and his children have been discriminated in schools.
Duong’s arrest is likely reprisal for his efforts to fight illegal land grabbing and corruption, said his fellow My while hisattorney lawyer HaHuy Son said authorities in Bac Ninh provinceand Tu Son townare seeking to silence the anti-corruption activist and citizen journalist without respecting the country’s law and the presumption of innocence.
Land grabbing is a systemic problem in Vietnam where all land belongs to the state and local residents only have lease rights. The central government and local governments are authorized to seize any land from citizens for socio-economic development without paying adequate compensation.
In many localities, authorities have grabbed local residents’ land at very low compensation prices and sold it to property and industrial developers at prices much higher.
Thousands of farmers losing their land in that way are gathering in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to demand justice. The land petitioners are treated like second-class residents by the government. They are living in streets and house with cheap renting fees, being subjects of torture and detention by security forces.
Vietnam is among most corrupt nations in the world. According to Trading Economics, the nation scored 35 points out of 100 on the 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. Corruption Index in Vietnam averaged 27.80 points from 1997 until 2017, reaching an all time high of 35 points in 2017 and a record low of 24 points in 2002.
In Vietnam where communists have ruled for decades, the government strictly controls media. Dozens of bloggers and independent journalists have been harassed and jailed.
Vietnam’s press freedom index is ranked at the 175th out of 179 countries in the Reporters Without Borders’ 2017 Report.