May 19, 2013

Declaration by the Free Citizens: Nguyen Phuong Uyen, Dinh Nguyen Kha are innocent and patriotic

by • Dinh Nguyen Kha, Nguyen Phuong Uyen

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May 17, 2013

We the undersigned Free Citizens, in light of the wrongful sentences of 6 and 8 years of imprisonment and 6 years of house arrest imposed upon the two patriotic students, Nguyen Phuong Uyen and Dinh Nguyen Kha, declare that:

1. The sentences against Nguyen Phuong Uyen and Dinh Nguyen Kha are purportedly based on the count of “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”, but the targets of their acts, according to the indictment itself, are absolutely not the SRV state.
2. Resistance against another country’s expansionism and infringement of national sovereignty is not only an obligation but also a right of all citizens as stipulated in Article 44, 51, 69, 76 and 77 of the Vietnamese Constitution.
3. To express one’s viewpoint on a political party is to exercise freedom of expression, which is guaranteed not only by Article 69 of the Constitution of the SRV, but also by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Vietnam is a signatory and which Vietnam has ratified.
The verdict that the two patriotic students are guilty of propagating against the SRV under Article 88 of the Penal Code is, therefore, both legally unfounded and unconstitutional.
Therefore, WE – the Free Citizens – call on all Vietnamese people, domestic and overseas, to: 
1. Sign this declaration to confirm the position of Vietnamese citizens that Nguyen Phuong Uyen and Dinh Nguyen Kha are innocent and patriotic.
2. Mobilize governments, international organizations and the United Nations Human Rights Council for the release of Nguyen Phuong Uyen and Dinh Nguyen Kha.
3. Commend and foster the spirit of the two patriotic students, “For the honour of the nation, fight the hegemonic Chinese. For the future of the country, fight corruption.”
May 17, 2013
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Notes:
1. To assure that the Declaration is responsible, public, and transparent, please only sign on your own behalf with complete information: full name, ID number (for Vietnamese citizens), full address.
2. Join and sign this declaration: 
Translated by Đoan Trang
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