Defend the Defenders | August 16, 2020
Two weeks after Vietnam’s authorities convicted eight members of the unregistered group Hiến Pháp (Constitution) of “disruption of security” under Article 118 of the Criminal Code for their peaceful activities and sentenced them to total 40 years and six months in prison and 20 years of probation, on August 13, the US Department of State issued a press release expressing concerns about the case, saying the US is troubled about Vietnam’s growing trend of arrests of and harsh sentences for peaceful activists since early 2016. It calls on Vietnam’s communist regime to release all those who have been unjustly detained and to allow all individuals in the country to express their views freely, without fear of retaliation.
Saying free and open societies around the world are strengthened when individuals exercise their right to freedom of expression, the department urges the Vietnamese government to ensure its actions are consistent with the human rights provisions of Vietnam’s Constitution and its international obligations and commitments.
It is worth noting that in early August, right after the trial, the EU’s Delegation in Vietnam issued a press statement urging Hanoi to drop the charges against the activists and free them unconditionally, saying they were just practicing their right to peaceful demonstration regarding the country’s issues.
On August 3, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also called on Vietnam to release Facebooker Ngo Van Dung, one of the convicted. He is a blogger often voicing to protect victims of justice in his Central Highlands region.
As many as 65 incumbent parliamentarians and 28 former national legislators from 28 Asian countries have signed a joint letter urging Vietnam’s communist regime to release all prisoners of conscience, including prominent religious activist Nguyen Bac Truyen who is serving his 11-year imprisonment after being convicted of subversion in 2018.
After eight months of the bloody attack in Dong Tam commune in which the riot police killed elderly communal leader Le Dinh Kinh and arrested dozens of local land petitioners, Vietnam’s regime continues to harass Facebookers who disseminate information about the incident. In late July, authorities in the central province of Nghe An probed local resident Nguyen Quang Vinh, accusing him of “abusing democratic freedom” for his online posts, saying they are defaming the regime and causing social disorders. It is unclear whether he is arrested or not. Mr. Vinh is facing imprisonment of between one to seven years in prison if he is convicted.
Also for Facebook posting on social issues, outspoken Catholic priest Nguyen Duy Tan from the southern province of Dong Nai has been repeatedly interrogated in recent weeks and the last was on August 10.
On August 14, the Higher People’s Court in Hanoi upheld the 10-year imprisonment against former prisoner of conscience Truong Duy Nhat given by the People’s Court of Hanoi in March. Nhat, who was kidnapped in Bangkok in late January 2019 by Thai policemen who later handed him over to Vietnam’s secret agents, was convicted of “abusing power to cause economic damage to the state budget” in a deal of the property belongs to Dai Doan Ket (Great Unity) newspaper in which he was a chief representative in the central region. The case is political as his supervisors of the newspaper who were responsible for the deal have not been criminally charged.
===== August 8 =====
One More Facebooker Accused of Anti-state Posting Regarding Dong Tam Incident
Authorities in the central province of Nghe An have probed a local resident on allegation of “abusing democratic freedom” for posting on his Facebook account the information about the land dispute in Dong Tam commune and the police brutal attack in the commune in early January this year.
According to the local media, Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, a 39-year-old resident in Vinh city, has posted five articles about the bloody attack of thousands of riot police in Dong Tam on January 9. The Nghe An province’s authorities consider these articles containing untrue information which affects the regime’s reputation.
It is unclear whether Mr. Vinh has been arrested or not. The police decision for probing the case was dated July 27.
So far, five activists have been arrested for providing the information about Dong Tam incident. Four of them are former prisoners of conscience Can Thi Theu and Nguyen Thi Tam, and Theu’s two sons named Trinh Ba Phuong and Trinh Ba Tu. They were charged with “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 117 of the Criminal Code with imprisonment for up to 20 years.
The fifth, Facebooker Chung Hoang Chuong from the southern city of Can Tho, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted of “abusing democratic freedom” under Article 331 of the same code.
===== August 10 =====
Priest Nguyen Duy Tan Questioned about Facebook Posts
On August 10, authorities in Vietnam’s southern province of Dong Nai interrogated local Catholic priest Nguyen Duy Tan for his posts on his Facebook account.
This is the second summoning this month of the police in Thong Nhat district about his posts regarding social issues that the police said they are related to local political and social order. On August 3, they questioned him several hours on similar reasons.
He was summoned many times in the past few years for his posts in which he criticizes the communist government about human rights violations and the government’s weak response to China’s violations of the country’s sovereignty in the East Sea (South China Sea).
Priest Tan is among outspoken Catholic clergies. He has also supported local activists and families of prisoners of conscience in the region.
Vietnam’s communist regime has tried to silence outspoken priests such as Nguyen Van Ly, Nguyen Duy Tan, Nguyen Dinh Thuc, and Dang Huu Nam. Priest Ly was imprisoned for years and is under house arrest in the central city of Hue while ..
Vietnam has around seven million of Catholic followers distributed across the nation. In many localities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the communist regime is striving to prevent the expansion of the Catholic Church, implementing policies to limit Catholic followers from access to politics and education, and grab properties of Catholic churches.
===== 13/8 =====
The Conviction of Eight Members of the Hien Phap Group in Vietnam
Press statement of US Department of State: The U.S. government is deeply concerned about Vietnam’s conviction and sentencing of eight members of the Hien Phap civil society organization in Vietnam to more than 40 years in prison.
Although we have seen the Government of Vietnam take some positive steps on human rights in certain areas in Vietnam over the past few years, we are troubled about the growing trend of arrests of and harsh sentences for peaceful activists since early 2016. The United States calls on Vietnam to release all those who have been unjustly detained and to allow all individuals in Vietnam to express their views freely, without fear of retaliation.
Free and open societies around the world are strengthened when individuals exercise their right to freedom of expression. We urge the Vietnamese government to ensure its actions are consistent with the human rights provisions of Vietnam’s constitution and its international obligations and commitments.
——————–
Many Asian Parliamentarians Urge Vietnam to Free Prisoners of Conscience
As many as 65 incumbent parliamentarians and 28 former national legislators from 28 Asian countries have signed a joint letter urging Vietnam’s communist regime to release all prisoners of conscience, including prominent religious activist Nguyen Bac Truyen who is serving his 11-year imprisonment after being convicted of subversion in 2018.
According to the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human rights, the joint letter asks the government to (i) release immediately and unconditionally Mr. Truyen and other prisoners of conscience who were jailed for exercising basic human rights, including the right to freedom of religions and beliefs, (ii) ensure civil society organizations and religious group, especially unregistered ones, to freely practice their religious activities without being harassed or persecuted, and (iii) ensure the country’s laws, including the Law on Beliefs and Religions, meet international human rights standards, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Mr. Truyen and three other key members of the unsanctioned group Brotherhood for Democracy were arrested on July 30, 2017. Later, they were convicted of subversion and sentenced to between seven and 15 years in prison.
He is among 274 prisoners of conscience listed by Defend the Defenders.
===== 14/8 =====
RFA Blogger Truong Duy Nhat’s Appeal Rejected, His 10-year Imprisonment Upheld
On August 14, the Higher People’s Court in Hanoi rejected the appeal of journalist Truong Duy Nhat, upholding the 10-year imprisonment given by the lower court in the first-instance hearing in early March.
In the appeal hearing, the judge concluded that Mr. Nhat committed wrongdoing which caused VND13 billion ($553,000) loss of the state budget by helping businessman Phan Van Anh Vu to acquire state property the authorities in Danang City gave to Dai Doan Ket newspaper.
Mr. Nhat, a former prisoner of conscience serving two years in prison in 2013-2015 for “abusing democratic freedom” for series of articles criticizing senior communist leaders, was kidnapped by Thai policemen in Bangkok in late January 2019 and taken to Vietnam right after that where he was accused of “abusing power while on duty.” In the first-instance hearing in March this year, he was convicted by the People’s Court of Hanoi.
Nhat, who was named by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) among 100 Information Heroes in 2014, was found guilty while his two supervisors of the Dai Doan Ket newspaper, the Editor-in-chief and his deputy who directed the deal, have not been criminally charged. This showed that Nhat’s conviction is political.
Nhat was abducted on January 26, 2019, one day after he registered as a political asylum to the UN Office of Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok. The UN High Commissioners on Human Rights and many other rights groups have requested the governments of Thailand and Vietnam clarify his case, however, both Vietnam and Thailand remain silent.
=====================
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August 17, 2020
Vietnam Human Rights Defenders’ Weekly Report for August 9-16, 2020: US Condemns Conviction of Hiến Pháp Group’s Members
by Nhan Quyen • DEFENDER’S WEEKLY
Defend the Defenders | August 16, 2020
Two weeks after Vietnam’s authorities convicted eight members of the unregistered group Hiến Pháp (Constitution) of “disruption of security” under Article 118 of the Criminal Code for their peaceful activities and sentenced them to total 40 years and six months in prison and 20 years of probation, on August 13, the US Department of State issued a press release expressing concerns about the case, saying the US is troubled about Vietnam’s growing trend of arrests of and harsh sentences for peaceful activists since early 2016. It calls on Vietnam’s communist regime to release all those who have been unjustly detained and to allow all individuals in the country to express their views freely, without fear of retaliation.
Saying free and open societies around the world are strengthened when individuals exercise their right to freedom of expression, the department urges the Vietnamese government to ensure its actions are consistent with the human rights provisions of Vietnam’s Constitution and its international obligations and commitments.
It is worth noting that in early August, right after the trial, the EU’s Delegation in Vietnam issued a press statement urging Hanoi to drop the charges against the activists and free them unconditionally, saying they were just practicing their right to peaceful demonstration regarding the country’s issues.
On August 3, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also called on Vietnam to release Facebooker Ngo Van Dung, one of the convicted. He is a blogger often voicing to protect victims of justice in his Central Highlands region.
As many as 65 incumbent parliamentarians and 28 former national legislators from 28 Asian countries have signed a joint letter urging Vietnam’s communist regime to release all prisoners of conscience, including prominent religious activist Nguyen Bac Truyen who is serving his 11-year imprisonment after being convicted of subversion in 2018.
After eight months of the bloody attack in Dong Tam commune in which the riot police killed elderly communal leader Le Dinh Kinh and arrested dozens of local land petitioners, Vietnam’s regime continues to harass Facebookers who disseminate information about the incident. In late July, authorities in the central province of Nghe An probed local resident Nguyen Quang Vinh, accusing him of “abusing democratic freedom” for his online posts, saying they are defaming the regime and causing social disorders. It is unclear whether he is arrested or not. Mr. Vinh is facing imprisonment of between one to seven years in prison if he is convicted.
Also for Facebook posting on social issues, outspoken Catholic priest Nguyen Duy Tan from the southern province of Dong Nai has been repeatedly interrogated in recent weeks and the last was on August 10.
On August 14, the Higher People’s Court in Hanoi upheld the 10-year imprisonment against former prisoner of conscience Truong Duy Nhat given by the People’s Court of Hanoi in March. Nhat, who was kidnapped in Bangkok in late January 2019 by Thai policemen who later handed him over to Vietnam’s secret agents, was convicted of “abusing power to cause economic damage to the state budget” in a deal of the property belongs to Dai Doan Ket (Great Unity) newspaper in which he was a chief representative in the central region. The case is political as his supervisors of the newspaper who were responsible for the deal have not been criminally charged.
===== August 8 =====
One More Facebooker Accused of Anti-state Posting Regarding Dong Tam Incident
Authorities in the central province of Nghe An have probed a local resident on allegation of “abusing democratic freedom” for posting on his Facebook account the information about the land dispute in Dong Tam commune and the police brutal attack in the commune in early January this year.
According to the local media, Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, a 39-year-old resident in Vinh city, has posted five articles about the bloody attack of thousands of riot police in Dong Tam on January 9. The Nghe An province’s authorities consider these articles containing untrue information which affects the regime’s reputation.
It is unclear whether Mr. Vinh has been arrested or not. The police decision for probing the case was dated July 27.
So far, five activists have been arrested for providing the information about Dong Tam incident. Four of them are former prisoners of conscience Can Thi Theu and Nguyen Thi Tam, and Theu’s two sons named Trinh Ba Phuong and Trinh Ba Tu. They were charged with “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 117 of the Criminal Code with imprisonment for up to 20 years.
The fifth, Facebooker Chung Hoang Chuong from the southern city of Can Tho, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted of “abusing democratic freedom” under Article 331 of the same code.
===== August 10 =====
Priest Nguyen Duy Tan Questioned about Facebook Posts
On August 10, authorities in Vietnam’s southern province of Dong Nai interrogated local Catholic priest Nguyen Duy Tan for his posts on his Facebook account.
This is the second summoning this month of the police in Thong Nhat district about his posts regarding social issues that the police said they are related to local political and social order. On August 3, they questioned him several hours on similar reasons.
He was summoned many times in the past few years for his posts in which he criticizes the communist government about human rights violations and the government’s weak response to China’s violations of the country’s sovereignty in the East Sea (South China Sea).
Priest Tan is among outspoken Catholic clergies. He has also supported local activists and families of prisoners of conscience in the region.
Vietnam’s communist regime has tried to silence outspoken priests such as Nguyen Van Ly, Nguyen Duy Tan, Nguyen Dinh Thuc, and Dang Huu Nam. Priest Ly was imprisoned for years and is under house arrest in the central city of Hue while ..
Vietnam has around seven million of Catholic followers distributed across the nation. In many localities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the communist regime is striving to prevent the expansion of the Catholic Church, implementing policies to limit Catholic followers from access to politics and education, and grab properties of Catholic churches.
===== 13/8 =====
The Conviction of Eight Members of the Hien Phap Group in Vietnam
Press statement of US Department of State: The U.S. government is deeply concerned about Vietnam’s conviction and sentencing of eight members of the Hien Phap civil society organization in Vietnam to more than 40 years in prison.
Although we have seen the Government of Vietnam take some positive steps on human rights in certain areas in Vietnam over the past few years, we are troubled about the growing trend of arrests of and harsh sentences for peaceful activists since early 2016. The United States calls on Vietnam to release all those who have been unjustly detained and to allow all individuals in Vietnam to express their views freely, without fear of retaliation.
Free and open societies around the world are strengthened when individuals exercise their right to freedom of expression. We urge the Vietnamese government to ensure its actions are consistent with the human rights provisions of Vietnam’s constitution and its international obligations and commitments.
——————–
Many Asian Parliamentarians Urge Vietnam to Free Prisoners of Conscience
As many as 65 incumbent parliamentarians and 28 former national legislators from 28 Asian countries have signed a joint letter urging Vietnam’s communist regime to release all prisoners of conscience, including prominent religious activist Nguyen Bac Truyen who is serving his 11-year imprisonment after being convicted of subversion in 2018.
According to the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human rights, the joint letter asks the government to (i) release immediately and unconditionally Mr. Truyen and other prisoners of conscience who were jailed for exercising basic human rights, including the right to freedom of religions and beliefs, (ii) ensure civil society organizations and religious group, especially unregistered ones, to freely practice their religious activities without being harassed or persecuted, and (iii) ensure the country’s laws, including the Law on Beliefs and Religions, meet international human rights standards, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Mr. Truyen and three other key members of the unsanctioned group Brotherhood for Democracy were arrested on July 30, 2017. Later, they were convicted of subversion and sentenced to between seven and 15 years in prison.
He is among 274 prisoners of conscience listed by Defend the Defenders.
===== 14/8 =====
RFA Blogger Truong Duy Nhat’s Appeal Rejected, His 10-year Imprisonment Upheld
On August 14, the Higher People’s Court in Hanoi rejected the appeal of journalist Truong Duy Nhat, upholding the 10-year imprisonment given by the lower court in the first-instance hearing in early March.
In the appeal hearing, the judge concluded that Mr. Nhat committed wrongdoing which caused VND13 billion ($553,000) loss of the state budget by helping businessman Phan Van Anh Vu to acquire state property the authorities in Danang City gave to Dai Doan Ket newspaper.
Mr. Nhat, a former prisoner of conscience serving two years in prison in 2013-2015 for “abusing democratic freedom” for series of articles criticizing senior communist leaders, was kidnapped by Thai policemen in Bangkok in late January 2019 and taken to Vietnam right after that where he was accused of “abusing power while on duty.” In the first-instance hearing in March this year, he was convicted by the People’s Court of Hanoi.
Nhat, who was named by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) among 100 Information Heroes in 2014, was found guilty while his two supervisors of the Dai Doan Ket newspaper, the Editor-in-chief and his deputy who directed the deal, have not been criminally charged. This showed that Nhat’s conviction is political.
Nhat was abducted on January 26, 2019, one day after he registered as a political asylum to the UN Office of Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok. The UN High Commissioners on Human Rights and many other rights groups have requested the governments of Thailand and Vietnam clarify his case, however, both Vietnam and Thailand remain silent.
=====================