FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2017
Prominent blogger and former university lecturer Pham Minh Hoang was taken by authorities on Friday evening in Saigon. According to his wife, police entered his home, initially refused to provide the order for his detention, then quickly read the order out loud before taking him to the local public security station. According to the police, Professor Hoang could be expelled tomorrow from Vietnam.
In May, the office of the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam issued a decision to strip Pham Minh Hoang’s Vietnamese citizenship. The vague decision quoting the President’s powers is an apparent effort to silence Pham Minh Hoang’s peaceful political advocacy.
Born in Vietnam in 1955, Pham Minh Hoang went to France in 1973 as a college student. He worked in France for a period of time before returning to his homeland to teach. He currently holds dual Vietnamese and French citizenship.
Vietnamese authorities reportedly intend to expel Pham Minh Hoang to France. The French government should not take part in the Hanoi regime’s brazen exile of a well-known human rights activist. If Professor Hoang were to be expelled, he would be separated from his wife and young daughter, and unable to take care of his disabled older brother. Pham Minh Hoang has stated his wish to remain in his homeland and work for a better Vietnam.
This is the first known case of Vietnamese authorities officially stripping an individual of their citizenship based on their political views. Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that no individual shall be arbitrarily deprived of their nationality.
Contact: Duy Hoang +1.202.596.7951
###
