August 17, 2011
Four imprisoned democracy and land rights activists will appear before an Appeals Court in Ben Tre province, Vietnam on August 18, 2011. They were among seven activists unjustly convicted on May 30, 2011 of “attempting to overthrow the people’s administration” under Article 79 of the Vietnamese Penal Code. The four are:
- Ms. Tran Thi Thuy (8 year prison sentence followed by 5 years house arrest)
- Mr. Pham Van Thong (7 year prison sentence followed by 5 years house arrest)
- Pastor Duong Kim Khai (6 year prison sentence followed by 5 years house arrest)
- Mr. Cao Van Tinh (5 year prison sentence followed by 4 years house arrest)
Authorities had charged the activists specifically with helping victims of corruption file petitions for redress; attending workshops on nonviolent methods to advocate for social change; and distributing signs asserting Vietnamese sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands. All these activities follow from the exercise of fundamental human rights. Nevertheless, when defense lawyer Huynh Van Dong pointed out the absurdity of these charges he was ejected from the courtroom during the trial and was recently disbarred as a practicing attorney.
Since May 30, these activists have faced retribution in jail, have not been allowed visits from family, and have not been permitted to meet with a defense attorney as provided by Vietnamese law to prepare for the appeals process. Tran Thi Thuy fell ill and developed severe migraines after eating prison food which was tainted with an apparent toxin.
Although the appeals trial is only a day way, relatives of the defendants have not been formally notified. Even their defense lawyers were only told very recently and only saw the defendants today, August 17.
Viet Tan has submitted a petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (available at www.viettan.org/unwgad) regarding the Ben Tre activists. We continue to protest the Hanoi’s regime use of rule by law to silence peaceful oppositon.
Contact :
Duy Hoang +1.202.470.0845
