September 15, 2016
Prisoner of conscience Trần Thị Thúy’s health has seriously deteriorated since being diagnosed with a tumour in April 2015. Prison authorities continue to deny her proper medical treatment unless she confesses to the crimes for which she was convicted.
Trần Thị Thúy is serving an eight-year sentence after being convicted of “activities aimed at overthrowing” the state, under Article 79 of the Penal Code. She was arrested in August 2010 and is currently detained in An Phước Detention Centre, Bình Dương province. She is not due for release until August 2018.
On 3 September, Trần Thị Thúy was visited by her brother who informed Amnesty International that she was in a confused state to the point that she did not initially recognise who he was. She is being given unknown medication by prison medical staff which she believes is affecting her memory and making her confused. The medication is for three tumours, but it is not having any effect. One near her abdomen is 15 centimetres in circumference and is ulcerating and bleeding through her clothing; she is at risk of contracting an infection in the open wound. She also has one on her uterus and one near her left breast. Medication and food sent to Trần Thị Thúy by her family is being withheld, with prison authorities telling her that she will only receive these materials when she confesses to the crimes she is alleged to have committed.
Trần Thị Thúy has been in severe pain since being diagnosed with a tumour in April 2015. She has told her family on numerous occasions that she is afraid that she will die in prison as a result of her medical situation and the refusal of the prison authorities to provide proper and appropriate medical treatment.
The denial of medical treatment in these circumstances, involving the intentional infliction of severe pain and suffering for the purpose of extracting a confession, constitutes torture and is, therefore, a violation of the Convention against Torture, which came into force in Viet Nam in February 2015.
1) TAKE ACTION
Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:
• Calling on the authorities to release Trần Thị Thúy immediately and unconditionally as she is a prisoner of conscience detained solely for peaceful activities in defending human rights;
• Urging them that while still detained, she should be immediately provided with appropriate medical care, in accordance with her wishes, including treatment in hospital if necessary.
Contact these 2 officials by 27 October, 2016: Prime Minister
Nguyễn Xuân Phúc
Prime Minister’s Office
Hà Nội, Việt Nam
Online contact form: http://primeminister.chinhphu.vn/Ut…
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ambassador H.E. Pham Quang Vinh, Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
1233 20th St NW Suite #400, Washington DC 20036
Fax: 1 202 861 0917 / Phone: 1 202 861 0737 / Email: info@vietnamembassy.us
Salutation: Dear Ambassador
2) LET US KNOW YOU TOOK ACTION
Here’s why it is so important to report your actions: we record the number of actions taken on each case and use that information in our advocacy. Either email uan@aiusa.org with “UA 284/15” in the subject line or click this link.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
DOWNLOAD the full Urgent Action in PDF format below GET INSPIRED: Read about the people you have helped READ TIPS for writing effective letters and emails CONTACT US: uan@aiusa.org PDF version: Download Word version: Download
Source: Amnesty International
