November 18, 2015
Vietnamese human rights activist Tran Minh Nhat was physically attacked and threatened by police outside Lam Ha Hospital on Tuesday afternoon following his recent release from prison. He was also beaten and detained for 12 hours the previous week by plainclothes police while making his way home from Saigon.
In the latest incident, Nhat and his father were stopped by two men outside Lam Ha Hospital who proceeded to grab Nhat by the neck to take him to Dinh Van Town Police Station. Nhat was requested to sign documents stating the violation of his house arrest despite informing local authorities earlier that morning.
“They tried to force me to sign documents stating that I had violated the terms of house arrest however I refused to sign,” he said.
Nhat was visiting a clinic near Lam Ha Hospital for rib and lung injuries he had sustained from physical assaults on November 8. He was choked and repeatedly punched in the stomach while being interrogated about his travels to Saigon.
Nhat was arrested in August 2011 and charged with organizing “to attempt to overthrow the government” under Article 79 of the Vietnamese Penal Code. He served four years in prison before being released under house arrest in August 2015.
Since his release, Nhat’s family have lived under constant harassment from local police. Guests at his sister’s wedding in mid September were intimidated while arriving at his house.
“We truly hope that there will be less police intimidation and harassment in the future so we are able to contribute effectively in our local community and society in general.”
