January 30, 2013
After postponing his trial on January 22, the Vietnamese communist government today released democracy activist and Viet Tan member Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan after nine months in prison. He is currently on his way home and will land at Los Angeles International Airport at 7:25pm local time.
Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan was arbitrarily detained on April 17, 2012 upon arriving in Saigon. After charging him as a “terrorist,” the Hanoi regime reverted to “subversion,” the catch-all charge to systematically suppress peaceful political activities.
After months of illegal detention with limited access to legal counsel, Dr. Quan’s release comes amidst immense international pressure for his case and condemnation for the recent sentencing of 14 young human rights defenders by the Hanoi regime. Viet Tan opposes the illegal detention of Dr. Quan and strongly rejects the Hanoi regime’s attempt at smearing the peaceful activities of Viet Tan.
The mission of Viet Tan is to overcome dictatorship, build the foundation for a sustainable democracy, and demand justice and human rights for the Vietnamese people through a nonviolent struggle based on civic participation. We stand in solidarity with Vietnam’s imprisoned voices of consciences and will continue to campaign for their unconditional release from arbitrary detention.
Finally, we would like to sincerely thank Professor Linda Malone of William & Mary Law School for her stellar work, the United States government and many countries around the world, international organizations, and especially the support of Vietnamese people at home and abroad who have contributed to the release of Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan.
Contact: Duy Hoang +1.202.596.7951
Biography: A US citizen residing in California, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan, 59 years old, received his doctorate in mathematics from North Carolina State University. He is a former high school teacher in Vietnam, long time democracy activist and member of Viet Tan. He was previously detained in November 2007 and held for six months for distributing materials promoting nonviolent tactics for civil resistance. After his release from prison in May 2008, Dr. Quan continued his pro-democracy work.