April 25, 2012
The following is a guest post by Trinh Nguyen for Access, an organizer for Viet Tan, a pro-democracy organization dedicated to championing the causes of free expression and the freedom of association and assembly within Vietnam.
“Live until you die, don’t die while you’re still living.” These words mark the blog of Paulus Le Son, 26 years old and arbitrarily detained in Vietnam. An active community organizer, a citizen journalist for Vietnam Redemptorist News and other outlets, Paulus was arrested on the street in front of his home on Bui Xuong Trach Street, Hanoi on August 3, 2011.
Everything suggests that his arrest is linked to his coverage of social justice, human rights and sovereignty issues on his Youth activists from around the world produced a music video using Paulus’ writings.
Rights advocates have taken notice: most recently, Access joined eight other rights organizations to send an open letter to the Prime Minister of Vietnam highlighting the citizen journalists arrested in the group, including Paulus.
Key members of the United States Congress have also spoken out; soon after the arrests, House Resolution 484 was introduced, calling for the repeal of Vietnam’s vague national security provisions used to suppress dissent and demand the immediate release of these human rights defenders.
You, too, can help these activists by:
US residents:
Send a message to your Members of Congress, calling on them to co-sponsor H. Res 484.
All others:
Write or fax a letter of protest to the Vietnamese embassy in your country, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those currently detained in Vietnam solely for the peaceful expression their opinions, in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Vietnam is a signatory.
For a partial list of Vietnamese embassy addresses, see www.embassiesabroad.com/embassies-of/Vietnam