Y Krec Bya of the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ was recognized with the annual Le Dinh Luong award.
By RFA Vietnamese
2024.12.09
The U.S.-based group Viet Tan announces that prisoner of conscience Y Krec Bya has won its annual Le Dinh Luong Human Rights Award. (Viet Tan)
A missionary from a Christian church in Vietnam’s Central Highlands who was arrested last year on charges of “undermining the national unity policy” was named as the winner of the annual Le Dinh Luong Human Rights Award.
Y Krec Bya belongs to the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ, which has been targeted by authorities in Dak Lak province who have sought to force members to abandon prayer meetings or leave the church.
Bya and another missionary were arrested last year and accused of having made contact with one of the church’s founders –- Pastor Aga, who is based in the United States –- to oppose the Vietnamese government.
The Le Dinh Luong award is presented by the U.S.-based group Viet Tan, to individuals and organizations who advocate human rights and raise awareness of rights violations in Vietnam.
Bya “has endured years of persecution, including physical assaults, harassment, and imprisonment,” Viet Tan said in its announcement on Sunday.
“He has been arbitrarily detained multiple times by the authorities. First convicted in 2004 and sentenced to eight years in prison, he was recently sentenced to 13 years in prison in March 2024,” the announcement said. “Despite these hardships, he has remained steadfast in his fight for justice and religious freedom.”
The Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ is not recognized by the Vietnamese government. Pastor Aga told Radio Free Asia last year that the church has 20 groups who meet regularly in the region.
Bya has also supported indigenous communities in resisting illegal land confiscations by local authorities, Viet Tan spokeswoman Suzie Xuyen Dong told RFA.
“Preacher Y Krec Bya is a non-violent advocate for human rights and a spiritual leader who has been fighting for these causes for over 20 years,” she said. “He represents many people, including Protestant followers and religious groups in the Central Highlands, who peacefully fight for their sacred and basic rights to life.”
Previous winners
The award was established by Viet Tan in 2018. It is named after a Vietnamese human rights and environmental activist who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2018.
Over the years, it has been presented to notable human rights advocates, including Truong Van Dung, Nguyen Thuy Hanh, Phan Kim Khanh, Pastor Dang Huu Nam and college lecturer Nguyen Nang Tinh.
The Vietnamese government consistently views human rights awards given by overseas Vietnamese and international organizations as interference in its internal affairs.
They claim such awards serve to undermine the government or promote “peaceful evolution.” Hanoi considers individuals and organizations receiving these awards as “lawbreakers.”
Viet Tan was labeled a terrorist group by Vietnam in 2016, but describes itself as “committed to peaceful, nonviolent struggle” to promote democracy in the country. Vietnam’s state-controlled media has criticized the Le Dinh Luong award, describing it as a joke.
RFA contacted the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email to seek comment on this year’s award but received no immediate response.
Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
Source: RFA
