August 17, 2010
According to family sources, Pham Minh Hoang, a lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City Polytechnic Institute, was arrested by Vietnamese security police on August 13, 2010.
In a statement by his wife, Pham Minh Hoang is described as an academic interested in developing Vietnam’s future generation and concerned with social justice, corruption and Chinese encroachment. He signed the petition calling for a stop to bauxite mining in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and attended a conference in Saigon regarding Vietnamese sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands.
He was arrested under Article 79 of the Vietnamese Penal Code and accused of being a member of Viet Tan.
Viet Tan’s position with regards to the Vietnamese government’s arbitrary arrest of Pham Minh Hoang and psychological intimidation of his family is as follows:
1. The arrest of Pham Minh Hoang is further proof of the Hanoi regime’s terror campaign against individuals advocating for the country’s future. The Vietnamese Communist Party’s repression of individuals such as Pham Minh Hoang only demonstrates its disregard for the interests of the Vietnamese people.
2. Accusations that this or any person is a member of Viet Tan, or any other political party, in order to establish guilt of criminal activity confirms the dictatorial nature of the Vietnamese Communist Party. The right to participate in political activities is guaranteed in all democratic societies. Only in dictatorships is this right forbidden and cause for arrest.
3. The mission of Viet Tan is to achieve a democratic Vietnam, the foundation for a modern, just and humanistic society. Viet Tan is committed to bringing about these needed changes through peaceful, non-violent activism. The Hanoi regime routinely slanders and misrepresents the activities of Viet Tan in order to rationalize its repression. The regime has not produced any evidence to justify its accusations.
Viet Tan condemns the arrest of Pham Minh Hoang and urges continued advocacy from inside and outside Vietnam for the release of Pham Minh Hoang and all other political prisoners.
Contact: Duy Hoang +1.202.470.0845
