September 16, 2009
A group of Vietnamese activists will be brought to trial on September 24, 2009 in Haiphong according to family sources. Writer Nguyen Xuan Nghia, a leader of the pro-democracy Bloc 8406, and his five codefendants were arrested last September and have been detained for a year.
Based on the investigative report issued by the Ministry of Public Security, the six activists will be tried for “propaganda against the socialist state,” banned under Article 88 of the Vietnamese Penal Code. Their alleged offenses include publishing articles over the internet, criticizing territorial concessions by the Hanoi regime to China, and preparing to hang banners stating “Protect Vietnam’s territorial sovereignty” and “Democracy, human rights, and multi-parties for Vietnam.”
None of these activities constitutes a crime under international law. Writer Nguyen Xuan Nghia, 50; university student Ngo Quynh, 25; former communist party member Nguyen Manh Son, 66; essayist Nguyen Van Tinh, 67; land rights activist Nguyen Van Tuc, 45; and electrician Nguyen Kim Nhan, 60 are being persecuted for their peaceful political expression.
The upcoming show trial is further proof of Hanoi’s poor human rights record.
Last September, blogger Pham Thanh Nghien, 33; high school teacher Vu Hung, 43; engineer Pham Van Troi, 40; and poet Tran Duc Thach, 57 were also arrested for criticizing official policies. They have yet to be formally charged.
All of the above activists—the six to be tried soon and the four still under detention—were active in calling on the Vietnamese Communist Party to retract a diplomatic note conceding Vietnam’s island possessions in the South China Sea to Beijing. Their arrests and protest movement came on the 50th anniversary of this concession.
Like the spate of bloggers recently detained, writer Nguyen Xuan Nghia and his colleagues were espousing Vietnam’s national interests. On September 24th in a courtroom in Haiphong, the Vietnamese Communist Party will actually be issuing a verdict on itself.
Viet Tan calls on Vietnamese compatriots and the international community to continue advocating for the release of all political prisoners in Vietnam.
Contact:
Duy Hoang +1.202.470.0845
