My name is Nguyễn Văn Tráng, a human rights defenderwanted by the Vietnamese government. As a democracy activist in Vietnam, I spent five years living in constant fear of being hunted down. I thought that fear would subside once I fled the country. I believed I would be safe—or at least safer. But I was wrong.
It’s an honor for me to be at the Canadian Parliament today to discuss crucial issues: human rights in Vietnam, the rule of law, and perspectives for Canada and Vietnam.
Transnational repression is a new scourge affecting many countries, and sadly, Canada has also witnessed an unprecedented case with the assassination of Sikh activist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.
A prominent YouTuber, Duong Van Thai was reportedly abducted in Bangkok on orders from the Vietnamese government and forcibly returned to Vietnam. The incident is believed to have occurred around April 14, 2024 — the same day that US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, arrived in Hanoi.
