Viet Tan is pleased to announce that the 2022 Le Dinh Luong Human Rights Award — with the theme “Defending national sovereignty against threats from China” — is presented to Prisoner of Conscience Nguyen Nang Tinh.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
8 DECEMBER 2022
Viet Tan Presents 2022 Le Dinh Luong Human Rights Award to Prisoner of Conscience Nguyen Nang Tinh
In 2018, Viet Tan established the Le Dinh Luong Human Rights Award to honor the resilient spirit of human rights defender Le Dinh Luong and his advocacy for human rights in Vietnam and national sovereignty. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Hanoi regime in October 2018.
This award highlights the sacrifices and activities of individuals and organizations fighting for the sovereignty of the country and for the human rights of the Vietnamese people.
The award ceremony, for the 2022 Le Dinh Luong Human Rights Award, will be held on December 10, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan.
Nguyen Nang Tinh was a music teacher in Nghe An province. He joined a number of civil society organizations including “Bao ve su song” (Protect Life), “Quy Phat Trien Con Nguoi” (Human Development Fund), “Truyen Thong Cong Giao” (Catholic Media) and the “NoU FC Vinh,” a soccer club against China’s “nine-dash line” claim on the South China Sea. The Vietnamese authorities consider all these groups non-sanctioned.
Social activist Nguyen Nang Tinh regularly spoke out in support of political prisoners, posted news on Facebook about the Formosa disaster, and was active in Catholic charity activities to raise funds for the poor.
As a teacher, he sought to instill in his students a sense of patriotism for the country and resilience to defend basic human rights. The image of him teaching students to sing the song “Give Back To The People” (by composer and activist Truc Ho) has been widely shared.
On May 29, 2019, Nguyen Nang Tinh was arrested for criticizing the Vietnamese Communist government. On November 15, 2019, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison and 5 years of probation.
His last words in court were:
“I long for a free, democratic country. I worry about the fate of the country and the people; I worry about the environment being poisoned. I cannot be indifferent and compliant at the risk of losing our nation’s sovereignty to the threat of China’s aggression. No matter how harsh the sentence will be, 10 years, 20 years, even the death penalty, I will never change my opinion.”
In November 2021, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) ruled that the arrest and detention of Nguyen Nang Tinh was arbitrary, and was therefore a violation of international covenants to which Vietnam is a signatory.
We would also like to thank the distinguished members of this year’s selection panel: The Honorable Judy Sgro, Member of Parliament in Canada; Ms. Libby Liu, CEO of Whistleblower Aid; Professor Kojima Takayuki, Chairman of Asian Democratic Movement; Mr. Ngo Van Vien, Secretary General of the Vietnamese Association in Japan; Professor Pham Minh Hoang, democracy activist and former prisoner of conscience.
For more information, please contact Dr. Suzie Dong Xuyen: +1 346-704-4744
View a PDF version of the press release here.
