November 27, 2015
A fifteen year old boy has become Vietnam’s youngest political prisoner. Nguyen Mai Trung Tuan was sentenced to four and a half years prison on November 24, 2015, for protesting his family’s forced land eviction.
Tuan was arrested on August 8, 2015 and charged with “intentionally inflicting injury on or causing harm to the health of other persons” under article 104 of Vietnam’s Penal Code. Tuan was also charged 42,600 VND along with his prison sentence.
Activists from Saigon travelled to Long An to attend and support Tuan during the trial, but were not allowed into the courtroom. Land rights activists across Vietnam also took to the streets to demand the release of the fifteen year old boy.
Tuan’s parents were also detained earlier this year for “opposing officials on public duties.” His parents were arrested on April 14 when they resisted to being forcibly removed from their home.
Tuan’s younger sister responded to the charges laid by the court.
“I believe the charges put forward are unjust because my brother’s actions were to protect our family and for self protection,” she said. “When he saw police aggressively arrest our mother, he tried to save her. He splashed acid as an attempt to save our mother.”
Land disputes and unfair compensation have become an increasingly common issue due to industrialisation and Vietnam’s confusing land laws. Photos and videos of police beating and forcibly removing citizens from their properties are commonly distributed on social media.
Tuan was in Year 9 before having to end his schooling after his parents were arrested.
