Viet Tan Alert
September 18, 2019
Friends of human rights activist Chau Van Kham are organising a candlelight vigil to call for his release after eight months of detention in Vietnam.
The 70 year old Australian retired businessman and member of Viet Tan was arrested on January 13 while on a human rights fact finding mission in Vietnam. He has since been charged with terrorism, an accusation used by the Vietnamese authorities to scare people away from supporting peaceful pro-democracy efforts.
A prominent member of the Vietnamese community in Sydney, Chau Van Kham has been a long time democracy advocate, supporting civil society in Vietnam and campaigning for human rights with elected officials in Canberra.
Chau Van Kham was detained alongside Nguyen Van Vien, a Vietnamese citizen and member of the Brotherhood for Democracy, an organisation promoting fundamental rights and freedoms recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The candlelight vigil at Martin Place, Sydney will take place on Friday, September 27 from 4PM until 7PM.
Hong Vo, representing Friends of Chau Van Kham said, “Kham was unjustly detained simply for trying to shed further light and gather first hand evidence into the human rights situation in Vietnam. We are concerned for his welfare and urge the Australian government to call on the Vietnamese government to release him immediately.”
More than 6,000 people have signed a change.org petition calling on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to help reunite Chau Van Kham with his family in Australia.
Contact:
Dr Phong Nguyen: +61 487 193 896