Menschenrechte / Human Rights (2017/1)

Dissident Buddhist hermit arrested in An Giang

29.09.2017 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi – Vietnamese authorities have held Vuong Van Tha, a member of an unsanctioned sect of Hoa Hao Buddhism, in solitary confinement since his arrest in May, this according to the Interfaith Council of Vietnam, a group that promotes religious freedom in the country.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Council noted that Tha’s detention violates the country’s constitution. It said that police had taken the hermit into custody on 18 May along with his son and two of his cousins after laying siege to the family’s home in southern Vietnam’s An Giang province. [read more]

An Giang, arrestado ermitaño budista disidente

29.09.2017 (AsiaNews) - Hanói - Las autoridades vietnamitas detienen en régimen de aislamiento desde mayo pasado a Vuong Van Tha, miembro de una secta no autorizada por el gobierno del budismo Hoa Hao. Es cuanto afirma el Consejo interreligioso de Vietnam, grupo que promueve la libertad religiosa en el país, agregando que tal reclusión constituye una violación de la Constitución vietnamita.

En un comunicado difundido el pasado de setiembre, el Consejo declara que el 18 de mayo la policía tomó en custodia al ermitaño budista (foto), junto al hijo y dos primos, después de haber asediado la casa en la casa meridional de An Giang. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam Arrests Activist Nguyen Viet Dung For ‘Anti-State Propaganda’

28.09.2017 (RFA) - Authorities in central Vietnam’s Nghe An province have taken activist Nguyen Viet Dung into custody for allegedly disseminating anti-state propaganda, according to his father, who said the reason for his son’s arrest was unclear.

Dung, 31, was arrested around noon on Wednesday in Nghe An’s Quynh Luu district, near Song Ngoc parish, under Article 88 of Vietnam’s Penal Code, his father, Nguyen Viet Hung, told RFA’s Vietnamese Service after the detention.

Hung said he opposed his son’s arrest because “the reason was not made clear enough.” [read more]

Vietnam's harsh summer: state launches largest crackdown on dissidents in years

26.09.2017 Bennett Murray in Hanoi (The Guardian) - Ho Thi Chau, 25, was left alone and blacklisted after her husband was returned to jail for “attempting to overthrow the [Vietnamese] government” last week.

Chau, a former garment factory worker, does not know how to support their newborn daughter. As she is the wife of a man branded a “reactionary” by Vietnam’s single party communist state, employers are reluctant to hire her.

Vietnam’s summer has been particularly harsh for dissidents, with at least 11 having been arrested, charged or convicted, while another was stripped of his citizenship and deported to France. [read more]

Craintes sur la liberté religieuse au Vietnam

26.09.2017 Claire Lesegretain avec Église d’Asie (La Croix) - Le 11 septembre, Vu Chiên Thang a été nommé au poste de directeur du Bureau gouvernemental des affaires religieuses, l’organisme qui gère les activités et l’organisation des religions au Vietnam.

Selon la presse officielle, Vu Chiên Thang a fait toute sa carrière au sein des services vietnamiens de la sécurité publique, dont il est actuellement l’un des plus hauts responsables.

Le Bureau gouvernemental des affaires religieuses à Hanoï emploie actuellement 127 cadres communistes. Mais si l’on compte les très nombreuses annexes dans les provinces, les grandes villes et les districts, l’ensemble du personnel de ce Bureau se compte par milliers. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam uses water cannon to disperse protest at global fashion brands supplier

25.09.2017 Mai Nguyen (Reuters) - HANOI - Vietnamese authorities on Monday used water cannon and electric rods to end a five-month long protest by villagers blockading a textile plant that serves global fashion brands, an official and a villager said.

On Monday, about 500 policemen used water cannons and electric rods to disperse around 200 villagers, said villager Bui Van Nguyet, who was one of the protesters.

Two people were injured as the policemen beat protesters and set on fire a field tent pitched in front of the plant, he added. [read more]

Jailed Viet Dissident is Latest in Rising Crackdown

20.09.2017 (Asia Sentinel) - In the latest sign of the increasing crackdown against dissidents by Vietnam’s government, Nguyen Van Oai, a citizen journalist and human rights defender, was sentenced earlier this week to five years in prison and four additional years of house arrest for “resisting persons in the performance of their official duties” and failing to execute judgments” while on parole for “attempting to overthrow the government” in 2013.

The 36-year-old Oai is the co-founder of the Association of Catholic Former Prisoners of Conscience. He has been a subject of government harassment since at least 2011 when he campaigned openly on mistreatment of political prisoners and writing about social injustice on his Facebook page. He is one of at least 20 dissidents who have been arrested or exiled since the beginning of this year. [read more]

Traduction intégrale des remarques envoyées par les évêques à l’Assemblée nationale au sujet de la loi sur les croyances et la religion

19.09.2017 (Églises d’Asie) - La conférence épiscopale du Vietnam a adressé le 1er juin dernier ses remarques « sincères et franches » à l'Assemblée nationale au sujet de la loi sur les croyances et la religion. Voici la traduction intégrale de ce document.

Églises d’Asie, dans une dépêche parue le 8 juin dernier, a largement rendu compte du document envoyé par la conférence épiscopale du Vietnam à l’Assemblée nationale. L’article rapporte l’ensemble du jugement porté par les évêques sur cette nouvelle réglementation religieuse qui entrera en vigueur au début de l’année prochaine. Les responsables de l’Église du Vietnam relèvent les points positifs et négatifs de la loi puis, dépassant la critique du texte de la nouvelle loi, ils s’attardent sur les arrière-pensées du régime en matière religieuse et déplorent son hostilité. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam impone 5 años de cárcel a bloguero por violar el arresto domiciliario

18.09.2017 (El Español) - Un tribunal de justicia de Vietnam impuso hoy cinco años de prisión al conocido bloguero Nguyen Van Oai por haber violado reiteradamente el arresto domiciliario, al final de un juicio que comenzó en agosto.

El tribunal popular de Quynh Vinh, municipalidad situada a 191 kilómetros al sur de Hanoi, determinó que la pena empiece a contar desde el 19 de enero de 2017, el día de su arresto, según el medio vietnamita Tin Túc. [seguir leyendo]

Fünf Jahre Haft für christlichen Dissidenten

18.09.2017 (Der Farang) - HANOI (dpa) - In Vietnam ist ein Dissident wegen staatsfeindlichen Verhaltens zu fünf Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. Nach seiner Entlassung werde Nguyen Van Oai zudem weitere vier Jahre in Hausarrest bleiben müssen, um damit eine frühere Strafe vollständig abzusitzen, sagte sein Anwalt am Montag nach Bekanntgabe des Urteils.

Das Urteil gegen den 36-jährigen Protestanten und Mitbegründer einer Gruppe ehemals gefangener christlicher Dissidenten wird als Teil des Vorgehens gegen politisch Andersdenkende gewertet. Im kommunistischen Einparteienstaat gilt jegliche Herausforderung des Systems als illegal. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam’s cracking down on dissent ... so why Trump’s pat on back?

16.09.2017 By Logan Connor (SCMP) - The US president is not shy when it comes to praising autocratic regimes – good news for Hanoi, which is in the midst of a crackdown on anyone critical of its one-party state.

When US President Donald Trump met Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in May, he sent a clear message: by patting the backs of authoritarian leaders, the US is complicit in Vietnam’s rights abuses.

Trump extending hands to Vietnam’s leader is perhaps unique given the two countries’ past animosity, and particularly since Hanoi’s crackdown on opposition voices, seen by many as its toughest in years.

Vietnam’s leaders – some of the most authoritarian in Southeast Asia – are determined to silence all forms of dissent that cause people to question the one-party state. [read more]

Vietnams engagierter Menschenrechtler

15.09.2017 Martin Patzelt MdB (Martin Patzelt Newsletter Nr.89) - Die Ehefrau des in Vietnam inhaftierten Bloggers Nguyen Huu Vinh (Blogger anhbasam), Frau Minh Ha, war in dieser Woche zum Gespräch bei mir in Berlin. Es ist für mich beeindruckend, mit welchem ungebrochenen Engagement ihr Mann seine Zeit in der willkürlichen Haft sinnvoll nutzen will und sich vorgenommen hat, das Gefängnissystem in Vietnam zu reformieren, um die Menschenrechte auch für Inhaftierte umzusetzen. Auf der Grundlage bestehender Gesetze verfasste Frau Minh Ha Beschwerden an das Gefängnis. Schon einige Teilerfolge seien zu verzeichnen, so Frau Minh Ha. [Weiterlesen]

Dong Nai, pressure on Catholics who defended their pastor

11.09.2017 Pham Van (AsiaNews) - Hanoi - Many Catholics fear violent retaliation against the community of Thọ Hòa, Dong Nai province (Southeast Vietnam), who defended their pastor from the aggression of some Communist militants last September 4. Episodes of violence and intimidation continue against the Vietnamese Catholic Church, committed to the promotion of social justice in the country. There are frequent attacks, verbal and physical, of plain clothes police or hooligans hired by local authorities to silence priests and faithful.

Men dressed in civilian clothes and armed with guns, sticks and pepper spray raided the parish of Thọ Hòa, in Xuan Loc district. [read more]

Dong Nai, presiones sobre católicos tras haber defendido a su párroco

11.09.2017 Pham Van (AsiaNews) - Hanói - Muchos católicos temen que se produzcan violentas represalias contra la comunidad de Thọ Hòa, en la provincia de Dong Nai (sudeste de Vietnam), luego de que el 4 de septiembre pasado defendiera a su párroco, ante la agresión de algunos militantes comunistas. No se detiene la violencia ni las intimidaciones contra la Iglesia vietnamita, abocada a la promoción de la justicia social en el país. Ya se han vuelto frecuentes los ataques, tanto verbales como físicos, de policías vestidos de civil o de pandillas de vándalos, que son costeadas por las autoridades locales para acallar a los sacerdotes y fieles. 

Hombres vestidos de civil y armados con pistolas, palos y gas pimienta irrumpieron en la parroquia de Thọ Hòa, en el distrito de Xuan Loc. [seguir leyendo]

A glimpse of the party’s dark side in Vietnam

07.09.2017 By Kenichi Yoshida / Yomiuri Shimbun Hanoi Bureau Chief (The Japan News) - HANOI — A recent incident has given a glimpse of the dark side of the Vietnamese Communist Party’s regime.

It is said that the Vietnamese government abducted Trinh Xuan Thanh, former chairman of PetroVietnam Construction JSC, part of the state energy company PetroVietnam, when he was staying in Germany, in late July, and brought him back to Vietnam. He had been wanted internationally by the Vietnamese government for allegedly causing an enormous loss to the construction company.

Reuters reported that as many as 15 activists have been arrested in Vietnam this year, as of early August, the highest tally in recent years.

Vietnam has also tightened control over the internet, a platform where criticism against the party and the government circulates. The Vietnamese government intends to impose a fine on those who spread “false information.” The fine is tantamount to the average yearly income of a Vietnamese citizen. It is the government itself that will determine what information is “false.” Therefore, activists and others believe that the real intent rests in containing criticism against the regime. [read more]

Hanoi, pro-democracy dissidents condemned and transferred to isolation

02.09.2017 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi - Two major dissidents have been secretly transferred from a prison in the province of Ha Nam, northern Vietnam, to a prison in the province of Thanh Hoa, far away from their homes, in an attempt to make visits and communications with relatives difficult.  The news was reported by a dissident website based in Hanoi.

In December 2016, Le Thanh Tung and Tran Anh Kim were sentenced to 13 years and 12 years respectively in prison for "activities aimed at overthrowing people's administration." In May, the Vietnam Court of Appeals confirmed the judgments. [read more]

Vietnam Arrests Another Member of Online Democracy Group

01.09.2017 (RFA) - Authorities in northern Vietnam’s coastal Thai Binh province arrested another member of the Brotherhood for Democracy association on Friday, adding to the growing numbers of the online advocacy group put behind bars in recent weeks, the man’s wife said.

Nguyen Van Tuc, a former political prisoner, was taken into custody at around 8:45 a.m. on Sept. 1 after being called to a meeting at the local District People’s Committee, his wife Bui Thi Re told RFA’s Vietnamese Service.

“I learned that he was arrested while on his way there and was put into a car and taken to an unknown location,” she said. “We don’t know yet where he is.” [read more]

Netizen Report: Vietnam Targets ‘Illegal Cyber Information’ — and Political Speech   

31.08.2017 (Global Voices) - Global Voices Advocacy's Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in internet rights around the world.

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang called for tougher controls on the internet, charging that “hostile” entities online had “undermined the prestige of the leaders of the party and the state, [bringing about] a negative impact on cadres, party members and people.”

Quang, who is a former minister of public security, also vowed to increase online surveillance in the name of protecting national security. [read more]

Vietnam Dissidents Sent to New Prison Far From Home

31.08.2017 (RFA) - Two high-profile Vietnamese dissidents have been quietly transferred from a prison in northern Vietnam’s Ha Nam province to a prison in Thanh Hoa province farther from their homes, a report on a Hanoi-based dissident web site says.

Le Thanh Tung and Tran Anh Kim  were sentenced in December 2016 to 13 years and 12 years in prison respectively for “activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration” under Article 79 of Vietnam’s Penal Code.

Authorities withheld news of the men’s transfer from their families, who learned they had been moved only after attempting to visit them in prison, the Hanoi-based rights group Defend the Defenders said in an Aug. 30 posting. [read more]

Vietnam Rights Lawyer Threatened With ‘Discipline’ After Online Comment

23.08.2017 (RFA) - An official lawyer’s organization in central Vietnam’s Phu Yen province has threatened to “discipline” an attorney known for representing defendants in political cases after he suggested that most members of his profession use bribery to influence trials.

Vo An Don, a Phu Yen-based lawyer who has defended hundreds of members of underrepresented communities on a pro-bono basis, told RFA’s Vietnamese Service Wednesday that he received a letter from the Phu Yen Lawyer’s Association on Aug. 18 informing him he would “face discipline” for posting a comment on Facebook which said lawyers in Vietnam regularly use payoffs to win cases for their clients. [read more]

La libertad de expresión, encarcelada en Vietnam

21.08.2017 Ángel L. Martínez Cantera (El Pais) - El pasado mes de junio, la prominente bloguera vietnamita Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh –más conocida por Madre Seta, su pseudónimo en la red– fue condenada a 10 años de prisión; inculpada por "difamar" al régimen de Hanoi. Su pena de prisión se une a la de otros 20 blogueros y netizens –anglicismo para referirse a los ciudadanos activos en la red– que en la actualidad cumplen sentencias por hacer uso de su libertad de expresión, según Reporteros Sin Fronteras (RSF).

“La violencia se ha convertido en la táctica sistemática para reprimir a blogueros, escritores y activistas. Las autoridades vietnamitas trabajan con matones sin límites [...] Junto con agentes de seguridad vestidos de paisano, intimidan y atacan a sus familias y amigos para disuadirles de continuar sus actividades”, confirma vía email Benjamin Ismail, responsable hasta hace meses de la sección para Asia-Pacífico de Reporteros Sin Fronteras (RSF). El ahora activista independiente enumera denuncias de RSF hacia la represión del Gobierno: desde el acoso policial a familiares durante encuentros pacíficos hasta el ataque físico directo. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam's President Calls for Tougher Internet Controls

20.08.2017 (Reuters) - HANOI - Vietnam's president called on Sunday for tougher controls on the internet in the face of dissidents who are using it to criticize the ruling Communist Party, and to combat threats to cybersecurity.

Vietnam's government has stepped up a crackdown on activists this year, but despite the arrest and sentencing of several high profile figures, there has been little sign of it silencing criticism on social media.

President Tran Dai Quang made the call in an article published on the government website. [read more]

RSF calls for release of Vietnamese blogger about to go on trial

18.08.2017 (RSF) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Nguyen Van Oai, a dissident blogger who is due to be tried in the central province of Nghe An on 21 August. It will be his second trial in four years.

Previously arrested in 2011, Oai was tried and sentenced in 2013 under penal code article 79 to four years in prison plus three years of home surveillance. [read more]

Vietnam's government must respect religious freedom, says Vatican envoy

17.08.2017 by Catholic News Service (The Tablet) - New 'Law on Belief and Religion' could 'condemn religious organisations when the government is dissatisfied'.

The Vatican envoy to Vietnam called on the Southeast Asian nation's communist government to respect religious freedom.

Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the nonresident representative of the Vatican to Vietnam, presided at the 13 August opening Mass of the Marian Congress, held at the national shrine of Our Lady of La Vang in central Vietnam's Quang Tri province. [read more]

Vietnam Activist Nguyen Bac Truyen Unaccounted For Two Weeks After Arrest

17.08.2017 (RFA) - The whereabouts of a member of an online democracy advocacy group are unknown more than two weeks after his arrest on charges of attempting to topple the country’s one-party state, his wife told RFA's Vietnamese Service on Thursday.

Nguyen Bac Truyen, a former political prisoner and member of the online Brotherhood for Democracy group, was arrested July 30 by authorities in central Vietnam’s Quang Binh province in a way that his relatives described as a “kidnapping.” [read more]

Sentencian a activista vietnamita Trần Thị Nga a nueve años por “propaganda”

14.08.2017 Escrito por Don Le, Traducido por Gabriela Garcia Calderon Orbe (Global Voices) - Las autoridades vietnamitas sentenciaron a otra activista social a una larga condena a prisión, que sigue a una serie de duros castigos contra la discrepancia. En un juicio que duró un día, el jueves 25 de julio de 2017, la Corte Popular de la provincia Hà Nam sentenció a Trần Thị Nga a nueve años de prisión y cinco años de arresto domicilario por “realizar propaganda contra el Estado”.

Nga, de 40 años, también conocida por su seudónimo “Thúy Nga”, es una destacada defensora de los migrantes y derechos de tierras. También ha estado documentando y y haciendo campaña contra la violencia policial en su página de Facebook y su canal de YouTube. Nga ha sido intimidada con frecuencia y la policía la ha atacado físicamente por su trabajo. [seguir leyendo]

‘It’s Very Easy to Die There’: How Prisoners Fare in Vietnam

12.08.2017 By Mike Ivesaug (NYT) - HANOI, Vietnam — Do Thi Mai said she was shocked to learn that her 17-year-old son, Do Dang Du, had fallen into a coma in prison a few weeks after he was arrested, accused by the police of stealing about $90.

The police initially said that Mr. Du’s severe head and leg wounds had been caused by falls in the bathroom, according to a family lawyer. “He was unconscious, so I couldn’t ask him,” Ms. Mai said.

“It’s very easy to die there,” said Doan Trang, an independent journalist in Hanoi who has written extensively about state-led repression in the country.

In a 2014 report, Human Rights Watch  said that prisoners who died in custody were often being held for minor infractions and that the official explanations for their deaths “strained credulity and gave the appearance of systematic cover-ups.” It quoted survivors as saying that police officers had sometimes beaten them to extract confessions for crimes that they denied committing. [read more]

Cardin, McCain Prod Trump Administration to Use Global Magnitsky Tools to Punish Human Rights Violators and Corrupt Officials from Around the World

11.08.2017 (Ben Cardin • U.S. Senator For Maryland) -  WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and John McCain (R-Ariz.), Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, authors of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights and Accountability Act (P.L. 114-328), have written to President Trump requesting that his Administration vet and determine whether 20 individuals and entities from across the globe meet the criteria to be sanctioned in accordance with the Global Magnitsky Act.

The Global Magnitsky Human Rights and Accountability Act, which became law with passage of the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act last December, authorizes the President to impose visa and asset sanctions on foreign individuals responsible for gross violations of human rights against rights defenders and government officials or their associates who have engaged in significant acts of corruption. [read more]

Vietnam to Try Prominent Blogger For ‘Resisting Persons on Duty’

11.08.2017 (RFA) - Vietnam will try prominent blogger and former political prisoner Nguyen Van Oai on Aug. 21, a family member said Friday, seven months after his arrest on charges of resisting police officers and leaving his home while on probation.

Oai, 36, was taken into custody by plainclothes officers in central Vietnam’s Nghe An province on Jan. 19 for “resisting persons on duty” after authorities accused him of violating the terms of a house arrest order he received in 2015 for having ties to the outlawed Viet Tan pro-democracy organization. [read more]

Vietnam Arrests Fifth Member of Online Democracy Group

04.08.2017 (RFA) - Authorities in central Vietnam’s Quang Binh province arrested a member of an online democracy advocacy group on Friday, bringing to five the number of group members taken into custody during the last week.

Nguyen Trung Tuc, a former political prisoner and member of the online Brotherhood for Democracy group, was taken from his home in handcuffs on charges of working to overthrow the government, Truc’s son told RFA’s Vietnamese Service following Truc's arrest.

"At around 9:00 a.m., nearly 100 uniformed and plainclothes officers came to our house,” Truc’s son said. [read more]

Vietnam : Why is the Party cracking down harder on bloggers?

04.08.2017 (RSF) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is alarmed by a sudden increase in the persecution of dissidents by Vietnam’s authoritarian one-party state. Seven bloggers and citizen-journalists have been arrested in recent weeks and two have been given long jail terms.

In a country where nationalist fervour is essential for the regime’s survival and the government’s failings must not be mentioned, citizen-journalists who raise these issues are regarded as enemies of the nation.

In the past two weeks alone, five people have been arrested on charges of “attempting to overthrow the government” or “anti state activities” under article 79 of the penal code. [read more]

Vietnam: Menschenrechtler Nguyen Bac Truyen sofort freilassen

03.08.2017 (Martin Patzelt) - Die sofortige Freilassung des willkürlich verhafteten vietnamesischen Menschenrechtlers Nguyen Bac Truyen fordern die beiden Mitglieder des Bundestagsausschusses für Menschen-rechte und humanitäre Fragen, Martin Patzelt (CDU) und Philipp Lengsfeld (CDU):

Mit großer Bestürzung haben wir von der willkürlichen Verhaftung des vietnamesischen Men-schenrechtlers Nguyen Bac Truyen am 30. Juli erfahren. Wir haben Herrn Truyen bei unserem gemeinsamen Besuch in Vietnam im vergangenen Juni persönlich kennen lernen dürfen.

Er ist uns als engagierter Verteidiger der Menschenrechte in Erinnerung geblieben, der sich intensiv für Religions- und Meinungsfreiheit einsetzt. Derzeit ist er für die katholische Redemp-torische Kirche als juristischer Berater tätig. Er war bereits 2006 wegen „Propaganda gegen die Sozialistische Republik Vietnams“ verhaftet und zu dreieinhalb Jahren Gefängnis sowie zwei Jah-ren Hausarrest verurteilt worden. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: So sieht die andere Seite des Urlaubsparadieses

02.08.2017 (ZDF heute) - Der vietnamesische Geheimdienst soll einen Asylbewerber aus Vietnam in Berlin entführt und in seine Heimat verschleppt haben. Das teilte das Auswärtige Amt in Berlin mit. Vor Kurzem ist eine Regimekritikerin in Vietnam zu neun Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. Internationale Menschenrechtsgruppen kritisieren Vietnam häufig dafür, Personen ins Gefängnis zu bringen, die friedlich ihre Ansichten zum Ausdruck brächten. [Weiterlesen / Videoclip anschauen]

Au Vietnam, le pasteur Nguyên Công Chinh libéré de prison

02.08.2017 Claire Lesegretain (La Croix) - Condamné à onze ans de prison en 2011, ce pasteur mennonite a été libéré cinq ans avant la fin de sa peine, mais à condition de s’exiler immédiatement avec sa famille aux États-Unis.

Vendredi 28 juillet, le pasteur Nguyên Công Chính, 49 ans, a été libéré de la prison d’An Phước, dans le district de Phú Giáo (province de Bình Dương, au sud du Vietnam). La Commission américaine sur la liberté religieuse internationale (USCIRF) a exprimé son « soulagement », en apprenant cette libération par le gouvernement vietnamien cinq années plus tôt que prévu. [en savoir plus]

Vietnamese pastor released from prison but exiled

01.08.2017 By Tola Mbakwe (Premier Christian Radio) - A Vietnamese pastor and religious freedom advocate has been released from prison after expressing his faith, but has been forced to leave the country in bad health.

His release comes amid a spate of arrests of human rights activists in the country.

According to religious freedom Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh was prisoner of conscience, and was only released on the basis that he leaves Vietnam.

CSW said Pastor Chinh, who is a passionate advocate for religious freedom and the rights of ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples, had been serving an 11-year sentence for 'undermining national'. [read more]

Vietnam arrests more dissidents

30.07.2017 (DW) - Vietnam has cracked down further on dissent, arresting four rights activists on charges of trying to overthrow the government. Hanoi has already faced EU, US and UN calls to release bloggers and a lawyer.

Wives said the four activists were all arrested Sunday at their homes on the same charge leveled at lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and activist Le Thu Ha, who have been held since December 2015.

Dai is the founder of a group advocating full rights throughout Vietnam, Brotherhood for Democracy. From 2007 he served four years in jail.

Those arrested Sunday were named as Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Bac Truyen, freelance writer Truong Minh Duc and Protestant pastor Nguyen Trung Ton.

John Sifton, from Human Rights Watch, said 2017 has been a "terrible year" for human rights in Vietnam. [read more]

Four detained as Vietnam ramps up dissident crackdown

30.07.2017 (Daily Mail) - Four dissidents have been arrested in Vietnam on charges of trying to overthrow the state, authorities said Sunday as the country's communist leadership ramps up its crackdown on critics. Activists, rights lawyers and bloggers are routinely jailed in the one-party state but a new government in place since last year has vigorously pursued detractors.

The four latest arrests were of dissidents who had previously served jail sentences for anti-state convictions. But the current charge they face is much more serious and can carry the death penalty.

Prominent dissidents Pham Van Troi and Nguyen Bac Truyen, freelance writer Truong Minh Duc and Protestant pastor Nguyen Trung Ton were all arrested at their homes on Sunday, their wives told reporters.

John Sifton, from Human Rights Watch, said 2017 has been "a terrible year" for human rights in Vietnam. [read more]

Unending Punishment: Political Repression in Vietnam

29.07.2017 By Kaylee Dolen (Asia Sentinel) - On July 30, 2012, the mother of political prisoner Ta Phong Tan burned herself to death at a government building in despair over her daughter’s imprisonment. This is the fifth anniversary of her death.

This is what life is like as a prisoner of conscience in Vietnam: Isolation. Withholding of newspapers and letters from family, denial of menstruation supplies, visits from lawyers, medical treatment and even light. “Prisons within prisons,” an Amnesty International report calls it.

It is brutal before the arrest. The harassment. The intimidation. The black-clothed thugs lingering around your house, stealing your cameras, beating you up, and beating up your friends as well. [read more]

U.N. urges Vietnam to release blogger jailed for nine years

28.07.2017 (Reuters) - GENEVA - The United Nations called on Vietnam on Friday to release a prominent dissident, voicing deep concerns about her one-day trial this week and sentencing to nine years for anti-state propaganda in what it called an "intensifying crackdown".

A court in Vietnam jailed blogger Tran Thi Nga for nine years and gave her five years probation for spreading propaganda against the state, her lawyer said on Tuesday, in what appeared to be the Communist-ruled country's latest crackdown on critics. [read more]

Vietnam: l'Onu dénonce une intensification de la répression contre les dissidents

28.07.2017 (RTBF) - L'Onu a dénoncé vendredi une intensification de la répression contre les défenseurs des droits de l'Homme au Vietnam et exigé la remise en liberté immédiate des dissidents emprisonnés.

Le Haut-Commissariat de l'Onu aux droits de l'Homme réagissait à la condamnation mardi à 9 ans de prison d'une célèbre dissidente, Tran Thi Nga, pour une prétendue "propagande antiétatique".

Au cours des six derniers mois, 7 autres défenseurs des droits de l'Homme ont été arrêtés [en savoir plus]

Die Menschenrechtsbeauftragte Bärbel Kofler zur Verurteilung der vietnamesischen Menschenrechtsaktivistin Tran Thi Nga zu neun Jahren Haft

27.07.2017 (Auswaertiges Amt) - Zum Urteil gegen die vietnamesische Menschenrechtsaktivistin Tran Thi Nga sagte die Menschenrechtsbeauftragte der Bundesregierung, Bärbel Kofler, heute (27.07.):

Die sehr harte Verurteilung von Frau Tran Thi Nga zu neun Jahren Haft durch ein Gericht in Vietnam hat mich bestürzt. Tran Thi Nga hat sich mit friedlichen Mitteln gegen Korruption und Willkür sowie für Justizopfer, Arbeiterrechte und den Umweltschutz eingesetzt. Ihr Einsatz wurde von Amnesty International anlässlich des diesjährigen Internationalen Frauentages gewürdigt.

Wie im Falle von "Mother Mushroom", einer bekannten vietnamesischen Bloggerin, die vor weniger als einem Monat zu zehn Jahren Haft aufgrund ihres menschenrechtlichen Engagements verurteilt worden war, widerspricht auch dieses Urteil den von Vietnam anerkannten menschenrechtlichen Prinzipien und verstößt gegen den internationalen Pakt über bürgerliche und politische Rechte, dem Vietnam beigetreten ist. Auch die vietnamesische Verfassung schützt Meinungs- und Pressefreiheit.

Die unverhältnismäßige Verurteilung steht im Widerspruch zu den rechtsstaatlichen Reformen der vietnamesischen Regierung. Zudem setzt Vietnam damit leichtsinnig seinen Ruf als reformorientierter Staat auf Modernisierungskurs aufs Spiel.

Meine Gedanken sind bei der Familie von Frau Tran, für die dieses Urteil ein großes Unglück bedeutet.

* Hintergrund:

Die Menschenrechtsaktivistin Tran Thi Nga, geboren am 28. April 1977 in der nordvietnamesischen Provinz Ha-Nam, ist vierfache Mutter (zwei Kinder sind erst vier und sieben Jahre alt).

Aufgrund ihrer Tätigkeit war Frau Tran mehrmals Opfer von Attacken durch die Sicherheitskräfte. Bereits im Januar 2017 war sie festgenommen worden (ca. drei Monate nach der Festnahme der berühmten Bloggerin und Aktivistin "Mother Mushroom"). In einem ursprünglich für zwei Tage geplanten Prozess wurde sie am 25. Juli wegen "Betreibung von Propaganda gegen den Staat" zu neun Jahren Haft und zu fünf Jahren Hausarrest verurteilt. Der Ehemann von Frau Tran und ihre Verwandten durften dem Verfahren nicht beiwohnen.

Au Vietnam, les opposants politiques ont leur propre équipe de football

27.07.2017 (franceinfo) - Au Vietnam, des opposants politiques au régime communiste au pouvoir ont créé une équipe de football pour contourner l'interdiction de rassemblement. L'équipe du No-U FC s'est formée en 2011, au moments des grandes manifestations contre l'avancée de Pékin en mer de Chine méridionale. Mais l'équipe défend d'autres causes : la démocratie, les Droits de l'homme et la liberté d'expression. [en savoir plus]

Vietnamese Activist Sentenced to 9 Years in One-Day Trial - A Chilling Warning to Supporters and Dissidents

27.07.2017 Shayna Bauchner (HRW) - A Vietnam court sentenced activist Tran Thi Nga on Tuesday to nine years in prison followed by five years under house arrest for spreading “anti-State propaganda.” The conviction was handed down during a one-day trial – a swift and harsh verdict her lawyer called pre-determined. Security officers barred Tran Thi Nga’s husband and children from the court, along with supporters and independent journalists.

Vietnam has long used vague national security laws to punish critics and stifle dissent. Yet recently the government’s response has grown increasingly severe, with extreme prison sentences and tighter online restrictions. [read more]

Message by the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam on the conviction of Ms. Tran Thi Nga (blogger Thuy Nga)

26.07.2017 (Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam) - Yesterday's sentencing of Ms. Tran Thi Nga to 9 years in prison after she peacefully expressed her opinion on labour and land rights, directly contradicts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Vietnam is a party. Freedoms of opinion and expression are fundamental rights, indispensable for individual dignity and fulfilment, as also enshrined in Article 25 of the Vietnamese Constitution. It would be just to release unconditionally Ms. Tran Thi Nga.

The decision by the Vietnamese authorities not to allow representatives of the EU Delegation and those of the EU Member States' embassies to observe the trial raises questions as to the transparency of the process.

The European Union will continue to monitor the Human Rights Situation in Vietnam, and work with the authorities towards improving the human rights situation in the country."

US ambassador calls for release of jailed Vietnam activist

26.07.2017 (AP) - The U.S ambassador in Vietnam called on the Communist government Wednesday to release an activist who was sentenced to nine years in prison on what the envoy says are vague charges of propaganda against the state.

Tran Thi Nga was convicted and sentenced in a one-day trial Tuesday on charges of producing videos that defamed the country's leadership. The 40-year-old campaigned against environmental pollution, police brutality and illegal land confiscation, and called for a tougher stance toward China's assertive territorial claims in the South China Sea. [read more]

Vietnam just sent a housekeeper-turned-political blogger to prison over her Facebook posts

26.07.2017 Tripti Lahiri (Quartz Media) - When she was just 20, Tran Thi Nga, shown above, got a job as a live-in domestic worker in Taiwan through a broker, and then moved on to factory jobs. It took many years but Thi Nga eventually realized that as a migrant worker she had been mistreated. On her return home, she became an activist for labor and political rights.

That journey landed her in prison on Tuesday (July 25), after a Vietnamese court handed her a nine-year sentence, to be followed by five years of probation. [read more]

Vietnam's dissident footballers take aim at politics

26.07.2017 By AFP (Daily Mail) - A group of old pals trot onto the pitch for what looks like an ordinary football match in Vietnam.

But it is actually a sly act of subversion in the authoritarian state, where this team of political dissidents has turned to football to circumvent government efforts to block their meetings.

The game lasts just 45 minutes before security guards storm the field and kick the players off the pitch -- a regular disruption for a team constantly dodging the watchful eye of the communist regime. [read more]

Vietnam activist jailed for 'anti-state' charge

25.07.2017 By AFP (MailOnline) - A Vietnamese activist was jailed for nine years on Tuesday for "anti-state activity", her lawyer said, the second such heavy sentence handed down by the authoritarian state in less than a month.

Dissidents, rights lawyers and bloggers are routinely jailed in the communist country but rights groups and activists accuse the new government in place since last year of waging a particularly harsh crackdown on its critics.

Anti-China activist Tran Thi Nga, 40, was sentenced after a one-day trial in a heavily guarded courthouse in northern Ha Nam province, where dozens of supporters gathered outside, some holding signs calling for her release. [read more]

Neun Jahre Haft für Regierungskritikerin in Vietnam

25.07.2017 (Der Farang) - HANOI (dpa) - Wegen «anti-staatlicher Propaganda» ist eine Regierungskritikerin in Vietnam zu neun Jahren Haft verurteilt worden.

Ein Gericht in der Stadt Phu Ly verhängte gegen die 40-jährige Tran Thi Nga zudem noch fünf Jahre Hausarrest, wie ihre Anwälte am Dienstag mitteilten. Ihr wurde zur Last gelegt, eine Reihe von Artikeln und Videos übers Internet verbreitet zu haben. Nga war bereits im Januar festgenommen worden.

Nach Angaben der Anwälte wehrte sich die Regierungskritikerin vor Gericht gegen alle Vorwürfe, sich strafbar gemacht zu haben. Sie habe deutlich gemacht, dass sie nur gegen Korruption und Ungerechtigkeit vorgehen wolle. Der Ehemann der Angeklagten, Phan Phan Phong, wurde nach eigenen Angaben daran gehindert, an dem Prozess teilzunehmen. Auch die beiden Kinder mussten vor der Tür bleiben. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamese Activist Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison

25.07.2017 (AP) - HANOI, Vietnam -- A Vietnamese court on Tuesday sentenced an activist to nine years in prison on charges of producing videos that defamed the country's leadership, in the latest crackdown on dissent.

Tran Thi Nga was convicted of spreading propaganda against the state in the one-day trial at the People's Court in Ha Nam province in northern Vietnam, her lawyer said.

Nga, 40, campaigned against environmental pollution, police brutality and illegal land confiscation, and called for a tougher stance toward China's assertive territorial claims in the South China Sea. [read more]

Cárcel para activista vietnamita acusada de ofensa a líderes

25.07.2017 (Santa Maria Times) - HANÓI, Vietnam (AP) — Un tribunal en Vietnam sentenció el martes a una activista a nueve años de cárcel por producir videos considerados ofensivos a los líderes del país.

Tran Thi Nga fue convicta de emitir propaganda contra el Estado, en un juicio que duró un solo día en el Tribunal Popular de la provincia de Ha Nam, en el norte del país, informó su abogado.

Nga, de 40 años, hizo campaña contra la contaminación, contra la brutalidad policial y contra las confiscaciones ilegales de tierras, y pedía al gobierno una postura más rígida frente a los reclamos territoriales chinos en el Mar del Sur de China. [seguir leyendo]

Neuf ans de prison pour une blogueuse vietnamienne

25.07.2017 (Ouest-France) - Une blogueuse vietnamienne a été condamnée à neuf ans de prison pour "diffusion de  propagande contre l’État". La femme de 39 ans avait été arrêtée après avoir posté des contenus jugés offensants sur Internet. Son avocat a dénoncé un verdict "inique".

Tran Thi Nga, une jeune femme de 39 ans, a été arrêtée et condamnée à neuf ans de prison pour diffusion de propagande contre l’État ce mardi. Ce verdict survient après un procès d’un jour dans la province septentrionale de Ha Nam, six mois après avoir été arrêtée pour avoir posté des contenus "offensants" sur Internet. [en savoir plus]

Une blogueuse vietnamienne condamnée à neuf ans de prison

25.07.2017 (Le Monde) - L’opposante Tran Thi Nga a été déclarée coupable de propagande antiétatique au terme d’un procès d’un jour. Le verdict intervient un mois après la condamnation d’une autre blogueuse.

La justice vietnamienne a condamné mardi 25 juillet une opposante à neuf ans de prison pour diffusion de propagande contre l’Etat. Tran Thi Nga, blogueuse de 40 ans, a été déclarée coupable au terme d’un procès d’un jour dans la province septentrionale de Ha Nam, six mois après avoir été arrêtée pour avoir posté des contenus « offensants » sur Internet, a précisé son avocat, Ha Huy Son, dénonçant un verdict « inique ». [en savoir plus]

Vietnam detiene a otro disidente acusado de querer derribar el Gobierno

25.07.2017 (WRADIO) - Bangkok, 25 jul (EFE).- Los cuerpos de seguridad de Vietnam han arrestado a otro disidente acusado de querer derribar el Gobierno, cargo que suelen imputar a quienes critican al régimen comunista que gobierna el país, informan hoy los medios locales.

La detención del vietnamita Le Ding Luong, de 52 años, se practicó el lunes en la provincia de Nghe An (centro), según fuentes policiales citadas por la agencia estatal Vietnam News Agency. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam police arrest dissident for alleged bid to overthrow government

25.07.2017 (PressTV) - Vietnamese police authorities have taken into custody a well-known dissident for allegedly engaging in efforts aimed at overthrowing the government.

Police officials in central Nghe An province announced on their news website that 51-year-old Le Dinh Luong was detained on Monday, saying he had been engaged in “regular activities with the aim to overthrow the authority and complicate local security,” without elaborating, Reuters reported Tuesday.

According to the report, several dissidents and bloggers have expressed support for the dissident online as many critics prefer to use web blogs and social media sites to voice their grievances since the government tightly controls information. [read more]

Vietnam police arrest dissident for attempt 'to overthrow government'

25.07.2017 (Reuters) - HANOI - Police in Vietnam have arrested a prominent dissident they have accused of conducting activities aimed at overthrowing the government, in what appeared to be latest effort by the Communist-ruled country to crack down on critics.

Police in central Nghe An said Le Dinh Luong, 51, was arrested on Monday. They said on their news website Luong had conducted "regular activities with the aim to overthrow the authority and complicate local security" but did not elaborate. [read more]

Vietnam Court Tries Woman For Posting Anti-State Content

25.07.2017 (AP) - HANOI, Vietnam -- A Vietnamese court was holding a trial Tuesday of a woman who posted articles and videos online that were described as anti-state propaganda.

The trial of Tran Thi Nga, 40, was expected to last a day, said a court official in the northern province of Ha Nam who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing policy.

State media say Nga was arrested in January while she was accessing the internet to post a number of video clips and articles that oppose the state. [read more]

Group urges Vietnam’s foreign donors to pressure govt into releasing Tran Thi Nga

24.07.2017 (Asian Correspondent) - A HUMAN rights watchdog on Monday called on Vietnam’s foreign donors to pressure the government into releasing Tran Thi Nga, a blogger who faces a trial tomorrow (July 25) for criticising the administration.

Deputy Asia Director of Human Rights Watch Phil Robertson said the Vietnamese government consistently goes to extremes to silence its critics, targeting activists like Tran Thi Nga with “bogus” charges that carry long prison sentences.

He claimed the families of the critics are often subjected to harassment and abuse.

“Foreign donors should use their leverage to push for Tran Thi Nga’s release now, and make it clear that closer relations depend on Vietnam tolerating its critics, rather than sending them to prison,” he said in a statement on Monday. [read more]

VIET NAM: Immediately release labour and land rights defender Tran Thi Nga

21.07.2017 (The Observatory & VCHR) – GENEVA-PARIS - Vietnamese authorities must drop all charges against labour and land rights defender Tran Thi Nga and immediately release her, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (an FIDH-OMCT partnership) and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) urged today.

Tran Thi Nga’s trial is scheduled for July 25-26, 2017 at the People’s Court in Ha Nam Province. She has been charged under Article 88 of the Criminal Code (“spreading propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam”). If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in jail. [read more]

VIET NAM: La défendeuse des droits sociaux et des droits à la terre Tran Thi Nga doit être immédiatement libérée

21.07.2017 (L’Observatoire & VCHR) – – Les autorités vietnamiennes doivent abandonner toutes les charges qui pèsent contre la défendeuse des droits sociaux et des droits à la terre Tran Thi Nga et immédiatement la libérer, ont pressé aujourd’hui l’Observatoire pour la Protection des Défenseurs des droits de l’Homme (un partenariat FIDH-OMCT) et le Comité Vietnam pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme (VCHR).

Le procès de Tran Thi Nga doit se tenir les 25 et 26 juillet au Tribunal populaire de la province de Ha Nam. Elle est poursuivie sous l’empire de l’article 88 du Code pénal (« propagande contre la République Socialiste du Vietnam »). Si elle est reconnue coupable, elle risque une peine allant jusqu’à 20 ans d’emprisonnement. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam Plans Talks With Catholic Officials Over Monastery Dispute

11.07.2017  HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnamese authorities plan to hold talks with a Catholic monastery and church officials to resolve a land dispute that prompted a violent scuffle last month, a provincial government body said.

Land disputes are common in Communist-ruled Vietnam, where conflicts over property between Catholics and regional authorities have posed one of the key obstacles to a normalization of relations with the Vatican.

On June 28, clergy at the monastery said dozens of what they believed to be plainclothes policemen took down a cross and a statue of Jesus on land the church claims in a dispute. [read more]

Vietnam: Wer ist "Mutter Pilz"? Bloggerin zu zehn Jahren Haft verurteilt

11.07.2017  von Hai Tran & Thach Duong (Forum Vietnam 21) - Eine prominente Bloggerin ist in einem eintägigen Prozess am vergangenen 29. Juni wegen Propaganda gegen den Staat zu zehn Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. Die Staatsanwaltschaft hatte die 37-jährige Bloggerin, bekannt unter ihrem Pseudonym Me Nam (Mutter Pilz), nach Paragraf 88 des vietnamesischen Strafgesetzbuches angeklagt. Beobachter und Menschenrechtsgruppen werten den Prozess gegen Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh auch als eine Warnung des Regimes an andere Blogger und Aktivisten in Vietnam. Unter dem Vorwurf, gegen Artikel 88 oder Artikel 258 des vietnamesischen Strafgesetzbuchs verstoßen zu haben, werden Kritiker zum Schweigen gebracht. [Weiterlesen]

Mother Mushroom: how Vietnam locked up its most famous blogger

09.07.2017 Bennett Murray in Hanoi (The Guardian) - One of Vietnam’s most influential political bloggers, given a courage award by Melania Trump, faces a decade behind bars for her ‘reactionary’ work.

“Each person only has a life, but if I had the chance to choose again I would still choose my way.”

They are the words of one of Vietnam’s most influential bloggers — known by her online pseudonym, Mother Mushroom — minutes before she was handed the shock sentence of a decade in prison. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh directed her defiant comments at her 61-year-old mother, who was watching a live feed in a room next door as she was not allow into the courtroom. [read more]

Vietnam police detain blogger for anti-state propaganda, mother says

07.07.2017 (Reuters) - HANOI - Vietnamese police have arrested a blogger for posting anti-state material on the internet, his mother said on Friday, as part of a crackdown on critics of the country's Communist rulers.

Tran Hoang Phuc, 23, was arrested in Hanoi for storing material and using the internet to spread propaganda videos against the government, Phuc's mother told Reuters, citing a police arrest notification.

The mother, who identified herself only a Ut, said she had been told Phuc was arrested last week.

Several dissidents and bloggers have in recent days shown support for Phuc in posts on their Facebook pages. [read more]

G20 Summit: 40 NGO call for release of 3 Vietnamese human rights defenders

06.07.2017 (VETO!) - On the occasion of the G20 Summit in Hamburg (Germany) 40 human rights and civil society organizations in Europe, USA and Asia call the Vietnamese Prime minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to immediately and unconditionally release three prominent human rights defenders from three different religious communities and all other prisoners of conscience detained in Vietnam. The Most Venerable Thích Quảng Độ, Mr. Nguyễn Văn Đài and Ms. Đỗ Thị Hồng have been arbitrarily detained, without the due process protections afforded to them under international law, the open letter states.

The signatories expressed their extreme concern:

“that these persons have been deprived of liberty under vaguely-worded “national security” clauses in  Vietnam’s Penal Code that are clearly inconsistent with international human rights treaties ratified by Vietnam. This includes Articles 79, 88 and 258 of the Penal Code. [read more]

Vietnam singer Mai Khoi adds a youthful tone to aged politics

06.07.2017 Rodion Ebbighausen (DW) - The Vietnamese singer and activist Mai Khoi is an outspoken advocate for human rights and freedom of expression in Vietnam. After her performance at the Global Media Forum she spoke with DW about her political activism.

Vietnam is a young and dynamic country. Out of Vietnam's total population of around 90 million, 40 percent are 24 years old or younger. The economy is growing quickly and in the metropolises of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, skyscrapers are shooting up out of the ground.

But politics in Vietnam isn't as young and dynamic. The Vietnamese Communist Party (CPV) has been in power longer than any other communist party in the world. The CPV does not tolerate any political forces alongside it. Elder party members have warned for a long time that a "peaceful evolution" to a more pluralistic system could undercut the CPV's monopoly on power. [read more]

Conviction of Vietnamese Blogger

06.07.2017 (VOA) - A Vietnamese court recently sentenced blogger and human rights activist Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh to 10 years in prison."We are deeply concerned," said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, "about the conviction of. . .peaceful blogger, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh."Also known as “Mother Mushroom,” she was the recent recipient of a 2017 International Woman of Courage Award at the State Department.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh was arrested in October 2016 and charged with “conducting propaganda against the state” under article 88 of the penal code, which has been used to punish activists and critics of the government, according to Human Rights Watch. [read more]

Vietnam Detains Young Activist Over Critical Facebook Comments

05.07.2017 (RFA) - Vietnam has arrested a young activist for posting material critical of the government on social media, his mother told RFA's Vietnamese on Wednesday.

Ho Chi Minh City native Tran Hoang Phuc, 23, was detained on July 3 on the accusation of "possessing materials, producing and posting videos on internet critical of the government" under article 88 of Vietnam's penal code, she said.

"I went to talk with Hanoi police on July 3 and was told that Phuc has been detained," Huynh Thi Ut, Phuc’s mother, told RFA. The detention order issued by Hanoi police on July 3 says that Phuc is in the custody of Hanoi police. [read more]

“Why did the fish die?”: The questions and Facebook posts that led Vietnam to imprison a mom blogger

05.07.2017 Visen Liu (Quartz) - With a blue fish painted on her cheek, a smiling Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh stares out from her Facebook page, where she writes in Vietnamese under the name Mẹ Nấm, or Mother [of] Mushroom. Nguyen, a single mom and tour guide, began blogging over a decade ago adopting her daughter’s nickname as part of her writing name; in recent years she’s sometimes added on “Bear,” a nickname for her younger child.

Last week, Vietnam convicted and sentenced her to prison for a decade on charges of “conducting propaganda against the state.” The main evidence against her? A body of writing, some 400 Facebook posts about fish deaths, China’s intervention in the South China Sea, and police brutality in Vietnam. Her Facebook posts were described by the police as “a pessimistic, one-sided view that caused public confusion and affected the people’s faith [in the State].” [read more]

Vietnam hat einen Regimekritiker ausgebürgert und nach Frankreich abgeschoben

02.07.2017 von Hai Tran (Forum Vietnam 21) - Der Blogger und Regimekritiker Pham Minh Hoang wurde am 24.06.2017, von Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt, ehemals Saigon, nach Frankreich abgeschoben. Zuvor, am 17.05., wurde ihm die vietnamesische Staatsbürgerschaft durch den Staatspräsidenten Tran Dai Quang aberkannt, mit der Begründung: „Verstoß gegen die Gesetze Vietnams“, gemeint ist hier vor allem: wegen seine regierungskritischen Beiträge im Internet. Dies ist das erste Mal in Vietnam, dass einem Bürger seine Staatsbürgerschaft aberkannt wird.

Die vietnamesischen Sicherheitskräfte kamen am Abend des 23. 06. unangekündigt zu seinem Haus im 10. Bezirk von Ho-Chi-Minh- Stadt. Mit dem Vorwand, die regelmäßige Einwohnermeldekontrolle durchführen zu wollen, forderten sie die Bewohner auf, die Tür aufzumachen. [Weiterlesen]

Facebook: bloguera condenada a diez años de cárcel por criticar al gobierno de Vietnam

02.07.2017 (El Popular) - Usar su cuenta en Facebook para criticar la política gubarnamental de Vietnam le costó caro a una ciudadana de ese país, quien fue condenada a diez años de prisión. La sanción generó la inmediata reacción de organismos defensores de Derechos Humanos que piden su liberación.

El diario oficialista 'Tuoi Tre' informó que Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, fue hallada culpable por distribuir propaganda contra el Estado durante un juicio de un día en la provincia central de Khanh Hoa.

La acusada, conocida con el seudónimo 'Me Nam' (Madre Seta), fue detenida en octubre de 2016 acusada de utilizar un perfil en Facebook para denunciar las políticas medioambientales y la injusticia social del país. [seguir leyendo]

UN experts condemn Viet Nam’s jailing of prominent blogger Mother Mushroom

30.06.2017 (OHCHR) - GENEVA – Viet Nam must end what appears to be a pattern of targeting environmental defenders, UN human rights experts* have urged after the jailing of a popular blogger.

Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, an environmental human rights defender known as Mother Mushroom, was taken to court by the Government for spreading anti-State propaganda, after writing blogs critical of the authorities. She was jailed for 10 years on 29 June after a one-day trial, which followed nine months of detention.

“This was little short of a show trial, designed to intimidate other environmental activists,” the experts said. “Her detention was arbitrary. The trial did not meet international standards. She has been denied her fundamental right to due process,” the experts said. [read more]

Vietnam condena a 10 años de cárcel a una bloguera por criticar al Gobierno

30.06.2017 Ismael Arana (El Mundo) - Una popular bloguera vietnamita fue condenada ayer jueves a 10 años de prisión tras ser declarada culpable de criticar al Gobierno y distribuir propaganda contra el Estado, una sentencia que ha provocado las críticas de gobiernos extranjeros y organizaciones internacionales de derechos humanos.La condenada es Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, conocida como "Madre Seta" o "Nam Me" en vietnamita, una popular activista que lleva años escribiendo sobre derechos humanos, la muerte de civiles custodiados por la Policía y desastres naturales provocados por los humanos, como el peligroso vertido de una empresa taiwanesa que el año pasado mató a millones de peces en el país asiático. [seguir leyendo]

Viet Nam: blogger Me Nam sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment

29.06.2017 (PEN) - PEN International condemns the conviction of blogger and government critic Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, also known by her pen name Me Nam (‘Mother Mushroom’), on 29 June 2017. Me Nam, who has been detained since her arrest in October 2016, was convicted of “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam” under Article 88 of the Penal Code and sentenced to 10 years in prison. PEN International believes that Me Nam is being targeted for peacefully exercising her right to freedom of expression. PEN International calls on the Vietnamese authorities to quash Me Nam’s conviction and release her immediately and unconditionally, in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Viet Nam is a state party. [read more]

Vietnam sentences prominent blogger to 10 years in prison

29.06.2017 (AP) - HANOI, Vietnam -- A prominent Vietnamese blogger was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of distorting government policies and defaming the Communist regime in Facebook posts and in interviews with foreign media, her lawyer said.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, also known as "Mother Mushroom," was sentenced at the end of a one-day trial in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, lawyer Vo An Don said.

Quynh, 37, co-founded a network of bloggers and is very popular in Vietnam. She has written about human rights, civilian deaths in police custody and the release of toxic chemicals by a Taiwanese-owned factory that killed thousands of fish in one of Vietnam's worst environmental disasters. [read more]

Prominente vietnamesische Bloggerin verurteilt

29.06.2017 (DW) - Eine der bekanntesten vietnamesischen Bloggerinnen, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, besser bekannt unter ihrem Pseudonym Me Nam ("Mutter Pilz"), ist wegen Propaganda gegen den Staat zu zehn Jahren Haft verurteilt worden.

Die Staatsanwaltschaft hatte die 37-jährige Bloggerin nach Paragraph 88 des vietnamesischen Strafgesetzbuches angeklagt. Mit einer Verurteilung zu zehn Jahren Gefängnis hat das Gericht fast das Höchstmaß verhängt.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh veröffentlicht ihre Beiträge sowohl auf Facebook als auch auf Internetplattformen, die im Ausland betrieben werden, und machte auf soziale Ungerechtigkeiten und Umweltskandale aufmerksam. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: 10 ans de prison pour une blogueuse dissidente

29.06.2017 (L'Orient-Le Jour) - Une dissidente et blogueuse vietnamienne, connue sous le nom de Me Nam ou "Mère champignon", a été condamnée jeudi à dix années de prison pour propagande antiétatique malgré une campagne internationale appelant à sa libération.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, 37 ans, qui s'était souvent exprimée sur son blog sur les scandales environnementaux récents et les droits de l'homme dans son pays, avait été arrêtée en octobre 2016.

Les journalistes de l'AFP n'ont pas été autorisés à assister au procès dans la province de Khanh Hoa, mais d'après les images qui circulaient sur les réseaux sociaux de nombreux policiers avaient été placés autour du tribunal. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam: Zehn Jahre Gefängnis für Bloggerin

29.06.2017 (ORF) - Eine prominente Bloggerin ist in Vietnam wegen staatsfeindlicher Propaganda am Donnerstag zu zehn Jahren Haft verurteilt worden.

Die 38-jährige Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, hatte die Regierung für ihren Umgang mit einer Umweltkatastrophe des Stahlkonzerns Formosa Ha Tinh Steel kritisiert, dabei waren im Frühjahr 2016 an der Nordküste des Landes giftige Abwässer ins Meer gelangt und hatten ein massenhaftes Fischsterben verursacht. Die als "Mother Mushroom" bekannte Bloggerin war im Oktober verhaftet worden. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: une blogueuse dissidente condamnée à dix ans de prison

29.06.2017 (RFI) - Une dissidente et blogueuse vietnamienne, connue sous le nom de Me Nam ou «Mère champignon», a été condamnée jeudi 29 juin à dix années de prison pour propagande antiétatique, malgré une campagne internationale appelant à sa libération.

Arrêtée en octobre 2016, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, 37 ans, s’exprimait sur son blog sur les scandales environnementaux récents et les droits de l'homme dans son pays. Après une journée de procès à huis clos dans le centre du pays communiste, le tribunal a estimé qu'elle avait nui à l'unité nationale, érodé la confiance populaire dans le gouvernement et sapé la sécurité nationale

Avant le verdict, Quynh qui est restée calme tout au long du procès, a envoyé un message à ses deux enfants et à sa mère. « Elle s'est excusée auprès de sa mère et des deux enfants pour les conséquences que cela a eues sur eux, mais leur a dit qu'ils devaient être très fiers d'elle », a déclaré son avocat. [en savoir plus]

'Mother Mushroom': Top Vietnamese blogger jailed for 10 years

29.06.2017 (BBC) - One of Vietnam's top bloggers has been jailed for 10 years for distributing propaganda against the state.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, who is known as Mother Mushroom, was found guilty after a one-day trial in the central province of Khanh Hoa.

Her lawyer told the BBC she had 15 days to appeal.

In 2015, she received an award from the Sweden-based Civil Rights Defenders and earlier this year she was awarded the International Women of Courage Award by the US State Department. [read more]

Vietnam jails prominent activist for propaganda against state

29.06.2017 (Reuters) - A Vietnamese court jailed a prominent blogger for 10 years on Thursday for publishing propaganda against the state, her lawyer said, the latest crackdown on critics of the Communist Party.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, 37, known as "Me Nam" (Mother Mushroom), was found guilty at a full-day trial by a court in central province of Khanh Hoa, six months after she was arrested for posting anti-state reports, including one about civilians dying in police custody.

Despite sweeping reforms in Vietnam's economy and increasing openness towards social change, including gay, lesbian and transgender rights, the Communist Party retains tight media censorship and zero tolerance for criticism. [read more]

Vietnam puts prominent blogger on trial for anti-state acts

29.06.2017 (AP) - HANOI, Vietnam -- A lawyer says a prominent Vietnamese blogger is being tried for her Facebook posts that prosecutors say distorted government policies and defamed the regime.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, who is known as Mother Mushroom, was accused of conducting propaganda against the Communist government, an offense that carries up to 12 years in prison.

Lawyer Le Van Luan said prosecutors proposed a sentence of eight to 10 years in prison for Quynh, who maintained her innocence in the Thursday morning proceedings.

Security around the courthouse in south central Khanh Hoa province was tight. [read more]

Vietnam blogger 'Mother Mushroom' on trial

29.06.2017 (dailymail) - A prominent Vietnamese blogger known as 'Mother Mushroom' went on trial Thursday for anti-state propaganda, a court clerk said, as rights groups decried the charges as "outrageous" and demanded her immediate release.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, whose penname derives from her daughter's nickname "mushroom", was arrested in October 2016 for critical Facebook posts about politics and the environment. [read more]

In Vietnam beginnt Prozess gegen prominente Bloggerin

29.06.2017 (Salzburger Nachrichten) - In Vietnam muss sich eine preisgekrönte Aktivistin und Bloggerin wegen angeblich staatsfeindlicher Kommentare vor Gericht verantworten. Der Prozess gegen Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh beginne am Donnerstag, teilte die Mutter der Angeklagten am Mittwoch mit.

Die Behörden werfen der Frau vor, mit ihren kritischen Einträgen bei Facebook und in einem Blog die Wahrheit verzerrt und die Öffentlichkeit zum Widerstand gegen die kommunistische Regierung angestiftet zu haben. [Weiterlesen]

Who is Mother Mushroom? Blogger accused of propaganda against Vietnam goes on trial

29.06.2017 By Divya Kishore (IBT) - Prominent Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, who is accused of spreading propaganda against the state through her Facebook and blog posts, has gone on trial.

Government authorities have alleged that the 38-year-old blogger, who writes under the pen name Me Nam or Mother Mushroom, had published anti-state comments. They have also alleged that Nguyen had tarnished the image of country's leaders through her posts.

The trial of Mother Mushroom came after she was detained in October 2016 when she visited a fellow activist in prison. Police arrested her by pressing charges in accordance with article 88 of the country's penal code. [read more]

Vietnam: Free Blogger ‘Mother Mushroom’ !

28.06.2017 (HRW) - New York – Vietnam should immediately free Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh (also known as “Mother Mushroom”) and drop all charges against her, Human Rights Watch said today. Police arrested her in October 2016, and pressed a charge of “conducting propaganda against the state” in accordance with article 88 of the penal code. The People’s Court of Khanh Hoa province plans to hear her case on June 29, 2017.

“It’s outrageous to put Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh on trial simply for using her right to free expression to call for government reform and accountability,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.  [read more]

Pham Minh Hoang: au Vietnam, «nous vivons dans une dictature» [Exclu RFI]

28.06.2017 Par Juliette Gheerbrant (RFI) - Le dissident franco-vietnamien Pham Minh Hoang est arrivé à Paris dimanche 25 juin après avoir été privé de sa nationalité vietnamienne et expulsé du pays par le régime à parti unique. Une mesure qualifiée de violation patente des droits de l'homme par Human Rights Watch. Le Vietnam est un pays où les opposants sont fréquemment emprisonnés, mais le blogueur et ancien professeur de mathématiques de 62 ans est le premier à se voir retirer sa nationalité. Pham Minh Hoang n'a pas eu le temps de saluer sa famille quand la police a fait irruption chez lui samedi soir pour le conduire à l'aéroport. RFI a recueilli son témoignage. [en savoir plus]

Nations lose every time rights are denied

27.06.2017 By The Nation (The Nation, Bangkok) - In their intolerance of valid criticism, Vietnam and Laos are only hurting themselves.

The governments of Laos and Vietnam have only hampered their countries’ progress by, in the first case, slapping three activists with harsh prison sentences and, in the second, stripping a mathematician of his citizenship. In both cases, talented people who could have benefited their homelands have been cast aside. Their nations’ futures have been denied their respective gifts because they criticised the ruling regimes – both of which claim to be socialist in nature. They should instead be upholding socialism’s methodology of encouraging critiques to strengthen government and society.

Vietnam ratified the same UN convention in September 1982, and yet has an appalling record on rights. In the latest case, sparking international outrage, blogger Pham Minh Hoang was stripped of his citizenship and deported to France, where he’d lived a long time. Hanoi saw the former mathematician as an enemy because of his calls for democracy, but he surely represented no threat to the government.

In Vietnam, as in Laos (and, yes, Thailand), freedom of expression ought to be a fundamental right, and if given even guarded leeway can bring much benefit to society. Smart leaders know that a country cannot be built except on a foundation of respect for the people. [read more]

Vietnam expels dissident blogger to France

26.06.2017 (RSF) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is deeply shocked to learn that Pham Minh Hoang, a blogger and champion of the fight for free speech in Vietnam, was expelled from the country of his birth on Saturday night.

In an unprecedented move designed to silence a leading dissident, the Vietnamese authorities put Hoang, 62, on a flight to France, where he acquired French citizenship while studying and working there for 28 years before returning to Vietnam in 2000. [read more]

L’expulsion indigne du blogueur dissident Pham Minh Hoang vers la France

26.06.2017 (RSF) - Figure emblématique de la lutte pour la liberté d’expression au Vietnam, Pham Minh Hoang a été expulsé du Vietnam, son pays natal, vers la France dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche. L’organisation Reporters sans frontières (RSF) est profondément choquée par cette mesure sans précédent qui a pour but de faire taire une voix dissidente.

Après l’avoir déchu de sa nationalité vietnamienne le 17 mai dernier puis arrêté à son domicile vendredi, le gouvernement vietnamien a contraint le blogueur-dissident Pham Minh Hoang, à monter dans un avion pour Paris. [en savoir plus]

Deported Vietnamese-French blogger arrives in Paris

25.06.2017 (RFI) - A Vietnamese dissident blogger with dual French citizenship arrived in Paris on Sunday after he was stripped of his birth nationality by authorities in the one-party state and deported.

Former math lecturer Pham Minh Hoang was put on a plane to Paris late Saturday, weeks after his Vietnamese citizenship was revoked -- a rare move that has sparked outrage among critics of the communist government who accuse it of quashing dissent by any means available.

Hoang said police surrounded his house on Friday night and took him away with no prior warning. He met French consular officials and a lawyer before his deportation but was unable to say goodbye to his wife Le Thi Kieu Oanh. "I feel totally defeated... when my husband left, I couldn't say any farewell words, I also feel very angry," Oanh told AFP. [read more]

Le blogueur franco-vietnamien Pham Minh Hoang expulsé en France

25.06.2017 (France24) - Un blogueur franco-vietnamien accusé de porter atteinte à l'image du régime à parti unique a été déchu de sa nationalité vietnamienne et expulsé samedi en France, une première dans l'histoire récente.

Le blogueur dissident franco-vietnamien Pham Minh Hoang est arrivé à Paris dimanche 25 juin après avoir été privé de sa nationalité vietnamienne et expulsé samedi par le régime à parti unique. Le Vietnam est un pays où les opposants sont fréquemment emprisonnés, mais cet ancien professeur de mathématiques de 62 ans est le premier dissident de l'histoire récente à se voir retirer sa nationalité.

Il a raconté avoir été emmené par la police vendredi. Il a pu rencontrer des membres du consulat de France et un avocat mais n'a pu dire au revoir à sa femme, Le Thi Kieu Oanh. "Je suis totalement accablée. Quand mon mari est parti, je n'ai pas pu lui dire au revoir, je suis aussi très en colère", a déclaré celle-ci à l'AFP. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam blogger Pham Minh Hoang deported to France

25.06.2017 (BBC) - A French-Vietnamese dissident blogger has been deported to France after losing his nationality of birth. Pham Minh Hoang served a jail sentence after being convicted in 2011 over articles that "blackened the image of the country". Hoang, 62, was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday after losing his appeal against deportation.

It is rare for dual-nationals to lose the nationality of their country of origin. US-based Human Rights Watch called the move "unprecedented and shocking".

After arriving in Paris on Sunday, Hoang described how Vietnamese police had surrounded his house and taken him away with no prior warning. He was allowed to meet French consular officials but could not say goodbye to his wife, Le Thi Kieu Oanh. [read more]

Un dissident franco-vietnamien expulsé en France

25.06.2017 (Romandie) - Paris - Un blogueur dissident franco-vietnamien est arrivé à Paris dimanche après avoir été privé de sa nationalité vietnamienne et expulsé par le régime à parti unique.

Le Vietnam est un pays où les opposants sont fréquemment emprisonnés, mais Pham Minh Hoang, 62 ans, est le premier dissident de l'histoire récente à se voir retirer sa nationalité vietnamienne.

Au Vietnam, blogueurs, avocats et militants accusés d'activités antigouvernementales séjournent régulièrement derrière les barreaux. Les médias sont détenus par l'Etat mais depuis quelques années, les dissidents se servent des réseaux sociaux pour faire entendre leur voix. [en savoir plus]

La Policía de Vietnam detiene a un activista crítico con el régimen y anuncia su deportación

23.06.2017 (Europa Press) - HANOI (Reuters/EP) - La Policía de Vietnam ha detenido este viernes y deportará este sábado a Pham Minh Hoang, un conocido activista y profesor con doble ciudadanía --vietnamita y francesa-- hasta que el régimen de Hanoi se la revocó el mes pasado, según declaraciones de su mujer.

La mujer de Hoang, Le Thi Kieu Oanh, ha contado que la Policía entró a la casa de la pareja en Ho Chi Minh este viernes para un registro rutinario. Sin embargo, después forzó a Hoang a salir y comunicó que iba a ser deportado al día siguiente. [seguir leyendo]

Trump administration fails to call out Vietnam on its dismal human rights record

22.06.2017 (Washington Post) - PRESIDENT TRUMP met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last month to discuss trade and security issues. In their public statements about the visit, one topic got short shrift: human rights.

This was a glaring lapse. Vietnam has a long history of stifling dissent and cracking down on political activists. The State Department’s Vietnam 2016 Human Rights Report called the country an “authoritarian state.” Freedom House gives it the lowest possible rating on political rights and classifies it as “not free.”

The joint statement released by the White House after the visit lauded Vietnam for its “ongoing efforts to refine its legal system to better protect and promote human rights for everyone.” That is laughable; Vietnam has done just the opposite.  [read more]

What’s Behind Vietnam’s Rising Violence?

22.06.2017 By David Hutt (The Diplomat) - The rise of physical violence committed against activists is a troubling trend.

A recent report by Human Rights Watch, “No Country for Human Rights Activists: Assaults on Bloggers and Democracy Campaigners in Vietnam”, documents the rise of physical violence committed against activists, mainly by plain-clothed “thugs,” some of whom may be police or soldiers, and most of whom target their victims in very public place.

The use of paid (one assumes) bullies to attack activists, however, is different from the use of security agents to spy on or arrest dissidents. When an activist is threatened by the police or military, at least he recognizes his attacker.

The use of plain-clothed attackers is different. It’s dishonest. It’s cowardly. The removal of a police or military uniform (if that is the case) before an attack is an effort to distance the boss from the violence. Not only that, it is an attempt to say: the regime isn’t against activists, fellow citizens are. [read more]

Viet Nam: charges against blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh must be dropped

22.06.2017 (PEN) - PEN International calls on the Vietnamese authorities to drop all charges against blogger and government critic Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, also known by her pen name Me Nam (‘Mother Mushroom’), ahead of her trial, which is expected to take place on 29 June 2017. Me Nam has been held in incommunicado detention since her arrest in October 2016, on charges of “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam” under Article 88 of the Penal Code. [read more]

Vietnam: New Law Threatens Right to a Defense

21.06.2017 (HRW) - (New York) – Revised Penal Code Requires Lawyers Report on Clients, Penalizes Free Speech - Vietnam should immediately repeal a provision in its revised penal code that would hold lawyers criminally responsible for not reporting clients to the authorities for a number of crimes, Human Rights Watch said today. The revised code also contains a number of changes heightening criminal penalties against criticism of the government or Vietnam’s one-party state.

“Requiring lawyers to violate lawyer-client confidentiality will mean that lawyers become agents of the state and clients won’t have any reason to trust their lawyers,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “Vietnam considers any criticism or opposition to the government or Communist Party to be a ‘national security’ matter – this will undermine any possibility of real legal defense in such cases.” [read more]

"Politik ist nicht kompliziert"

21.06.2017 Rodion Ebbighausen (DW) - Die vietnamesische Sängerin und Aktivistin Mai Khoi engagiert sich für Menschenrechte und Meinungsfreiheit. Sie trat auf dem Global Media Forum der DW auf. Hier spricht sie über ihr politisches Engagement.

Vietnam ist ein junges und dynamisches Land. 40 Prozent der etwa 90 Millionen Vietnamesen sind 24 Jahre alt oder jünger.

Weniger jung und dynamisch ist die Politik des Landes. Die Kommunistische Partei Vietnams (KPV) ist länger an der Macht als jede andere Kommunistische Partei der Welt. Die KPV duldet keine politischen Kräfte neben sich. Ältere Parteikader warnen seit längerem vor einer "friedlichen Evolution" hin zu einem pluralistischeren System, die das Machtmonopol der KPV untergraben könnte.

Die Deutsche Welle lud die Sängerin und Aktivistin ein, um auf dem Global Media Forum 2017 zu sprechen und den Freedom of Speech Award musikalisch zu begleiten. [Weiterlesen]

Report: Vietnamese activists under constant threat of violence

21.06.2017 Abby Seiff, Hanoi (DW) - An alarming new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) details dozens of violent assaults on rights activists and bloggers in Vietnam. State security services are also implicated in contributing to violent repression.

Nguyen Thi Thai Lai looks straight at the camera and composes herself. Beneath her glasses, her eyes fill with tears. A welt covers her right cheek. After a long pause, the environmental activist begins recounting what happened to her.

"Four young guys as stocky as water buffalos blocked my bike, grabbed my neck and threw me to the ground. They hit my face until I was unconscious," she said in a video posted to Facebook live in February and translated by HRW. [read more]

Vietnam Uses Thugs as Surrogates to Keep Citizens in Line, Report Says

20.06.2017 (Asia Sentinel) - All over Vietnam, young toughs are being employed as a sort of police auxiliary who administer beatings to citizens that the national police aren’t yet ready to arrest, or perhaps would rather not arrest, according to a new report issued on June 19 by the New York-based Human Rights Watch NGO.

The report, titled “No Country for Human Rights Activists,” focuses on assaults on civil rights activists. In numbing detail, it recounts incident after incident: people dragged off buses, waylaid on their way to demonstrations or meetings with reporters, besieged in their own homes.  Photos document their injuries: bruises mostly, caking blood, and the occasional broken arm or leg. [read more]

Vietnam verweigerte Besuch bei inhaftiertem Menschenrechtler

19.06.2017 Martin Patzelt (martin-patzelt.de) - Mit ausdrücklicher Unterstützung des Deutschen Bundestages habe ich zusammen mit meinem Bundestagskollegen Philipp Lengsfeld als Vertreter des Ausschusses für Menschenrechte und humanitäre Hilfe im Juni 2017 die Volksrepublik Vietnam besucht. Kernanliegen war die Unterstützung von Menschenrechtsaktivisten, für die wir uns u.a. im Rahmen des Programms „Parlamentarier schützen Parlamentarier“ des Deutschen Bundestags einsetzen und Solidarität üben.

Mein Kollege Lengsfeld unterstützt den Rechtsanwalt Le Quoc Quan, der inzwischen aus der Haft entlassen ist, aber nach wie vor unter dem Druck der Behörden steht. Ich persönlich setze mich für den Blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh ein, der nach wie vor im Gefängnis sitzt. [Weiterlesen]

Gezielte Gewalt gegen Blogger in Vietnam

19.06.2017 (Die Tagespost) - Die Menschenrechtsorganisation Human Rights Watch prangert systematische Gewalt gegen Demokratie-Aktivisten in Vietnam an. Insbesondere Blogger und Menschenrechtler seien das Ziel körperlicher und verbaler Attacken, kritisierte die Organisation in einem am Montag veröffentlichten Bericht. Allein zwischen Januar 2015 und April 2017 hat Human Rights Watch landesweit 36 solcher Fälle dokumentiert, in denen die Betroffenen von Unbekannten in Zivil angegriffen und geschlagen wurden. Oft seien die Opfer dabei schwer verletzt worden. Viele berichteten, sie seien in aller Öffentlichkeit oder vor den Augen uniformierter Polizisten attackiert worden. Letztere hätten nichts getan, um einzuschreiten. [Weiterlesen]

Rights group condemns attacks on Vietnamese activists

19.06.2017 (Daily Mail) - HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - An international human rights group has condemned attacks on Vietnamese bloggers and activists by unknown assailants and urged the government to carry out impartial investigations and bring those responsible to justice.

New York-based Human Rights Watch in a report released Monday highlighted 36 assaults that took place with apparent impunity between January 2015 and April 2017. [read more]

Vietnam dissidents beaten, harassed by 'thugs': rights group

19.06.2017 (france24) - Plainclothes 'thugs' suspected of having links to Vietnam's government have attacked dozens of dissidents since 2015 in a bid to silence critics in the one-party state, Human Rights Watch and activists said.

Freedom of expression is severely restricted in communist Vietnam, where independent media is banned and dissidents are routinely thrown in jail.

The government also has a long history of harassing bloggers and activists, with awareness of violent attacks growing in recent years as dissidents turn to social media to share accounts of bloody wounds and bruised limbs. [read more]

Vietnam: End Attacks on Activists and Bloggers

19.06.2017 (HRW) - (New York) – Vietnamese bloggers and rights activists are being beaten, threatened, and intimidated with impunity, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Vietnamese government should order an end to all attacks and hold those responsible accountable. Donor governments should tell the Vietnamese authorities to end the crackdown, and that repressing internet freedom, peaceful speech, and activism will carry consequences.

The 65-page report, “No Country for Human Rights Activists: Assaults on Bloggers and Democracy Campaigners in Vietnam,” highlights 36 incidents in which unknown men in civilian clothes beat rights campaigners and bloggers between January 2015 and April 2017, often resulting in serious injuries. Many victims reported that beatings occurred in the presence of uniformed police who did nothing to intervene. [read more]

Vietnam : Mettre un terme aux attaques contre les activistes et les blogueurs

Des défenseurs des droits humains sont régulièrement agressés à travers le pays

19.06.2017 (HRW) - (New York) – Des blogueurs et des activistes vietnamiens subissent passages à tabac, menaces et intimidations en toute impunité, a déclaré Human Rights Watch dans un rapport publié aujourd’hui. Le gouvernement vietnamien devrait faire cesser toutes les agressions et veiller à ce que les responsables en répondent devant la justice. Quant aux gouvernements qui octroient des dons au pays, ils devraient intimer aux autorités vietnamiennes de mettre fin à cette vague de répressions en leur rappelant que réprimer la liberté d’aller sur Internet, de s’exprimer de façon pacifique et de militer pourra avoir des retombées négatives.

Le rapport de 65 pages, intitulé « No Country for Human Rights Activists: Assaults on Bloggers and Democracy Campaigners in Vietnam » (« Ce n’est pas un pays pour les militants des droits humains : Attaques contre des blogueurs et défenseurs de la démocratie au Vietnam »),  met en lumière 36 incidents lors desquels des hommes inconnus en civil ont tabassé des  [en savoir plus]

Vietnam: Angriffe auf Aktivisten und Blogger beenden

Landesweit systematische, aggressive Übergriffe auf Rechtsaktivisten

19.06.2017 (HRW) - (New York) – Vietnamesische Blogger und Rechtsaktivisten werden in einem Klima der Straflosigkeit verprügelt, bedroht und eingeschüchtert, so Human Rights Watch in einem heute veröffentlichten Bericht. Die vietnamesische Regierung soll sämtlichen Angriffen ein Ende setzen und die Verantwortlichen zur Rechenschaft ziehen. Geberländer sollen die vietnamesischen Behörden auffordern, die gewaltsame Unterdrückung zu beenden, und deutlich machen, dass Angriffe gegen die Internetfreiheit, friedliche Rede und gewaltloses Engagement Konsequenzen haben.

Der 65-seitige Bericht „No Country for Human Rights Activists: Assaults on Bloggers and Democracy Campaigners in Vietnam“ untersucht 36 Vorfälle im Zeitraum Januar 2015 bis April 2017, bei denen unbekannte Männer in Zivil Rechtsaktivisten und Blogger verprügelten und die Betroffenen oft schwer verletzten. Viele Opfer berichteten, dass sich die Angriffe in Anwesenheit uniformierter Polizisten ereigneten, die nicht eingriffen. [Weiterlesen]

On The Run, Vietnam's 'Most Wanted' Green Blogger Tells VOA He's Safe

16.06.2017 (VOA) - WASHINGTON — Vietnam’s most wanted human rights and environmental activist, Bach Hong Quyen, is safe and considering taking up residence outside his homeland, he told VOA's Vietnamese service after weeks on the run from authorities who issued a warrant for him in May.

“I feel quite safe,” Quyen said earlier this week, speaking to VOA from an undisclosed location. “I don’t think the Vietnamese police can find me." [read more]

Property disputes are Vietnam’s biggest political problem

15.06.2017 (The Economist) - FOR years residents of Dong Tam, a village on the edge of Vietnam’s capital, have fought for the right to continue tending farms on land earmarked for military development. Their patience evaporated in April, when authorities arrested a group of elders whom they had chosen to press their case with the government. The villagers overpowered dozens of policemen who had been sent to secure the settlement, holding them captive in a municipal hall (pictured above). Supporters blocked nearby lanes with rubble, and at least one hothead threatened to set the hall on fire.

It is especially problematic in Vietnam, a one-party state where the government grants usage-rights but insists all land belongs to the state. Compensation for forcible acquisitions is far below market rates.

Too often authorities have resorted to roughing up hold-outs in land disputes, even when resistance is peaceful. In September a court in the capital handed a 20-month jail sentence to Can Thi Theu, a well-known land-rights campaigner who has been banged up once before. [read more]

Vietnam Extends Detention of Blogger 'Mother Mushroom'

15.06.2017 (RFA) - Vietnamese authorities have extended the detention of activist and blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, often known as blogger Mother Mushroom, and kept her incommunicado, her mother told RFA’s Vietnamese Service on Thursday.

Quynh, who was honored this year with the U.S. State Department’s International Woman of Courage Award for her work highlighting rights abuses and promoting peaceful dissent in the one-party communist state, has been held incommunicado since her arrest by Vietnamese authorities last October.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Lan, Quynh’s mother, said that since her daughter was arrested she has been followed constantly and blocked while walking by authorities as well as men in plainclothes.

Authorities have said Quynh is being detained on charges of "propaganda against the state" under article 88 of the Vietnam Penal Code. [read more]

Vietnam defends decision to revoke dissident's citizenship

15.06.2017 (Reuters) - Vietnam on Thursday defended its decision to revoke the citizenship of French-Vietnamese dissident Pham Minh Hoang, a former political prisoner who is accused of breaking the law and threatening state security.

The 62-year-old mathematics lecturer was told of the decision last week, drawing criticism from human rights groups. The government has not said exactly what he is accused of.

"The removal of citizenship was conducted in accordance with the provisions of Vietnamese law," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang. [read more]

Vietnam defiende la decisión de eliminar la ciudadanía a un disidente

15.06.2017 (Europa Press) - Vietnam ha defendido este jueves su decisión de anular la ciudadanía del disidente franco-vietnamita Pham Minh Hoang, un ex preso político acusado de infringir la ley y amenazar la seguridad del Estado.

El académico de matemáticas de 62 años, fue informado de la decisión la semana pasada lo que ha generado críticas de los grupos de Derecho Humanos. El Gobierno aún no ha dicho de qué se le acusa exactamente.

"La eliminación de la ciudadanía se llevó a cabo en concordancia con las disposiciones de la ley vietnamita", ha explicado la portavoz del ministro de Exteriores, Le Thi Thu Hang [seguir leyendo]

Vietnamese Police Pursue Criminal Probe of Dong Tam Villagers in Land Standoff

13.06.2017 (RFA) - Vietnamese police on Tuesday began a criminal investigation of farmers in Dong Tam village, despite a promise by Hanoi’s mayor not to prosecute them as a result of hostage-release negotiations during an April standoff between villagers and the local government, sources with knowledge of the situation said on Tuesday.

The investigation is focusing on the illegal detention of 38 police officers and officials and acts of vandalism allegedly committed by farmers after a clash over the government’s seizure of land in Dong Tam village in Hanoi's My Duc district, according to a local media report.

A Dong Tam resident who spoke to RFA’s Vietnamese Service on condition of anonymity said residents of the village in Hanoi’s My Duc district are on edge about what will happen next. [read more]

Jailed Vietnamese pastor punished after US visit

Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh confined after describing harsh prison treatment to American officials

13.06.2017 (UCANews) - An evangelical pastor imprisoned in southeast Vietnam is being held in a cramped confined space as punishment for telling a visiting U.S. diplomatic delegation about abuses he has suffered.

Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh gave officials from the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City details on May 25 on how officials have treated him at Xuan Loc Prison, Dong Nai Province, said his wife Tran Thi Hong.

"Chinh said on the previous day, prison officials informed him about the meeting and asked him not to tell the visitors anything that would make them look bad," said Hong who visited her husband June 7. [read more]

Vietnam Formally Charges Blogger Activist Honored by US

13.06.2017 An Hai (VOA) - Me Nam, or Mother Mushroom, the Vietnamese blogger who received the International Women of Courage Award from first lady Melania Trump in March has been formally charged by the Hanoi government for the very activities that earned her the honor, VOA Vietnamese reported.

The government charged Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, aka Mother Mushroom, with three criminal counts under Article 88 — "conducting propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam." The vaguely worded law has drawn international denunciation for the power it gives the government to suppress dissent.

Quynh began blogging as Mother Mushroom in 2006. Among her recent campaigns, she blogged about the government's handling of a chemical spill at a Taiwanese-owned steel plant in the central Vietnam city of Ha Tinh. The spill killed 80 tons of fish, embarrassing and worrying the Vietnamese government as images of dead fish stacked on pristine beaches went viral worldwide and fishing communities lost their livelihood. [read more]

Vietnam entzieht Blogger Staatsbürgerschaft

13.06.2017 (heise) - Pham Minh Hoang wurde vor sechs Jahren bereits wegen regierungskritischer Online-Beiträge zu drei Jahren Haft verurteilt. Nun verliert er die vietnamesische Staatsbürgerschaft.

Wegen Propaganda gegen die Regierung hat Vietnam einem prominenten Blogger die Staatsbürgerschaft entzogen. Der Präsident des kommunistischen Ein-Parteien-Staates, Tran Dai Quang, teilte dem ehemaligen Universitätslehrer Pham Minh Hoang die Entscheidung in einem Brief mit, den Hoang auf Facebook dokumentiert. Der 59-Jährige kündigte am Dienstag an, juristisch dagegen vorzugehen. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam, el verdugo silencioso

13.06.2017 Eric San Juan (El Mundo) - Los números publicados por el régimen comunista de Vietnam lo sitúan como el tercer mayor verdugo del planeta, solo por detrás de China e Irán, unos datos mucho más altos de los que barajaban los observadores internacionales.

Un informe del Ministerio de Seguridad Pública vietnamita indica que entre el 6 de agosto de 2013 y el 30 de junio de 2016 fueron ejecutados 429 presos en el país asiático, unos números únicamente superados en ese periodo por China, con más de 3.000 ejecuciones, e Irán, con 567, según datos de Amnistía Internacional.

"La magnitud de las ejecuciones en Vietnam en los últimos años es realmente escandalosa. Este mecanismo de ejecución en serie eclipsa por completo las recientes reformas relacionadas con la pena de muerte. Cabe preguntarse cuántas personas más han sido víctimas de la pena de muerte sin que el mundo lo sepa", denunció en un comunicado Shalil Shetty, secretario general de Amnistía Internacional. [seguir leyendo]

Hoa Hao Buddhists Under House Arrest Amid Religious Anniversary

12.06.2017 (RFA) - Several members of an unsanctioned sect of Hoa Hao Buddhism are being kept under de facto house arrest by unidentified men in Vietnam and denied access to social media as they mark the 78th anniversary of their religion’s founding, one of the people targeted in the crackdown said Monday.

According to a follower of the unofficial Hoa Hao group in southern Vietnam’s An Giang province, he and “several others” around the country have been held at their homes for days by men they believe were hired by local authorities in the lead up to the anniversary, which falls on June 12 this year. [read more]

Vietnam revokes citizenship of French dual-national dissident

11.06.2017 (RFI) - Vietnam has stripped a French-Vietnamese former political prisoner and mathematics lecturer of his citizenship. Pham Minh Hoang is accused of tarnishing the country's image with a series of articles which authorities said were aimed at overthrowing the government.

The 62-year-old, who has dual nationality, was sentenced to three years in jail for attempted subversion in 2011 but was released after 17 months and ordered to serve three years' house arrest.

Since his release he has continued to publish articles he describes as "peaceful" but critical of the government on social media. [read more]

Vandals Target Vietnam Church Known For Anti-Formosa Sentiment

07.06.2017 (RFA) - Two unidentified men vandalized a Catholic church Wednesday in Vietnam’s Nghe An province that has been targeted several times after members of its congregation criticized the government’s handling of a devastating toxic waste spill off the country’s coast last year, sources said.

According to a resident of Son Hai commune, in Nghe An’s Quynh Luu district, and video footage obtained by RFA’s Vietnamese Service, the two men approached the gate outside of Van Thai church before dawn on Wednesday and began hurling stones at the building.

One of the men then proceeded to urinate on the gate and entryway to the church, which belongs to the Van Thai sub-parish of Song Ngoc parish, whose priests have led protests against Hanoi’s settlement with the Taiwan-owned Formosa steel plant over its toxic waste spill in April 2016. [read more]

Vietnam : French-Vietnamese blogger threatened with expulsion

07.06.2017 (RSF) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is extremely concerned about the Vietnamese government’s declared intention to expel Pham Minh Hoang, an outspoken blogger who has French as well as Vietnamese nationality. RSF condemns this persecution of Hoang and urges the French authorities to give him their support.

RSF is appalled by this latest Vietnamese Communist Party attempt to intimidate and silence dissidents. Hoang’s announced expulsion is unjustified and out of all proportion. The authorities must reverse this decision, which is typical of the blatant way they harass all those who raise controversial issues. [read more]

Vietnam Strips French-Vietnamese Professor of Citizenship: French Officials

06.06.2017 (RFA) - Vietnam’s government has stripped French-Vietnamese professor and former political prisoner Pham Minh Hoang of his citizenship against his will, throwing his right to stay in his home country into limbo, according to French consular officials.

Hoang, who is also a French citizen, was recently invited to the French consulate in Vietnam’s economic capital Ho Chi Minh City, where he currently lives, and told an order had been signed by the central government in Hanoi.

“The French consul general invited me to discuss some issues and said there was very bad news for me—that the Vietnamese government on May 17 had signed a decision to strip my citizenship,” he told RFA’s Vietnamese Service. [read more]

State of secrecy on death row in Vietnam

26.05.2017 Lauren Farrow, Australian Associated Press (The Australian) - Vietnam has been revealed to be the third-highest global executioner but details of who is on death row and why remains as elusive as ever.

Hidden behind the term "state secrets", Vietnam carries out lethal injections with an unknown cocktail of homemade drugs, while plans to build five new execution centres have stoked fears more deaths are to come. [read more]

VIET NAM: OPEN LETTER ON PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE TRẦN HUỲNH DUY THỨC

23.05.2017 (Amnesty International) - On the 8th anniversary of the arrest of POC Trần Huỳnh Duy Thức – and half way through his 16-year prison sentence – the Directors of 12 Amnesty International offices call for his immediate and unconditional release. The letter also calls on Viet Nam’s prison authorities to ensure that their treatment of Trần Huỳnh Duy Thức adheres strictly, as a minimum, to the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules) so that he is treated with dignity and respect while he is incarcerated. [read more]

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Dissidents’ Movements Blocked Ahead of US-Vietnam Rights Dialogue in Hanoi

23.05.2017 (RFA) - Vietnamese police surrounded the homes of two high-profile dissident bloggers this week in a move to isolate them just days ahead of a human rights dialogue scheduled with U.S. diplomats, family members and other sources said.

One whose home was put under guard, jailed blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, was honored this year with the U.S. State Department’s International Woman of Courage Award for her work highlighting rights abuses and promoting peaceful dissent in the one-party communist state. [read more]

Vietnam: police attack protesters after activist’s arrest

23.05.2017 (Catholic Culture) - A Catholic environmental activist was arrested in Vietnam last week, and when his supporters gathered outside local government offices to demand an explaination, police attacked the crowd.

Father John Baptist Nguyen Dinh Thuc reported that after asking the crowd to disperse, “scored of police rush the crowd to brutalize those who remained.” [read more]

Catholic activist arrested in Vietnam, police beat up protesters

23.05.2017 (La croix International) - Police attacked demonstrators in north-central Vietnam while they were protesting the detention of a Catholic environmental activist.Police attacked protesters who were demanding an explanation for the detention of environmentalist Hoang Duc Binh outside the Public Security Department of Dien Chau district on May 15, said Father John Baptist Nguyen Dinh Thuc of Song Ngoc Parish.Police had earlier told protesters that Binh had been moved to the provincial police station and then ordered the crowd to disperse.To avoid unnecessary violence some priests on the scene asked the crowd to disperse, Father Thuc said. "But after that, scores of police rushed the crowd to brutalize those who remained." [read more]

Vietnam: Human rights blogger among five finalists for human rights award

23.05.2017 (Asian Correspondent) - VIETNAMESE blogger Pham Thanh Nghien has been named one of five finalists for the 2017 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk, an award recognising activists who risk their lives to benefit their communities. Nghien was imprisoned in 2010 for four years as a result of her work publicising violations against and defending the rights of relatives of fishermen killed by Chinese patrols. She is currently under house arrest due to a three year probation period under the charge of conducting propaganda against the state. [read more]

Vietnamese Singer Released From Prison Four Months Early

22.05.2017 (RFA) - A Vietnamese Catholic jailed since 2011 for singing politically sensitive songs was released this week from prison four months before finishing his six-year term, sources said.

Tran Vu Anh Binh was freed on May 21 and returned to his home in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh told RFA’s Vietnamese Service in an interview.

Arrested on Sept. 19, 2011, Binh was sentenced in October 2012 to six years in jail for producing “propaganda against the state” after allegedly contributing to a blog run by Patriot Youth, an overseas political opposition group. [read more]

Blogger Me Nam’s family is surrounded and confined by security police

21.05.2017 (Dân Làm Báo) - The mother of blogger Me Nam has just issued an emergency alert about her family’s situation and safety concerns. Her daughter, blogger Me Nam (Mother Mushroom), Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, who is currently in police custody under Article 88 since October 10, 2016 for interrogation and investigation for peacefully exercising her right to free expression.

On the evening of May 20, 2017, the blogger's house at 24 Dang Tat, Nha Trang was surrounded by over 50 security policemen in both plain clothes and uniforms. [read more]

2017 U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue

19.05.2017 (U.S. State Department) - The 21st session of the U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue will be held May 23 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Virginia Bennett and Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General, Vu Anh Quang, will lead their respective delegations in the Dialogue.

The Dialogue will cover a wide range of human rights issues, including the importance of continued progress on legal reform efforts; rule of law; freedoms of expression, association, and assembly; religious freedom; labor rights; disability rights; anti-discrimination; and multilateral cooperation, as well as individual cases of concern. [read more]

Vietnam police arrest dissident for 'abusing democracy rights'

15.05.2017 by Reuters (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - HANOI, May 15 (Reuters) - Police in Vietnam on Monday arrested a prominent dissident whom they accused of having abused democracy rights to infringe state interests, in the latest effort to crack down on critics in the Communist-ruled country.

Despite sweeping reforms to the economy and growing openness to social change, including gay, lesbian and trans-gender rights, Vietnam's Communist Party retains tight media censorship and zero tolerance of criticism.

Hoang Duc Binh, 34, was arrested in the central province of Nghe An and will be detained for 90 days for opposing duty officers and abusing democracy rights, provincial police said on their official news website. [read more]

Detenido un destacado opositor de Vietnam por "abusar de los derechos democráticos"

15.05.2017 (Noticias de Navarra) - HANOI. La Policía de Vietnam ha detenido este lunes al destacado opositor Hoang Duc Binh por "abusar de los derechos democráticos" perjudicando los intereses del Estado, en el marco de la represión de los críticos con el régimen comunista que gobierna la nación asiática.

Binh, de 34 años, ha sido arrestado en la provincia de Nghe An y permanecerá bajo custodia policial 90 días. Según la Policía, está vinculado a grupos disidentes dedicados a difundir información contra el Gobierno en redes sociales y responsables de las multitudinarias protestas contra la empresa taiwanesa Formosa Plastics. [seguir leyendo]

Catholic media launch appeal for Vietnamese priests defamed by the government

12.05.2017 Peter Đang (AsiaNews) - Hanoi - Two priests from the diocese of Vinh are being targeted by the Vietnamese government. Fr. Đặng Hữu Nam and Fr. Nguyễn Đình Thục are the parish priests of the Phu Yên and Song Ngoc churches. In recent months they have supported their faithful in protests against the government and Formosa Plastics Corporation, the Taiwanese company responsible for the most serious environmental disaster in the country's history. The Vietnamese authorities conducted a defamatory campaign against the two parishioners on all official media, television, radio, and government-controlled newspapers. Faced with this unprecedented attack on their confreres, members of the local clergy have not stood idly by. In a statement signed by many priests, they support Fr. Đặng Hữu Nam and Fr. Nguyễn Đình Thục. The Vietnam Catholic Mass Media Federation takes a stand on the case and issued an official release yesterday in Sydney. [read more] Below is the full statement. [read more]

Vietnam Issues Warrant for Environmental Activist

12.05.2017 An Hai (VOA) - Police in a Vietnamese province where a toxic spill caused a 100-ton fish kill last year have issued a rare "wanted" warrant for influential environmental activist Bach Hong Quyen.

On Friday, a day after police attempted to serve the warrant to his wife at the couple's home in Ha Tinh province, Vietnamese media reported authorities had launched a nationwide manhunt for the 28-year-old activist, who was accused of "disturbing public order" through his organization of an April 3 environmental protest. [read more]

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VIETNAM : Deux prêtres du diocèse de Vinh sont la cible d’une campagne de diffamation orchestrée par les autorités provinciales

11.05.2017 (Églises d'Asie) - Deux prêtres du diocèse de Vinh sont aujourd’hui dans le collimateur des autorités civiles locales. Les deux prêtres, le P. Dang Huu Nam et le P. Nguyên Dinh Thuc, respectivement curés des paroisses de Phu Yên et de Song Ngoc, ont, les mois derniers, pris la tête de la résistance des fidèles catholiques dans leur protestation contre le complexe industriel Formosa, responsable d’une très grave pollution de l’environnement maritime dans la région et contre l’absence ou l’insuffisance d’indemnisation pour certaines des victimes de la catastrophe écologique.

La campagne calomniatrice lancée contre les deux curés de paroisse a été reprise sur tous les médias officiels aussi bien à la télévision, à la radio que sur les journaux contrôlés par le pouvoir. [en savoir plus]

Detained Vietnam Labor Activist in Poor Health: Lawyer

11.05.2017 (RFA) - A human rights defender held in detention for online activism is in poor health and has been refused visits from her family, according to her lawyer, who met with her Thursday for the first time since she was arrested nearly four months ago.

Tran Thi Nga, 40, was arrested on Jan. 21 in Phu Ly, the capital city of northern Vietnam’s Ha Nam province, and charged under Article 88 for “using the internet to spread propaganda videos and writings” against the state.

The labor and land rights activist also known as Thuy Nga faces up to 20 years in prison. [read more]

Social media extends life of resistance for Vietnamese land holders

09.05.2017 Author: John Gillespie, Monash University (East Asia Forum) - In recent weeks, long running land disputes in Vietnam have begun to change shape. On 16 April, villagers in My Duc district on the outskirts of Hanoi held state officials and some police officers hostage. Following a pledge from the city government to investigate their complaints, the hostages were freed.

What has changed in Vietnam is the population’s use of social media, which has allowed citizens to mobilise opposition to land taking and monitor official responses to public protests. [read more]

Netizen Report: Vietnam Says Facebook Will Cooperate with Censorship Requests on Offensive, ‘Fake’ Content

09.05.2017 by Global Voices Advocacy Netizen Report Team (MediaShift) - Vietnamese government officials said on April 26 that Facebook has committed to help local law enforcement prevent and remove from Facebook content that violates the country’s laws against “offensive” and anti-government messages.

According to a government statement, Facebook’s Head of Global Policy Management Monika Bickert and Vietnamese Information and Communication Minister Truong Minh Tuan met in Hanoi and formed an agreement to establish a special channel to coordinate monitoring and removal of content from the platform. The statement also indicated that Facebook had agreed to help remove fake accounts and “fake content”, a designation that could be used to label unflattering news or opinions about government policies or officials. [read more]

The Dong Tam hostage crisis: issues, interests and social media

08.05.2017 Helen Clark (The Strategist) - The Dong Tam hostage crisis in Vietnam’s north recently was a familiar mix of issues: possible corruption, land grabs, furious farmers, and a citizenry watching avidly from Facebook sidelines (they don’t trust their newspapers for this sort of stuff). However, the ending was a new one: the possibility of a fair resolution by the government.

... Farmers have been brutally treated by the central government and provincial governments in the past, and from all reports the treatment of the villagers leading up to this latest outbreak was aggressive, threatening and coercive. However, the hard-done-by farmers are a little like the ‘deserving poor’: as long as they protest, however angrily, but don’t engage in political activism there’s a chance that the full force of the law may not affect them. [read more]

El régimen de Vietnam quiere limitar red social

07.05.2017 (Correo del Sur) - El régimen comunista de Vietnam trata de poner coto a la información que circula por las redes sociales, ya que su control de los medios de comunicación tradicionales ya no es suficiente para frenar la propagación de voces disidentes.

Tras meses de presiones, el Gobierno de Hanoi anunció a finales de abril un acuerdo por el que Facebook se compromete a censurar todo contenido que atente contra las leyes del país y a borrar cuentas falsas o las que publiquen "contenido falso" sobre las autoridades. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam village showdown may mark watershed in land conflicts

05.05.2017 David Brown (Nikkei Asian Review) - Last month, a band of farmers forced their way into the administrative compound of Dong Tam, an ancient village on the fringes of Hanoi, to protest the expropriation of their land. To the astonishment of many observers, Vietnam's communist regime calmed the explosive situation after a protracted standoff by overruling local officials.

On the margins of Vietnam's booming cities, land prices have skyrocketed. Social justice is routinely subverted by developers who are ready to pay officials whatever it takes to clear building sites.

For months, Dong Tam farmers had been locked in confrontation with local authorities over 46 hectares of land adjacent to an obscure military airstrip. On April 15, plainclothes police auxiliaries wrestled an 83-year-old village elder and three other representatives of the farmers into unmarked cars and sped off. The farmers responded by invading the village administrative compound, taking 38 people hostage, including Communist Party officials and policemen. [read more]

Vietnam Issues Arrest Warrant For Activist Blogger

05.05.2017 (RFA) - Authorities in Vietnam have issued a warrant for the arrest of an activist blogger who has drawn attention to the government’s handling of a toxic waste spill last year that devastated the country’s central coast, he and a fellow rights campaigner said Friday.

The warrant to arrest Bach Hong Quyen—a champion of democracy, human rights and the environment—was signed into effect on April 19, fellow activist Thao Teresa told RFA’s Vietnamese Service, adding that Quyen anticipates he could be detained at any time. [read more]

Vietnam Authorities to Probe Attack on Formosa Activist

03.05.2017 (RFA) - Authorities in Vietnam’s commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City will investigate a violent attack on an environmental activist which was filmed and posted to social media by a man believed to have planned the beating, state media reported Wednesday.

Shocking video of the May 2 attack on Hanoi-based activist Le My Hanh and two others at her friend Huong’s home in Ho Chi Minh City surfaced later that day on the Facebook page of a man named Phan Hung, and shows thugs believed hired by local police punching and kicking the women, while calling them “reactionaries.”

Rights lawyer Le Cong Dinh told RFA’s Vietnamese Service Wednesday that Hanh’s case should be prosecuted immediately and expressing regret that authorities had waited more than 24 hours after the assault to act. [read more]

Vietnam Urged to Free Detained Citizen Journalist on World Press Freedom Day

03.05.2017 (RFA) - A group of human rights and internet security organizations marked World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday by calling on Vietnam to free detained citizen journalist Nguyen Van Hoa, held since January on charges of disseminating “anti-state propaganda.”

In a statement signed by Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres and Washington-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, among others, the organizations demanded that authorities “immediately release” Hoa, an activist known for filming protests against a polluting steel plant.

“Repressing citizen journalists is not only a violation of human rights but also a major impediment to Vietnam’s aspirations to become a tech and innovation hub,” the statement said. [read more]

Die grösste Medienfreiheit in Kleinstaaten

26.04.2017 (NZZ) - In Skandinavien geniessen die Journalisten die grösste Freiheit. Dies zeigt die Rangliste der Reporter ohne Grenzen. Auch die Schweiz ist auf den vorderen Rängen placiert. Allerdings sieht die Journalistenorganisation die Medienfreiheit weltweit zusehends bedroht.

Norwegen, Schweden, Finnland und Dänemark belegen die ersten vier Plätze auf der aktuellen Rangliste der Medienfreiheit, welche die Organisation Reporter ohne Grenzen (RoG) an diesem Mittwoch publiziert hat. Die Niederlande stehen auf Platz 5, Costa Rica auf Platz 6 und die Schweiz auf Platz 6.

Die Schlusslichter ("gravierende Situation") bilden unter anderen Ägypten (161), Iran (165), Saudiarabien (168), Kuba (173), Vietnam (175), China (176), Syrien (177) und Eritrea (179). [Weiterlesen]

Reporters sans frontières : la liberté de la presse menacée comme jamais

26.04.2017 (Midi Libre) - Attaques anti-médias, fausses informations, répression et triomphe d'"hommes forts" comme Trump ou Erdogan : "Jamais la liberté de la presse n'a été aussi menacée", s'alarme Reporters sans frontières (RSF) dans son rapport 2017 publié mercredi.

La liberté de la presse connaît une situation "difficile" ou "très grave" dans 72 pays (sur 180 recensés), dont la Chine, la Russie, l'Inde, presque tous les pays du Moyen-Orient, d'Asie centrale et d'Amérique centrale, ainsi que les deux tiers des pays d'Afrique.

Parmi les 25 pays où la presse est la plus attaquée selon RSF figurent l'Egypte et Bahreïn, des "prisons à journalistes", le Turkménistan (178e), "l'une des dictatures les plus fermées au monde" et la Syrie (177e), pays le plus meurtrier pour les journalistes. Ils sont aussi menacés en Ouzbékistan, en Azerbaïdjan, au Vietnam, au Laos, à Cuba, au Soudan et en Guinée équatoriale. [en savoir plus]

ROG stellt neue Rangliste der Pressefreiheit vor: Pressefreiheit mittlerweile auch in Demokratien unter Druck

26.04.2017 (MEEDIA) - Die Lage für Journalisten und unabhängige Medien wird nach Angaben der Organisation Reporter ohne Grenzen (ROG) prekärer. In autoritär geführten Staaten und Diktaturen sei der Umgang mit den Medien nach wie vor von Zensur und Verfolgung gezeichnet. Aber auch in demokratischen Ländern stehe die Presse unter zunehmendem Druck. In den USA, in Polen oder Großbritannien äußerten Politiker öffentlich ihre Geringschätzung für Journalisten.

In knapp zwei Drittel der 180 untersuchten Länder hat sich die Situation verschlechtert.

Zu den Schlusslichtern zählen Kuba, Sudan, Vietnam, China, Syrien, Turkmenistan, Eritrea und Nordkorea an letzter Stelle auf Platz 180. [Weiterlesen]

Lessons Learned From Vietnam's Dong Tam Standoff

24.04.2017 By Toan Le (The Diplomat) - The agreement that ended the hostage crisis in Dong Tam could be a model for other local governments in Vietnam.

Conflicts over land, between the state and the people, appear to be leading Vietnam into unpredictable developments. When news emerged on April 15 that Vietnamese villagers in the rural My Duc district Dong Tam, located in the outskirts of Hanoi, had detained 38 police officials in a protest over a land seizure, everyone was nervous about how the hostage crisis might end. Seven days later on April 22, everyone was breathing a collective sigh of relief that the hostages had been released unharmed. The people of Dong Tam became the first to secure some important commitments from the government, leading to the peaceful resolution.

This article analyzes the sequence of events that led to the agreement, including the significance of the commitments entered into by the government. In particular, the article highlights the role of social media in shaping public opinions. [read more]

Vietnamese Protesters Surround Police Station, Demand Apology For Beatings, Stolen Shirts

24.04.2017 (RFA) - Nearly a thousand protesters surrounded the police station of Quynh Luu district in central Vietnam’s Nghe An province on Monday to demand an apology from police for their confiscation of 200 T-shirts carrying protest slogans and beating of the two men caught transporting the shirts, sources said.

The shirts, which police promised later in the day to return, bore the slogan No-Formosa in a reference to the Taiwan-owned Formosa Plastics Group, whose steel plant in coastal Ha Tinh province caused a toxic waste spill last year that killed an estimated 115 tons of fish and left fishermen jobless in four coastal provinces.

Outraged by police mistreatment of those transporting the shirts, Quynh Luu residents including many Catholics gathered outside district police headquarters on April 24 to demand the shirts’ return, parish priest Dan Huu Nam told RFA’s Vietnamese Service. [read more]

Agricultores liberan a 20 policías retenidos desde hace una semana en Vietnam

23.04.2017 (terra) - Un grupo de agricultores vietnamitas ha liberado a 20 agentes de Policía a los que retenían desde el pasado fin de semana por una expropiación forzosa de tierras en las afueras de Hanoi, informan hoy medios locales.

El conflicto se desató después de que la Policía detuviera a nueve personas que protestaban por la expropiación forzosa de tierras en favor de una empresa estatal en el distrito de My Duc. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam: Land protesters release final 20 captives after city official visits

22.04.2017 (Asian Corresponden) - PROTESTERS involved in a land dispute near Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, released the final 20 officials they had been holding as hostages for almost a week after a visit by a senior city official, Reuters witnesses said on Saturday.

Villagers in Dong Tam, 40km (25 miles) from the centre of Hanoi, seized 38 officials, including police officers, last weekend after four people were arrested in retaliation for protests staged during the escalating land dispute.

Dong Tam villagers say they have received insufficient compensation by authorities who took over residential land for a telecommunications project.

The release of the final 20 officials came after a visit to the village earlier on Saturday by Hanoi’s People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung, who spoke with villagers and listened to their complaints. [read more]

Vietnam : libération de policiers retenus en otages par des villageois

22.04.2017 (Europe1) - Une quarantaine de policiers avaient été pris en otage il y a une semaine par des villageois qui protestaient contre la confiscation de leurs terres par l'État.

Des villageois protestant contre la confiscation de leurs terres dans le nord du Vietnam ont libéré samedi près d'une vingtaine de policiers et responsables locaux qu'ils retenaient en otages depuis une semaine, ont rapporté les médias officiels. Cette situation inédite sous le régime communiste s'est déroulée à My Duc, à une cinquantaine de kilomètres d'Hanoï où des habitants se sont révoltés la semaine dernière contre la décision des autorités de s'emparer de certaines terres au profit d'une société de télécommunication détenue par l'armée. [en savoir plus]

Vietnamese Villagers Release 19 Officials Held Hostage in Land Dispute

22.04.2017 (NYT) - HANOI, Vietnam — Villagers near Vietnam’s capital on Saturday released 19 officials they had held hostage for about a week, ending a rare standoff that underscored tensions over land rights in this Communist country.

The remaining 19 were released after a meeting between the villagers and Hanoi’s top local official, Nguyen Duc Chung, the state-run newspaper Tuoi Tre said in an online . Photos circulating on social media and the websites of state-run newspapers appeared to show hundreds of villagers at the scene.

But Tran Cuong, 40, a Dong Tam resident, said by telephone on Saturday that the authorities had allowed 14 local families to build houses on the land after the airport project was canceled, and that the exact ownership of the land was still unclear. [read more]

Vietnam villagers release captives ending land fight

22.04.2017 By Eric DuVall (UPI) - - A contingent of villagers in Vietnam released 19 government officials they had been holding captive, ending a week-long standoff over land rights.

The dispute centered on ownership a 145-acre plot of land in Dong Tam, a village 25 miles south of the capital Hanoi. Vietnam's communist government technically claims ownership of all land, though it permits individuals to enter into quasi-ownership agreements with the government.

The government originally set aside the area to build a military airport. When those plans were shelved, the area was transferred to a military communications company for another unspecified defense-related building project. [read more]

Dong Tam, el pueblo de Vietnam que se rebeló contra el gobierno de uno de los últimos bastiones comunistas y tomó como rehenes a las autoridades

21.04.2017 (BBC Mundo) - Una peculiar acción de rebeldía en uno de los últimos bastiones del comunismo es la que un grupo de granjeros de Vietnam ha realizado durante los últimos días.

Los habitantes de Dong Tam tomaron control del pueblo y encerraron a decenas de policías y autoridades locales. La acción es vista como una toma de rehenes por la autoridad.

Los granjeros de la localidad, perteneciente al distrito de My Duc, unos 40 kilómetros al sur del centro de Hanói, acusan a las autoridades de vender sus tierras a una firma de telecomunicaciones de propiedad militar en una dudosa transacción. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnamese hold police hostages in six-day land drama

21.04.2017 (Bangkok Post) - HANOI - Authorities in Vietnam's capital promised on Thursday to review the use of land at the centre of a dispute with protesters who have held 20 officials hostage for five days, local media said.

People in Dong Tam, 40 km (25 miles) from the centre of Hanoi, say they were given insufficient compensation by authorities taking over residential land for a telecommunications project.

Fifteen of the hostages were freed on Monday and three others escaped while authorities also released the detained protesters, but the standoff has continued. [read more]

Vietnam authorities try to end hostage standoff

20.04.2017 by Reuters (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - HANOI, April 20 (Reuters) - Authorities in Vietnam's capital promised on Thursday to review the use of land at the centre of a dispute with protesters who have held 20 officials hostage for five days, local media said.

VnExpress said the offer was made by Hanoi's People Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung to the residents of the Dong Tam commune, but that they had so far spurned his offer of a meeting to try to end the standoff.

Residents said they feared that if they accepted the invitation to the meeting on Thursday they would be arrested. [read more]

Vietnam village sealed off as police hostage crisis deepens

20.04.2017 (SMCP) - A group of Vietnamese farmers who took more than a dozen police and officials hostage over a land dispute said on Thursday they would resist any rescue attempt by the authorities and have sealed off their village.

The incident began on Saturday in My Duc, a suburban district of Hanoi, when authorities clashed with villagers who alleged their land had been illegally seized for sale by a military-owned telecoms firm. The crisis is a rare act of defiance in the authoritarian communist nation where anger against official corruption and land seizures simmers but usually meets a forceful response from police. [read more]

Vietnam: Hostage crisis deepens as villagers threaten to burn victims

20.04.2017 (Asian Correspondent) - A GROUP of Vietnamese farmers said on Thursday they had sealed off their village and would resist any rescue attempts by the authorities of the more than a dozen hostages they have been holding for six days.

According to AFP (via South China Morning Post), the 20 remaining hostages, consisting of policemen and local officials, have been held since Saturday in a Dong Tam, a suburban district of Hanoi, after authorities clashed with villagers. The villagers had claimed their land had been illegally seized for sale by a military-owned telecoms firm which did not provide adequate compensation.

Initially, 38 people were taken hostage, but 15 have since been released after police also released four detained protestors. Three others escaped. [read more]

Beware Vietnam's Death Machine

A closer look at capital punishment in the Southeast Asian state

20.04.2017 By David Hutt (The Diplomat) ... After reforms during the 2000s, “the death penalty was effectively abolished on certain crimes, such as robbery, disobeying orders or surrendering to the enemy. But in other cases, crimes were simply re-worded to mask their appearance and deceive international opinion,” the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights report reads.

Particularly troubling is the fact that the Vietnamese regime wields capital punishment for vaguely-defined crimes of “infringing upon national security,” explains the report. These include carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration (Article 109 of the reformed Criminal Code), rebellion (article 112), and sabotaging the material-technical foundations of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (article 114). [read more]

Hoa Hao Buddhists Protest Against Harassment, Beatings in Vietnam’s An Giang

19.04.2017 (RFA) - Scores of Hoa Hao Buddhists in a village in southwestern Vietnam’s An Giang province protested on Wednesday against local authorities for harassing and beating them when they gathered to pray at the home of a former prisoner of conscience.

Police in Phuoc Hung village, Phuoc Hoa commune, in the province’s An Phu district followed a group of Hoa Hao motorbikers as they were leaving the home of Bui Van Trung, who served a four-year jail sentence for four years for resisting officials carrying out state deeds. He was released in October 2016. [read more]

Google entfernt regierungskritische Videos

19.04.2017 (Handelsblatt) - Hanoi - In Vietnam hat der US-Konzern Google nach offiziellen Angaben 1500 regierungskritische Videos aus dem Angebot seines Tochterunternehmens YouTube entfernt. Dies teilte der Informationsminister des kommunistischen Ein-Parteien-Staats, Truong Minh Tuan, am Mittwoch bei einer Anhörung im Parlament mit. Demzufolge sperrte Google bis in den laufenden Monat den Zugang zu 1500 „Clips mit illegalem Inhalt“. Dabei handele es sich um „Fake News, die Hass und Zwietracht säen sollen“. Zudem seien damit Spitzenpolitiker beleidigt worden.

Der vietnamesische Informationsminister kündigte zudem an, für das Internet nationale Suchmaschinen entwickeln zu wollen. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam Farmers Free 15 Police Detained Amid Land Clash

18.04.2017 (RFA) - Farmers involved in a land dispute in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi freed 15 riot police Tuesday held in the aftermath of a clash with authorities over the weekend and said they are preparing to release around 20 additional local officials, according to state media.

On the morning of April 15, police clashed with residents of Dong Tam commune, in Hanoi’s My Duc district, who say the government is seizing 47 hectares (116 acres) of their farmland for the military-run Viettel Group—the country’s largest mobile phone operator—without compensating them.

Police arrested four farmers for allegedly causing social unrest, and other farmers responded by detaining as many as 38 police officers and local officials, and threatening to kill them if security personnel attack again. Some of the farmers who were arrested have since been released. [read more]

Vietnamese village holds police, officials hostage over land dispute

17.04.2017 By Tan Qiuyi (Channel NewsAsia) - HANOI: Villagers in the rural My Duc district of Hanoi held 32 people hostage for a third consecutive day on Monday (Apr 17) over an alleged land dispute.

Those held include police officers, but local officials and journalists are also among those confined to the village's communal house. 

Police had arrested nine villagers on Saturday morning, including an 83-year-old village elder who has since gone on hunger strike, a villager told Channel NewsAsia on condition of anonymity. [read more]

This Village In Vietnam Is Holding A Dozen Police Officers Hostage Foreign Policy

17.04.2017 By Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian (Foreign Policy) - Villagers in a Hanoi suburb are holding twelve police officers and more than a dozen others hostage amid a land dispute. The standoff is rare in Communist Vietnam, where land seizures are common but protesters have few rights.

More than 30 people are being held in My Duc, a village outside of the capital. The clash began on Saturday, when local officials detained four villagers after authorities made plans to seize 116 acres of land, allegedly without fair compensation. Local government officials aimed to give the land to Viettel, Vietnam’s largest telecom firm, which is run by the military, according to the activist-run website Vietnam Human Rights Defenders.

Land disputes are a major source of conflict between residents and government authorities in the southeast Asian nation.  [read more]

Vietnamese Villagers Are Holding Police Hostage in a Rare Protest Over Land Seizures

17.04.2017 By Feliz Solomon (Time) - A standoff between villagers and Vietnam’s communist authorities escalated this week after dozens of people were taken hostage, about a third of them police officers, by residents fuming over a land dispute.

Authorities in the capital Hanoi have urged villagers in the suburb of My Duc to release the hostages, who were rounded up on Sunday after several villagers were detained for protesting what they say is an unlawful seizure of their farmlands, reports VnExpress.

More than a dozen of the hostages are believed to be police, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports, though journalists and others are being blocked from entering the area to verify local reports. [read more]

Vietnam Villagers Hold Dozens Of Policemen in Land Dispute

17.04.2017 (Associated Press) - HANOI, Vietnam -- Villagers in Vietnam's capital on Monday were holding more than 30 people, most of them policemen, over a land dispute in a rare defiance of the communist government.

The standoff began over the weekend in My Duc, a district of Hanoi, when police clashed with villagers who allege their land was illegally seized for sale by a military-run telecommunications firm. Some villagers were arrested. [read more]

A dearth of coverage, competing global interests, and an omnipresent police state render violations largely unnoticed

17.04.2017 By Bennett Murray (The Diplomat) - Nguyen Chi Tuyen, a 43-year-old from Hanoi, was driving home after dropping his son off at school when he was attacked by thugs.

Tuyen, a dissident blogger who makes his living translating books into Vietnamese at a local publishing house, said around half a dozen men in plainclothes forced him off his motorbike before beating him to the ground. He didn’t know the attackers, nor did they rob him....

Dao Thi Huong, 30, lives the cosmopolitan white collar lifestyle unheard of in northern Vietnam before the 1990s. A financial modeler for a Singaporean firm, she was of the first generation of Hanoians to have a shot at a middle-class existence following centuries of dynastic cycles, French colonialism, and hardline Marxist-Leninism.

Although a beneficiary of the recent economic boom fostered by the Communist Party, Huong has decided that multiparty democracy is the way forward. [read more]

Vietnam: Use of recording devices could be banned under proposed draft bill

16.04.2017 (Asian Correspondent) - CITIZEN journalists and bloggers are angered after Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security proposed a draft bill that bans the use of audio and video recording devices in the name of national security, as the authorities attempt to tame social media.

According to AFP, published on Radio Free Asia, the ministry proposed the draft bill last month, and also prohibits the use of disguised apps for recording purposes. It is unclear how the authorities would enforce this if it were approved, as modern-day smartphones and laptops can also be used as recording devices.[read more]

Despite the regime's persecution five ordinations took place in Thiên An

13.04.2017 Thanh Thuy (AsiaNews) - The bishop of Kontum made a pastoral visit at the monastery. The local administration wants to seize the area and adjacent buildings. The monastery is often attacked by thugs and police.

Hanoi (AsiaNews) – Mgr Micae Hoàng Đức Oanh, bishop of Kontum, visited the Benedictine monastery in Thiên An on 4 April where he officiated the ordination of five religious.

The friary is the focus of a painful dispute with Vietnam’s communist regime, which has been trying for some time to seize its 110 hectares of protected forest and eradicate the practice of religion. [read more]

Vietnam’s ‘conveyor belt of executions’ condemned by human rights watchdog

11.04.2017 (Asian Correspondent) - VIETNAM has secretly been the world’s third largest executioner over the last three years, executing 429 people between August 2013 and June 2016, Amnesty International has discovered.

Only China and Iran executed more people during that time, Amnesty’s 2016 global review of the death penalty revealed on Tuesday.

“The magnitude of executions in Vietnam in recent years is truly shocking. This conveyor belt of executions completely overshadows recent death penalty reforms,” Amnesty International secretary-general Salil Shetty said.

Data on the use of the death penalty in Vietnam is classified as a state secret, so numbers were unclear until the Public Security Ministry released a report that shed new light on it. [read more]

Vietnamese Dissident’s Eyesight Failing in Prison, Relatives Say

07.04.2017 (RFA) - A Vietnamese activist jailed seven years ago for writing online articles criticizing government policies is suffering failing vision after being kept in a dark cell, family members said after visiting him in prison at the beginning of the month.

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, 51, was convicted in 2010 on charges of plotting to overthrow the government under Article 79 of Vietnam’s penal code and is serving a 16-year prison term. He was tried along with lawyer Le Cong Dinh, engineer Nguyen Tien Trung, and businessman Le Thang Long.

Transferred in May 2016 to Prison No. 6 in north-central Vietnam’s Nghe An province, Thuc has been kept in a dark cell and denied books and other reading materials, Thuc’s brother Tran Huynh Duy Tan told RFA’s Vietnamese Service on April 7. [read more]

Detained Vietnamese Human Rights Attorney to Receive Award For His Work

04.04.2017 (RFA) - Detained human rights attorney and activist Nguyen Van Dai will receive an award from the German Association of Judges on Wednesday, making him the first Vietnamese awarded the honor for his work in human rights, RFA’s Vietnamese Service has learned.

A representative of Nguyen Van Dai will accept the award from the group known in German as Deutscher Richterbund (DRB), which is the largest professional organization of judges and public prosecutors in Germany.

Every other year, the organization bestows a human rights award on a judge, public prosecutor, or other lawyer for outstanding merit in the defense of human rights. [read more]

Vietnam’s Pham Thanh Nghien Named Finalist for Rights Defenders at Risk Award

31.03.2017 (RFA) - Vietnamese blogger and former political prisoner Pham Thanh Nghien has been named a finalist for the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk, honoring activists who jeopardize their own safety to benefit their communities.

Nghien, who is known for her work publicizing violations against and defending the rights of relatives of fishermen killed by Chinese patrols in the South China Sea, was one of five finalists selected for the 2017 award, Ireland-based Front Line Defenders said in a statement. [read more]

Vietnam Cracks Down on Unsanctioned Hoa Hao, Cao Dai Religious Groups

24.03.2017 (RFA) - Authorities in Vietnam have cracked down on two unrecognized churches in recent days, according to worshippers who said they were harassed, forbidden from holding religious services and had assets seized by the state.

Secretary general of the Interfaith Council of Vietnam Le Quang Hien, who is a follower of Hoa Hao Buddhism, told RFA’s Vietnamese Service Friday that authorities had recently blocked his sect’s preparations to mark the March 22 anniversary of founder Huynh Phu So’s death.

“About 10 days before the anniversary, one person claiming to be police captain Viet of the An Giang provincial police told us that there was an order from above forbidding us to hold the ceremony,” Hien said. [read more]

Hanoi, detenidos dos bloggers y activistas por "propaganda contra el Estado" en la red

24.03.2017 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi - Las autoridades vietnamitas han detenido a dos bloggers y activistas, acusándolos de propaganda contra el Estado en virtud de un polémico artículo de la ley, también utilizado en el pasado por el gobierno comunista de Hanoi para golpear a los oponentes. De acuerdo a lo que refieren fuentes policiales, los detenidos sería Kim Khanh Phan, de 24 años y natural de la provincia de Phu Tho y Bui Hieu Vo, de 55 años de edad, del distrito de Go Vap, Ho Chi Minh. Las detenciones ocurrieron, respectivamente, el 21 y 17 de marzo.

Según las acusaciones, los dos habrían publicado contenido en la red que las autoridades definen como "malicioso y prefabricado", con el objetivo de "difundir una propaganda contra" los principios de la República Socialista de Vietnam. Por lo tanto, los dos hombres serán procesados ​​en las próximas semanas sobre la base del artículo 88 del Código Penal, que se utilizó en la mayoría de ocasiones en el pasado para reprimir la disidencia.  [seguir leyendo]

Two bloggers detained for 'propagandizing against the state' in Vietnam

23.03.2017 (CPJ) - Bangkok, March 23, 2017--The Committee to Protect Journalists called today on Vietnam to immediately and unconditionally release bloggers Phan Kim Khanh and Bui Hieu Vo.

The government announced on its official Facebook page yesterday that both had been detained on charges of "propagandizing against the state," which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison under Article 88 of the penal code, according to news reports.

Khanh was arrested on March 21 in the Cam Khe district of the northern Phu Tho province, where he lives, according to news reports.

Vo, known as "Hieu Bui" on his Facebook page, was arrested on March 17 in the Go Vap district of Ho Chi Minh City, the commercial capital, reports said. [read more]

Detenidos dos blogueros en Vietnam por propaganda antiestatal

22.03.2017 (Marti Noticias) - El gobierno comunista de Vietnam acusa a los blogueros Bui Hieu Vo y Phan Kim Khanh de conspirar contra el Estado.

El gobierno comunista de Vietnam detuvo este miércoles a los blogueros Bui Hieu Vo, de 55 años, y Phan Kim Khanh, de 24, a quienes acusa de publicar comentarios contra el Estado, como una advertencia para que otras personas no hagan lo mismo.

El Gobierno informó en su página de Facebook que ambos blogueros están siendo investigados por "propaganda contra la República Socialista de Vietnam".

A pesar de las amplias reformas en la economía de Vietnam y la apertura creciente hacia un cambio social, el Partido Comunista mantiene la censura de prensa y cero tolerancia para la crítica. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam Detains Two Bloggers for Anti-State Propaganda

22.03.2017 (Reuters) - HANOI - Vietnam has detained two bloggers for posting anti-state comments, which the Communist-ruled country said should serve as a warning to others spreading dissent.

Bui Hieu Vo, 55, known as "Hieu Bui" on Facebook, and Phan Kim Khanh, 24, were detained for investigation of "propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam", the government said on its Facebook page on Wednesday.

Despite sweeping reforms in Vietnam's economy and increasing openness toward social change, the Communist Party retains tight media censorship and zero tolerance for criticism. [read more]

Vietnamese journalist and Catholic activist victim of violence in prison

16.03.2017 Thanh Thúy (AsiaNews) - Hanoi - Convicted on "subversion" charges for reporting corruption within the Communist Party, Catholic journalist and activist Nguyễn Đặng Minh Mân was the victim of “repeated acts of ill-treatment” in her prison cell, this according to her family.

"Sometimes the prison guards slapped her face," Minh Mân’s father Nguyễn Văn Lợi said. "At present, my daughter has to spend ten days of isolation in a small room, a very dark and smelly cell," he added. Some prisoners have also been used to "insult her in front of others." [read more]

Vietnam urges firms to stop YouTube and Facebook ads in protest over 'fake content'

16.03.2017 My Pham (Reuters) - Vietnam on Thursday called on all companies doing business there to stop advertising on YouTube, Facebook and other social media until they find a way to halt the publication of "toxic" anti-government information.

Last month, the communist country began putting pressure on advertisers to try to get YouTube owner Google and other companies to remove content from foreign-based dissidents. [read more]

Vietnam Committee on Human Rights denounces violations of Religious Freedom at UN Human Rights Council in Geneva

15.03.2017 (Quê Mẹ) - GENEVA, (VCHR) – Speaking on behalf of Agir Ensemble pour les Droits de l’Homme at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, Mr. Võ Văn Ái, President of the Paris-based Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) denounced grave and consistent violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief in Vietnam, in particular the adoption of a new restrictive law on religion and the harsh treatment of religious prisoners.

In his statement to the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council which is meeting in Geneva from 27 February – 24 March, Mr. Ái told the UN body that Vietnam’s new Law on Belief and Religion, adopted in November 2016 and coming into force in January 2018, is inconsistent with Article 18 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political rights to which Vietnam is a state party because it forces religions to make an impossible choice; [read more]

Vietnam: Govt targets YouTube ads to combat dissent

15.03.2017 (Asian Correspondent) - SOME of Vietnam‘s biggest firms have suspended YouTube advertising as the communist country steps up a campaign against online dissent, which has also targeted global brands such as Unilever and Samsung.

Vietnam began last month the new tactic of pressuring advertisers as well as companies such as YouTube’s owner, Google Inc, to try to get content the government finds offensive removed.

Many of the videos are posted by dissidents abroad, beyond the reach of a Vietnamese social media law which seeks to remove such content.

Vietnam‘s biggest listed firm, Vinamilk, and flag carrier Vietnam Airlines took action after the government alerted them to the issue of ads appearing alongside “toxic” content. The state owns a majority in both firms. [read more]

Amnesty names 6 women leading human rights activism in Southeast Asia

08.03.2017 (Asian Corresponden) - IN CONJUNCTION with International Women’s Day, Amnesty International has recognised Southeast Asian women activists for their resolve to stand up for human rights in the face of harassment, threats, imprisonment and violence.

“In Southeast Asia, there are few governments who can be proud of their human rights records, but there are countless women across the region who have braved great dangers to take a stand against injustice,” Amnesty International director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Champa Patel said in a statement on Wednesday.

... Vietnam: Trần Thị Nga

The land rights activist and pro-democracy advocate from Hà Nam province was arrested in January under Article 88 of the Vietnamese Penal Code for “spreading propaganda against the state”, a provision “regularly used to jail dissidents for lengthy periods”.

Amnesty said Nga was one of 94 prisoners of conscience behind bars in the country. [read more]

UN rights experts condemn Viet Nam for incommunicado detention of blogger ‘Mother Mushroom’

08.03.2017 (OHCHR) - GENEVA - UN human rights experts are urging the Government of Viet Nam to immediately release a popular blogger known as Mother Mushroom, who has been detained incommunicado since October last year.

Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, a 37-year-old environmental human rights defender, is accused of spreading propaganda against the Government. The charges are linked to her online activities that were critical of the Government.

“We are deeply concerned that Ms. Quynh is being detained because of the exercise of her right to freedom of opinion and expression on a matter of public interest,” the experts emphasized. “We fear for her physical and psychological integrity, and denounce the violations of her fundamental right to due process, in particular her being detained incommunicado, the denial of her right to legal counsel and the banning of visits from her family.” [read more]

Mother, Wife of Jailed Vietnamese Dissidents Describe Hardships on International Women’s Day

08.03.2017 (RFA) - As the mother and wife of jailed Vietnamese dissidents, Nguyen Thi Kim Lien and Linh Chau have both endured hardships since their loved ones were arrested. Lien’s son, Dinh Nguyen Kha, is serving a four-year prison term for “conducting propaganda against the state” over leaflets he distributed at a protest over territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea. Chau’s husband, Nguyen Van Oai, was arrested Jan. 19 for “resisting persons on duty” after authorities accused him of violating the terms of a house arrest order he received in 2015 for having ties to the outlawed Viet Tan organization. Lien and Chau spoke to RFA’s Vietnamese Service on International Women’s Day about how their lives have changed and how supporters have helped them to carry on in the face of their difficulties. [read more]

Southeast Asia: As governments fail on human rights, women stand up

07.03.2017 (Amnesty International) - As the world marks International Women’s Day, Amnesty International recognizes the work of six distinguished women human rights activists who have faced harassment, threats, imprisonment, and violence for standing up for human rights in the region.

“In Southeast Asia, there are few governments who can be proud of their human rights records, but there are countless women across the region who have braved great dangers to take a stand against injustice,” said Champa Patel, Amnesty International’s Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“On this International Women’s Day this year, we want to recognize six women, from six different countries, whose heroism inspires many in the region and whose contributions to society should commended, not condemned.”

Viet Nam: Trần Thị Nga

... Trần Thị Nga is a land rights activist and pro-democracy advocate from Hà Nam province, Viet Nam. In January, Nga was arrested under Article 88 of the Vietnamese Penal Code for “spreading propaganda against the state”, a provision that is regularly used to jail dissidents for lengthy periods. Nga joins 93 other prisoners of conscience behind bars in Viet Nam. [read more]

Asie du Sud-Est. Elles tiennent tête aux gouvernements qui ne respectent pas les droits humains

07.03.2017 (Amnesty International) - À l'occasion de la Journée internationale des femmes, Amnesty International tient à saluer le travail de cinq éminentes militantes des droits humains qui ont fait l'objet de harcèlement, de menaces, d'incarcérations et de violences pour avoir défendu les droits humains dans cette région.

« En Asie du Sud-Est, peu de gouvernement peuvent être fiers de leur bilan en matière de droits humains ; en revanche, on ne compte plus les femmes de la région qui sont prêtes à braver le danger pour se dresser contre l'injustice », a déclaré Champa Patel, directrice pour l'Asie du Sud-Est et le Pacifique à Amnesty International.

... Originaire de la province de Hà Nam, au Viêt-Nam, Trần Thị Nga est une militante du droit à la terre et une défenseure de la démocratie. En janvier, elle a été arrêtée en vertu de l’article 88 du Code pénal vietnamien pour « propagande contre l’État », une disposition souvent utilisée pour emprisonner des dissidents pendant de longues périodes. Elle a rejoint derrière les barreaux 93 autres prisonniers d'opinion actuellement incarcérés au Viêt-Nam.

Trần Thị Nga s'est formée aux droits humains pendant sa convalescence à la suite d'un grave accident de la route dont elle a été victime alors qu'elle travaillait à Taiwan, où elle a subi des violations de ses droits en tant que travailleuse migrante. [en savoir plus]

Rights Group Chides Vietnam For Treatment of Women, Human Rights Defenders

07.03.2017 (RFA) - The Vietnam Committee on Human Rights called on the Vietnamese government on Tuesday to release all women detained for demanding human rights and revise provisions of the criminal code routinely used to imprison female activists.

The Paris-based organization issued a statement to call attention to the plight of women and female human rights activists in the authoritarian country on the eve of International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8 to recognize the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

There are at least 84 prisoners of conscience in Vietnam, including bloggers, labor and land rights activists, political activists, ethnic and religious minorities, and advocates for human rights and social justice who have been convicted after unfair trials or are held in pretrial detention, according to a July 2016 report on Vietnamese political prisoners issued by London-based Amnesty International. [read more]

Vietnamese pastor beaten and left naked on road

03.03.2017 (World Watch Monitor) - A Vietnamese pastor and his colleague were abducted and violently attacked on 27 February during a visit to meet fellow activists in central Vietnam.

Nguyễn Trung Tôn and his colleague Nguyễn Viết Tứ were beaten, stripped, tied up and left naked beside a mountain road in a remote area of Hà Tĩnh province.

The Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) said it was “deeply concerned by the increasing use of physical violence perpetrated by police in plain clothes or gangs of thugs hired by the authorities to repress dissidents, human rights defenders and civil society activists in Vietnam”. [read more]

Two Protestant clergymen abducted and beaten

03.03.2017 (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Hanoi – In late February, a group of thugs attacked Rev Nguyễn Trung Tôn (pictured), a Protestant clergyman, and his colleague, Rev Nguyễn Việt Tú, who were stripped, robbed and beaten with a metal bar. The attackers are thought to have been working for the police.

The two men were abducted in Ba Đồn (Quảng Bình province) where they had gone to meet other activists who had recently been subjected to police violence. [read more]

Gemeinsame Online-Petition zur Freilassung des Menschenrechtsanwalts Nguyen Van Dai in Vietnam

02.03.2017 Thach Duong (Forum Vietnam 21) - Die in Bad Nauheim ansässige Organisation VETO! Human Rights Defenders Network hat in einer gemeinsamen Initiative mit der Bundestagsabgeordneten Marie-Luise Dött (CDU) und dem Internationalen Katholischen Missionswerk missio Aachen eine Online-Petition für den inhaftierten vietnamesischen Menschenrechtsanwalt Nguyen Van Dai und seine Assistentin Le Thu Ha gestartet. Beide Menschenrechtsverteidiger sind seit dem 16. Dezember 2015 im Gefängnis und seitdem sind ihre Anwälte nicht zugelassen. "Viele Menschen werden ihnen beistehen, weil sie wegen ihres gewaltlosen Einsatzes für die Rechte anderer zu Unrecht inhaftiert sind.”, so VETO! Executive Director Vu Quoc Dung zu dieser Petitions-Kooperation.

Die CDU-Politikerin Marie-Luise Dött MdB hat eine parlamentarische Patenschaft für Nguyen Van Dai übernommen. “Seine Verhaftung hat mich besonders bestürzt, und ich fordere mit missio und VETO! seine sofortige Freilassung”, so Dött. [Weiterlesen]

VETO! launches online petition for imprisoned Vietnamese human rights lawyer

01.03.2017 (VETO!) - (Bad Nauheim) - Nguyen Van Dai faces up to 20 years imprisonment – Joint action with MP Marie-Luise Dött and missio Aachen.

In a joint online-petition started today VETO! Human Rights Defenders’ Network, German MP Marie-Luise Dött (CDU) and the International Catholic Missionary Work Missio Aachen call for the release of the imprisoned Vietnamese human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and his assistant Le Thu Ha. They are detained since December 16, 2015, without being granted access to their attorneys.

“VETO! welcomes the joint campaign for the release of the two Vietnamese human rights defenders wrongly imprisoned. Many people will assist them because of their non-violent defense of the rights of others,” said Vu Quoc Dung, VETO! Executive Director, on the occasion of the joint campaign. [read more]

Missio unterstützt inhaftierten Menschenrechtler

01.03.2017 (domradio) - Petition für Nguyen Van Dai - Das katholische Missionswerk Missio Aachen startet eine Online-Petition zur Freilassung des inhaftierten vietnamesischen Menschenrechtsanwalts Nguyen Van Dai. Ihm wird in seiner Heimat "Propaganda gegen die Sozialistische Republik" vorgeworfen.

"Der mutige Jurist hat Christen und Angehörige anderer Minderheiten vor Gericht in Vietnam verteidigt und für die gefährdeten Menschenrechte in seiner Heimat gekämpft, jetzt braucht er selbst Unterstützung", sagte Missio-Präsident Prälat Klaus Krämer am Mittwoch in Aachen. Nguyen Van Dai und seine Assistentin Le Thu Ha sind seit dem 16. Dezember 2015 im Gefängnis und warten auf ihre Verhandlung. [Weiterlesen]

Pastor Nguyen Trung Ton and friend assaulted

01.03.2017 (Frontline Defenders) - On 27 February 2017 Nguyen Trung Ton and Nguyen Viet Tu travelled to Ba Don town in Quang Binh province to meet with local activists there. On their arrival in the town at around 9.30pm, their car was stopped by at least six men in plainclothes, whom they believe were police officers. The two men were removed from their car, forced into another car and driven to Ha Linh commune in the neighbouring Ha Tinh province. There, they were reportedly brought to a remote area and Nguyen Trung Ton was badly beaten about the legs and feet with an iron bar. The two men were robbed of all their possessions, including their clothes, before being left alone with no means of transportation. They were found injured the following morning at around 2am by local residents who helped them to travel back to Nguyen Trung Ton’s home province of Thanh Hoa. [read more]

Freiheit für Nguyen Van Dai und Le Thu Ha

01.03.2017 (VETO!) - Der vietnamesische Rechtsanwalt Nguyen Van Dai (Foto) und seine Assistentin Le Thu Ha sitzen seit dem 16. Dezember 2015 in Untersuchungshaft. Der offizielle Vorwurf lautet „Propaganda gegen die Sozialistische Republik Vietnam“. Ihnen droht eine Haftstrafe von bis zu 20 Jahren. Der eigentliche Grund für die Verhaftung ist: Nguyen Van Dai setzt sich für die Achtung der Menschenrechte in Vietnam ein und bot Christen und Angehörigen anderer religiöser Minderheiten in Vietnam juristischen Beistand. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamese Activist and His Friend Kidnapped, Tortured and Robbed in Central Region

28.02.2017 (Defend the Defenders) - On February 27, Protestant pastor Nguyen Trung Ton, president of Brotherhood of Democracy, and his friend Nguyen Viet Tu were kidnapped, beaten and robbed by plainclothes agents in the central provinces of Quang Binh and Ha Tinh, Mr. Ton informed Defend the Defenders.

On Sunday, the duo went to Ba Don town in Quang Tri to meet with local activists. Arriving in the location at around 9 PM of Sunday, they were kidnapped by local plainclothes agents who came by a seven-seat car. The kidnappers beat the duo, covered their heads with cloth and took them into the car. After several hours moving, they stopped the car at Ha Linh commune, Huong Khe district in the neighbor province of Ha Tinh. [read more]

'I wanted to stay and fight for my beliefs' says jailed Vietnamese blogger forced into exile

17.02.2017 By Shawn W. Crispin (CPJ) - Vietnamese journalist and religious activist Dang Xuan Dieu was granted early release January 12 from a 13-year prison sentence on anti-state charges filed over his critical reporting. As with recent early releases of other jailed Vietnamese journalists, Dieu was forced to immediately board a plane and go into exile as a condition for his freedom.

Dieu, a reporter with Vietnam Redemptorist News, an online multimedia platform run by Catholic priests and religious activists out of a church in Ho Chi Minh City, said that he suffered extraordinary abuses during his over five years in prison. On one occasion, he said, prison authorities severely beat him for refusing to wear prison clothes emblazoned with the word "criminal." On another, he was shackled in a cell with another prisoner who often physically assaulted him. [read more]

Fue liberada Bùi Thị Minh Hằng, activista vietnamita que defiende los derechos humanos y la libertad religiosa

13.02.2017 Hung Quoc (AsiaNews) – Tras pasar tres años en prisión, las autoridades comunistas han liberado a la bloguera y activista Bùi Thị Minh Hằng, que fuera detenida en los alrededores del centro de Gia Trung, en Pleiku, capital de la provincia de Gia Lai, en los Altiplanos centrales de Vietnam.

El 2 de noviembre de 2013 Hằng, junto a otras 20 personas que sumaban blogueros y activistas volcados a la lucha por la libertad de culto para los fieles budistas Hòa Hảo, se reunió con el prisionero de conciencia Nguyễn Bá Truyển, que acababa de ser liberado de prisión. En respuesta a ello, las autoridades locales emitieron una orden de arresto contra ella por “obstrucción del tráfico”  y “perturbación del orden público”.

Algunos meses después, en agosto de 2014, el tribunal de la provincia de Đồng Tháp la condenó a tres años de prisión, en base al artículo 245 del Código penal. [seguir leyendo]

Prominent Vietnamese Rights Defender Released From Prison

13.02.2017 (RFA) - Vietnamese authorities released prominent human rights defender and blogger Bui Thi Minh Hang on Saturday after she served a three-year prison sentence.

The activist had been held in Gia Trung prison camp in the country’s Central Highlands since Feb. 11, 2014, on charges of “causing public disorder” and obstructing traffic when she and two other bloggers were on their way to visit a former political prisoner.

She was later sentenced in August of that year to up to three years in jail after a one-day trial in Dong Thap in the Mekong Delta region, on what rights activists said were phony and politically motivated charges. [read more]

Vietnam Detains Bible Students, Expels Missionary

12.02.2017 (BosNewsLife) - HANOI, VIETNAM -- Rights activists say Christians in Vietnam face increased persecution after a foreign missionary was expelled and Bible students were detained by security forces

In one of the latest known incidents students gathering for a Bible class in Hanoi were detained by security forces. Advocacy and aid group Open Doors quoted Pastor Nguyen as saying that the students "were arrested by Hanoi security during our Bible class." [read more]

Vietnam: Der ehemalige politische Gefangene Nguyen Van Oai wieder in Haft

07.02.2017 von Hai Tran (Forum Vietnam 21) - Die Ehefrau des ehemaligen politischen Gefangenen Nguyen Van Oai bekam am 23.01.2017, eine Mitteilung der Polizei, in der man ihr erklärte dass der Grund, warum ihr Mann am 19. Januar auf offener Straße in der Gemeinde Hoang Mai, Provinz Nghe An, mysteriös festgenommen wurde, ein Verstoß gegen den Beschluss des Hausarrests war, man hat ihm außerdem vorgeworfen, Widerstand gegen die Staatsgewalt geleistet zu haben. Der ehemalige politische Gefangene Nguyen Van Oai, Jahrgang 1981, war Mitglied einer Arbeitsgruppe der katholischen und evangelischen Jugend in der Provinz Nghe An und wurde gemeinsam mit 16 weiteren Mitgliedern der Gruppe im Jahre 2011 verhaftet, die Gruppe hat sich für soziale Gerechtigkeit und Menschenrechte und vor allem für Religionsfreiheit eingesetzt. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: Plain clothes police block priests attending mass

06.02.2017 By Premier Journalist (Premier Christian Radio) - Plain clothes police officers in Vietnam have been accused of harassing and blocking a group of Catholic priests, stopping them from attending a church service.

Rev Phan Van Loi told Radio Free Asia that local police have been monitoring his movements in the city of Hue since January.

Vietnam, a Buddhist-majority country, is number 17 on Open Door's World Watch List 2017 for Christian persecution. [read more]

Vietnam : des étudiants chrétiens arrêtés en plein cours biblique à Hanoï

06.02.2017 (Info Chrétienne) -  Le Vietnam limite considérablement les libertés religieuses. Des étudiants arrêtés en cours biblique.

Le Vietnam est classé en 17ème position dans l’index mondial de la persécution. À Hanoi, la semaine dernière, un groupe d’étudiants chrétiens rassemblés pour un cours biblique, ont vu les forces de sécurité faire intrusion et arrêter l’assistance. Le pasteur Nguyen, a rapporté que le 23 janvier dernier,

Mon groupe et moi même avons été arrêtés par les forces de sécurité d’Hanoi, durant notre cours biblique. Les étudiants ont été séparés, mis un par un, afin qu’ils écrivent ce qu’ils étaient en train de faire. Le missionnaire étranger qui prenait le cours a reçu une amende de 1000 $ et a été renvoyé du pays.“ [en savoir plus]

Activista vietnamita acusado de “abuso de las libertades democráticas”

06.02.2017 (AsiaNews/RFA) Hanói – Un activista vietnamita, que se hizo conocido por haber filmado las protestas contra la contaminación causada por una empresa siderúrgica, fue acusado de “abuso de las libertades democráticas”. Es lo que comunican los corresponsales vietnamitas de Radio Free Asia (RFA).

Nguyen Van Hoa, de 22 años de edad, fue arrestado por la policía el pasado 11 de enero, junto a muchos otros activistas, antes de iniciarse el Tet (Fiesta del Año Nuevo). Sin embargo, la noticia de su detención recién fue comunicada el 3 de febrero. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam: Erste Verhaftung eines Bloggers nach Artikel 258 des Strafgesetzbuches im neuen Jahr 2017

03.02.2017 von Tran Thanh (Forum Vietnam 21) - Der Blogger Nguyen Van Hoa, 22 Jahre alt, aus der Provinz Ha Tinh, Zentralvietnam, wurde am 11.01.2017 von der Sicherheitsbehörde auf offener Straße mit dem Vorwand „er hätte Drogen bei sich geführt“ verhaftet. Seine Familie war alarmiert, als er nach dem Besuch einer Gerichtsverhandlung in der Stadt Ky Anh am 11. Januar nicht nach Hause kam, sie erstattete bei verschiedenen Behörden eine Vermisstenanzeige, erst 12 Tage danach hat die Polizei von Ha Tinh seine Mutter schliesslich über die Verhaftung benachrichtigt, er sei „vorläufig“ festgenommen worden. Man hat ihm vorgeworfen: „Missbrauch demokratischer Freiheiten gegen das Staatsinteresse“ nach dem Artikel 258 des Strafgesetzbuches. Nguyen Van Hoa hat sich aktiv engagiert für die Opfer der Umweltkatastrophe mit Massenfischsterben an der Küste Zentralvietnams, die durch die taiwanesische Stahlproduktionsfabrik „Formosa“ in Vung Ang (Ha Tinh) im April 2016 mit der illegalen Entsorgung von Giftmüll verursacht wurde. [Weiterlesen]

Catholic Priests in Central Vietnam Still Harassed by Plainclothes Cops

02.02.2017 (RFA) - Plainclothes police in the central Vietnamese city of Hue blocked a group of Roman Catholic priests from attending a church service on Thursday, one of the priests said.

Rev. Phan Van Loi told RFA’s Vietnamese Service that local officers resumed monitoring his activities after the five-day Tet holiday, Vietnam’s annual New Year celebration which fell on Jan. 28-Feb. 1 this year.

“I asked them why they were blocking me from attending church services,” he said. “I asked if they were police. Of course, I knew they were police because I had previously seen them around my house.” [read more]

Vietnam: Bloggerin wegen Regierungskritik verhaftet

30.01.2017 von Sven Braun (Netzpolitik) - Am 21. Januar verhafteten Polizisten die regierungskritische Bloggerin Tran Thi Nga und ihren Mann im Norden Vietnams. Ihr wird Propaganda gegen den Staat vorgeworfen, damit drohen bis zu 20 Jahre Haft. Die Vietnamesin bloggt unter dem Namen Thuy Nga über Menschenrechtsverletzungen in ihrem Land.

In einem Statement begründet die Polizei die Verhaftung damit, dass Thuy Nga über das Internet „Propagandavideos und Texte gegen die Regierung“ verbreitet hätte. Das Vorgehen der kommunistischen Regierung ist Teil einer Serie von Verhaftungen, um Kritiker zum Schweigen zu bringen. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: New Wave of Arrests of Critics - Crackdown Targets Activists and Bloggers

27.01.2017 (HRW) - (New York) – Vietnam should immediately release rights activist Tran Thi Nga and drop politically motivated charges against her, Human Rights Watch said today. Vietnam’s donors should issue public statements calling on the government to end harassment and prosecution of critics and rights campaigners.

Tran Thi Nga (also known as Thuy Nga), 40, was arrested on January 21, 2017, and charged with conducting propaganda against the state under article 88 of the penal code. State media said that Tran Thi Nga “accessed the Internet to post a number of video clips and articles to propagandize against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”

Officials have arrested at least a dozen bloggers and activists during the past five months and charged them with vaguely-defined national security violations. [read more]

Videographer and blogger detained in Vietnam

26.01.2017 (CPJ) - Bangkok, January 26, 2017--Vietnamese authorities should unconditionally release videographer Nguyen Van Hoa and blogger Tran Thi Nga, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

"Vietnam should stop treating journalists like criminals," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative. "Nguyen Van Hoa and Tran Thi Nga should be freed immediately, and without charge."

On January 21, police in Vietnam's northern Ha Nam province arrested blogger and rights activist Tran Thi Nga at her home, according to news reports. Nga, who blogs about human rights issues under the pen name Thuy Nga, is held on suspicion of violating article 88 of the penal code, which allows for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for "conducting propaganda against the state," the reports said. [read more]

In Vietnam geht das Regime nach wie vor scharf gegen Dissidenten und verhaftet weitere Aktivistin

26.01.2017 von Hai Tran (Forum Vietnam 21) Die Polizei der Provinz Ha Nam, einer angrenzenden Provinz südlich der Landeshauptstadt Ha Noi, hat am 21.01.2017 Frau Tran Thi Nga in ihrem Haus in der Stadt Phu Ly mit dem Vorwurf „Propaganda gegen die Regierung der Sozialistischen Republik Vietnam“ nach dem Artikel 88 des Strafgesetzbuches, verhaftet. Der Artikel 88 ist einer der vagen Bestimmungen des Strafgesetzbuches Vietnams, die der Sicherheitsbehörde erlauben, jeden Menschen zu jeder Zeit willkürlich in Haft zu nehmen. Frau Tran Thi Nga war bekannt für ihre wagemutigen Aktivitäten im Hinblick auf die vorherrschenden sozialen Ungerechtigkeiten und die Menschenrechtsverletzungen durch die Regierung in Vietnam. Sie setzte sich unerschrocken für die Opfer des Landraubs ein, und deshalb war sie schon immer ein Dorn im Auge der Regierung Vietnams. [Weiterlesen]

Nouvelle arrestation d’un militant chrétien ayant déjà purgé une première peine de quatre ans de prison

25.01.2017 (Eglises d'Asie) - Ces derniers temps, divers observateurs ont dénoncé le relâchement de la surveillance de la situation des droits de l’homme au Vietnam. Certaines instances internationales ont tendance à faire preuve de moins de vigilance à ce sujet. C’est en particulier le cas des Etats-Unis depuis l’élection du nouveau président Donald Trump. Celui-ci oriente son pays vers l’abandon du partenariat commercial passé avec les pays de l’Asie-Pacifique et des exigences qui l’accompagnaient en matière humanitaire. Au Vietnam, depuis peu, se multiplient les arrestations de dissidents et blogueurs. Certains prisonniers de conscience sont arrêtés de nouveau. Les discours du secrétaire général, réélu depuis un an, Nguyên Phu Trong, incite les membres du Parti communiste à lutter contre « le relâchement idéologique ».

Un récent événement confirme cette reprise de la répression : l’arrestation d’un jeune chrétien protestant, ancien prisonnier politique, libéré en août 2015, Nguyên Van Oai. Sa famille vient en effet de recevoir un avis de la Sécurité publique lui annonçant que Oai avait été arrêté sur une route de la province du Nghê An, le 19 janvier dernier. [en savoir plus]

RSF decries arrests of three activist bloggers in Vietnam

25.01.2017 (RSF) - Reporters Without Borders condemns the “preventive” arrests of three bloggers and citizen journalists in the past few days in the run-up to the Vietnamese New Year, known as the Tet, and calls for their immediate release and the withdrawal of all charges against them.

The latest victim is Tran Thi Nga, a blogger also known as Thuy Nga, who was arrested at her home in the northern province of Ha Nam on 21 January.

Nguyen Van Oai, a citizen journalist who has been jailed in the past, was arrested on 19 January in the central province of Nghe An for allegedly resisting police officers and for leaving his home while on probation.

Citizen journalist Nguyen Van Hoa was held incommunicado for more than a week after his arrest on 11 January, with the result that his family learned only two days ago that he is in the regime’s custody and has been charged under article 258, which punishes “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state.” [read more]

As Hanoi’s crackdown continues, Christian activist Nguyen Van Oai arrested again

25.01.2017 (AsiaNews/EdA) - Hanoi – Vietnam’s Communist authorities have arrested a young Protestant activist, previously released from prison in 2015 after serving a four-year sentence.

Nguyên Van Oai was first arrested in August of 2011 when the authorities carried out a series of raids against bloggers and pro-human rights activists with links to religious groups and organisations, environmental groups and anti-Chinese activists.

Together with the renowned Catholic blogger Paulus Le Van Son, the 32-year-old activist was sentenced to four years in prison and four years of probation, for trying to "overthrow the legitimate government". [read more]

Urgent Statement on Vietnam’s arrest of Activist Tran Thi Nga

25.01.2017 (Defend the Defenders) - On the morning of January 21, 2017, Vietnam’s communist government arrested activist Ms. Tran Thi Nga on charge of conducting anti-state propaganda under Article 88 of the country’s Penal Code.

In recent years, Ms. Nga has been under continuous persecution by Vietnam’s authorities under various forms such as physical attacks, house arrest, close surveillance, robbing and restricted movement. She was beaten and cursed many times by police officers and plainclothes agents ...

We, the undersigned, demand:

– Vietnam’s government must release Ms. Nga immediately and unconditionally as she is a prisoner of conscience detained solely for peaceful activities in defending human right.

– Vietnam’s authorities must treat Ms. Nga in accordance with the UN Nelson Mandela Rules for the treatment of prisoners, and she is not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment. [read more]

Hanói, el líder cristiano Nguyên Van Oai es llevado nuevamente a prisión. Apriete a los activistas

25.01.2017 (AsiaNews/EdA) - Hanoi – Hanói (AsiaNews/EdA) – Las autoridades comunistas vietnamitas arrestaron a un joven activista cristiano protestante, que ya fue preso político en el pasado y que salió de la cárcel en agosto de 2015, tras haber descontado cuatro años en prisión. Se trata de  Nguyên Van Oai, detenido por primera vez en agosto de 2011 en el marco de una serie de operativos dirigidos contra blogueros y activistas que luchan a favor de los derechos humanos, y que tiene nexos con grupos y organizaciones religiosas, movimientos ambientalistas y patriotas anti-chinos. [seguir leyendo]

Viet Nam: Arbitrary detention of labour and land rights defender Ms. Tran Thi Nga

24.01.2017 (OMCT) - The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Viet Nam.

The Observatory has been informed by the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) about the arbitrary arrest and detention of labour and land rights defender Ms. Tran Thi Nga.

Ms. Tran Thi Nga was subsequently charged under Article 88 of the Criminal Code[1] (“spreading propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam”). On their website, police said that Ms. Tran Thi Nga used the Internet “to spread some propaganda videos and writings that are against the Government of the Social Republic of Viet Nam”. If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in jail. [read more]

Tran Thi Nga Arrested

23.01.2017 (Front Line Defenders) - On 21 January 2017 human rights defender Ms Tran Thi Nga was arrested in Ha Nam province on charges of anti-state propaganda. Two days earlier, fellow human rights defender Mr Nguyen Van Oai was arrested in Nghe An province on charges of ‘resisting officials on duty’ and violating his probation.

Tran Thi Nga is a member of Vietnamese Women For Human Rights, a group that includes overseas Vietnamese wishing to lend support, training, and encouragement to those who stand up to defend human rights in Vietnam.

Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Vietnam to:

1. Immediately and unconditionally release Tran Thi Nga and Nguyen Van Oai, as Front Line Defenders believes that they are being held solely as a result of thier legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights; [read more]

Vietnam arresta a una activista por difundir propaganda contra el estado

22.01.2017 (WRadio) - (Agencia EFE) - Las autoridades de Vietnam arrestaron a Tran Thi Nga, de 39 años, destacada activista en la defensa de los derechos humanos a la que acusa de difundir propaganda contra el estado, informaron hoy activistas.

La activista, conocida como Thuy Nga, fue detenida el sábado en su casa en la provincia de Ha Nam, en el norte del país, tras denunciar durante días el acoso que sufría por parte de las autoridades.

La noche anterior al arresto, Nga publicó en Facebook imágenes de su casa rodeada por la Policía y de agentes golpeando la puerta, junto a un mensaje en el que preguntaba a la Policía qué quería de ella, según el portal Vietnam Rights Now, gestionado por activistas. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam police arrest dissident for propaganda against state

21.01.2017 (Reuters) - Police in Vietnam arrested a dissident on Saturday for posting anti-state material on the internet, as part of an ongoing crackdown on critics of the Southeast Asian country's Communist rulers.

Tran Thi Nga, 39, was arrested in northern province Ha Nam, the province's police said on their website, adding that she had been "using the internet to spread some propaganda videos and writings that are against the government of the Social Republic of Vietnam."

Several local dissidents and bloggers showed support for Nga in posts on their Facebook accounts after her arrest. [read more]

Vietnam: Wieder ein Regimegegner aus dem Gefängnis ins Exil verbannt

21.01.2017 von Hai Tran (Forum Vietnam 21) - Der politische Gefangene Dang Xuan Dieu wurde am 13. Januar 2017 unmittelbar aus dem Gefängnis Nr. 5 „Nam Yen Dinh“, in der Provinz Thanh Hoa, nach Frankreich abgeschoben. Die vietnamesische Regierung gewährte ihm nicht einmal die Möglichkeit, dass er sich von seinen Familienangehörigen verabschieden konnte. Dang Xuan Dieu, der heute 37 Jahr alt ist, war ein Mitglied der Arbeitsgruppe der katholischen und evangelischen Jugend der Diözese Vinh in Zentralvietnam, er wurde im Jahre 2011 verhaftet und zusammen mit weiteren 13 Mitgliedern der Gruppe von einem Gericht in der Provinz Vinh am 08. Januar 2013 wegen „Aktivitäten zum Stürzen der Regierung“, nach dem Artikel 79 des Strafgesetzbuches, zu 13 Jahren Haftstrafe mit anschließendem 5 Jahren Hausarrest verurteilt. (Foto: Defend the Defenders) [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamese journalist Dang Xuan Dieu released from prison

13.01.2017 (CPJ) - Bangkok - The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release from prison of Vietnamese journalist Dang Xuan Dieu and calls on Vietnamese authorities to free unconditionally all journalists held behind bars. Dieu was released late last night after more than five years in prison and flew immediately to France, according to news reports. He arrived in Paris early today, the news reports said.

"Vietnam's release of Dang Xuan Dieu is good news, but he should never have been jailed in the first place, and should not have had to leave his country," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative. "We call on authorities to stop using vague unjust laws to punish the press, and to release all journalists still jailed." [read more]

Vietnam Sends a Dissident to France but Blocks Another From Leaving

13.01.2017 (RFA) - Vietnamese authorities released one dissident from jail this week as they exiled the former political prisoner to France, but at the same time they blocked another well-known dissident from leaving the country.

Dang Xuan Dieu, a blogger, community organizer and a member of the outlawed Viet Tan organization, was released late Thursday and deported to Paris after serving six years of a 13-year prison term, according to family members and his international attorney.

Dieu was one of Vietnam’s most high-profile political prisoners as he refused to stop his civil disobedience once he was jailed, refusing to wear a prison uniform and staging prolonged hunger strikes. [read more]

Vietnam: End Crackdown on Bloggers and Activists !

12.01.2017 (HRW) - New York – The Vietnamese government engaged in a broad crackdown on freedom of speech, opinion, association, assembly, and religion in 2016, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2017. Rights bloggers and activists faced constant police intimidation and harassment, were subject to incommunicado detention, and imprisoned for exercising their basic rights.

In 2016, at least 19 people, including prominent bloggers Nguyen Huu Vinh, also known as “Anh Ba Sam,” Nguyen Dinh Ngoc, also known as “Nguyen Ngoc Gia,” and land rights activist Can Thi Theu, were sentenced from 20 months to nine years in prison for their blogging or peaceful rights campaigning. The police also arrested at least eight others, including bloggers Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, also known as “Mother Mushroom,” and Ho Van Hai, also known as “Dr. Ho Hai,” for allegedly “conducting propaganda against the state.” Others, such as Nguyen Van Dai and Tran Anh Kim, arrested in 2015, continue to be detained without trial.

2016 also saw frequent physical assaults against human rights bloggers and campaigners at the hands of anonymous men who appear to be acting with state sanction and impunity. [read more]

Vietnam's Religious Law: Testing the Faithful

12.01.2017 By Luke Hunt (The Diplomat) - Vietnam’s new Law on Belief and Religion sparks worry about freedom of religion in the communist country. ... People here are still wary of upsetting the authorities in Hanoi, where religions of all persuasions are viewed with suspicion. New laws have just passed to manage the faithful and ensure “national security and social harmony” are not upset by what the government sees as “wayward beliefs in god.” The law requires all religious groups to register with the authorities and report on their activities. Authorities have the right to approve or refuse requests.

Among the examples HRW cited was clause five of article six, prohibiting the abuse of freedom of religion to sow division among “the national great unity, harm state defense, national security, public order, and social morale.”

Wordings like “national great unity,” “national security,” and “social morale,” HRW said, are vague and can also be arbitrarily used by the authorities to punish bloggers and political activists. [read more]

Vietnamese Dissident Attorney's House Vandalized by Thugs

06.01.2017 (RFA) - Unidentified thugs vandalized the Hanoi home of a prominent human-rights attorney, smearing it with red paint and putrid-smelling shrimp paste late Thursday night, the lawyer told RFA’s Vietnamese Service.

Tran Thu Nam told RFA that he was working at his home around midnight when he went to his front door to investigate a mysterious commotion.

“I don’t know who did it, as they had already  run away when I opened the door,” he said. “They painted the door and threw shrimp paste at it.”

While it remains unclear who vandalized Tran’s house, attacks on the homes of prominent dissidents and government critics are often used in Asia as a form of intimidation. [read more]