PRESS RELEASE
BANGKOK (29 August 2014) – The UN Human Rights Office for South-East Asia
(OHCHR) is concerned that a court in Viet Nam has convicted and imprisoned
three human rights defenders for their peaceful human rights work. On 26
August 2014, the Dong Thap Provincial People’s Court sentenced Ms. Bui Thi
Minh Hang, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh, and Mr. Nguyen Van Minh to between
two and three years in prison on charges of “disturbing public order” under
Article 245 of the Penal Code.
The regular arrests and harsh convictions of human rights defenders,
bloggers and journalists is in contravention of Viet Nam’s international
obligations to uphold freedom of expression, assembly and association under
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. OHCHR has on many
past occasions raised concerns with the Government regarding this
disturbing trend. In February 2014 the Special Rapporteur on the situation
of human rights defenders also raised such concerns, describing “a pattern
of targeting, intimidating and silencing peaceful pro-democracy activists
and human rights defenders who exercise their right to freedom of opinion
and expression and their right to freedom of association in the country.”
On 11 February 2014, the three human rights defenders were arrested after
they organized a group to visit the home of human rights lawyer and former
political prisoner Mr. Nguyen Bac Truyen who had been reportedly beaten by
police and briefly detained at Chi Hoa Prison. The group was arrested.
After two days, 18 of them were released, while the three human rights
defenders were held in detention until their conviction this Tuesday.
According to information received, the trial was not open and a number of
relatives and activists who tried to attend the trial were prevented by
police from doing so. Some were put under informal house arrest, while
others were intercepted by police while travelling to the court house.
There was reportedly a large police presence restricting entry to the
court.
Ms. Bui Thi Minh Hang has focused her human rights work on protecting the
rights of farmers, particularly in land confiscation cases. Ms. Nguyen Thi
Thuy Quynh, and Mr. Nguyen Van Minh are Hoa Hao Buddhist practitioners who
campaign on religious freedom issues.
OHCHR urges the Government of Viet Nam, a member of the Human Rights
Council, to review the use of the Criminal Code to target human rights
defenders and to fully respect rights to freedom of expression, opinion and
association in the country.
ENDS
The Regional Office for South-East Asia in Bangkok represents the High
Commissioner for Human Rights within South East Asia. The High Commissioner
for Human Rights is the principal human rights official of the United
Nations. She heads the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights, which spearheads the United Nations’ human rights efforts.
