Amid Crackdown on Dissent, Six Vietnamese Human Rights Activists Are Dealt Long Prison Sentences · Global Voices
<PERSON>, a prominent land rights activist, leads the march with her son, <PERSON>. The placard reads: “Justice for the Brotherhood for Democracy.” Photo: Facebook screen grab/<PERSON>
This article by <PERSON> is from Loa, a news website and podcast of Viet Tan that broadcasts stories about Vietnam. It is republished by Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.
Six activists were sentenced to between seven and 15 years in prison on charges of subversion after a one-day trial in Hanoi. These are the harshest punishments to be issued by Vietnam's one-party state in years.
Human rights lawyer <PERSON>, 48, received the longest sentence of 15 years in prison and five years of house arrest.
According to attorney <PERSON>, who represented some of the defendants, <PERSON> said while inside the heavily secured courtroom that “leniency for political dissidents today is really an act of leniency for yourself in the future.”
<PERSON> shared similar sentiments, saying, “I have no regrets. Today you put me on trial but tomorrow it may be you on trial.”
<PERSON> legal assistant <PERSON>, who was arrested with him in December 2015, received nine years in prison. Lutheran pastor <PERSON> and <PERSON> both received 12 years. <PERSON> and <PERSON> received sentences of 11 and seven years in prison, respectively. All besides <PERSON> are bloggers and citizen journalists who have been jailed before.
All six are members of the Brotherhood for Democracy (BFD), an organization that promotes civic engagement and provides training in human rights. The group began in 2013, with <PERSON> as one of the founding members.
The trial of 6 Vietnamese activists is over.
<PERSON> 15 years
<PERSON> 7 years
<PERSON> 12 years
<PERSON> 11 years
<PERSON> 12 years
<PERSON> 9 years pic.twitter.com/S5bUmjofvi
— Grace Bui (@gracebui2016) April 5, 2018
A tightening grip on dissent
Commenting on the trial, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman <PERSON> said , “In Vietnam there is no such thing as a ‘prisoner of conscience’, and there’s no such thing as people being arrested for ‘freely expressing opinion’.”
People were quick to react on Twitter.
This is such a joke. Thanks to those who dared asking the question in the first place though. 637
Foreign delegations in #Vietnam should not let the authorities get away so easily from their international obligations regarding human rights. https://t.co/uJdAFNvxmr
— <PERSON> (@JadeDussart) April 5, 2018
A sad day for #PressFreedom: Only one day of trial to seal the fate of 6 #Vietnam bloggers and activists, including blogger <PERSON>, sentenced to 15 years of jail, and veteran journalist <PERSON>, sentenced to 12 years. #StopTheCrackdownVN https://t.co/EeD0UPdMXj
— RSF_Asia-Pacific (@RSF_AsiaPacific) April 5, 2018
The latest research from Amnesty International shows there are currently close to 100 prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. In 2017 alone, more than 40 activists were arrested, issued warrants or exiled in an ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression.
The European Union also condemned the convictions. An EU spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) said the development “continues the negative trend of prosecuting and sentencing human rights activists and bloggers” in Vietnam.
<PERSON>, who is the son of pastor <PERSON>, told <PERSON> that he and his family are heartbroken with the sentence. <PERSON>, also known as <PERSON>, had been traveling the world to advocate for his father and other members of the BFD:
It’s really horrible because my grandmother is already 90 years old. I don't think she’s going to last the next 12 years,” he said. “I don't think my father will get the chance to see her again. [We are] a family who has a member dedicating their lives to society and this is what we get from the government.”
Local and global support
Before the trial, supporters marched the roughly two kilometers from Thái Hà Church to the courthouse in Hanoi in solidarity with the six activists. A Facebook live video showed how the mobilization was followed and eventually broken up by security and plainclothes police. 637