Police violate freedom of religion at An Phu Ward, Thuan An Town, Binh Duong Province
VRNs (Nov. 06, 2013) - Binh Duong - On the evening of Nov. 05, 2013, relatives and parishioners from An Lac Parish in northern province of Thai Binh, who currently reside in Saigon and Binh Duong, gathered together at the private residence of Mr. Nguyen on national route 50, An Phu Ward, Thuan An Town, Binh Duong Province, to pray for their ancestors and the souls in purgatory as Catholics around the world do in November. Usually this prayer lasts about 30 minutes, prayers then get some dinner together and say goodbye to one another around 9 p.m..
When the prayer ended at 7:30 p.m., suddenly a number of police and about a dozen of regime-hired security guards came over to harass those Catholics. A police officer, who did not reveal his name, demanded to meet the host and to make ID check on his guests. In front of about 30 people who attended the prayer, the senior police officer asked the host as follows.
- Police: What are you doing here?
- Host: We are brothers and countrymen, so they come here to pray for our ancestors.
- Police: Eat and drink at your will but [you] cannot say prayers.
The police then told the host that he needs to obtain a permission for such a prayer. Although attendees got upset, they stayed calm and explained their rights to the police. Noticing some people were taking pictures, the police and regime-hired security guards quietly began to leave the scene.
Offenders of religious freedom under the uniforms of police and security guard
Police and regime-hired security guards harassed those who attended the prayer
The arbitrary police actions of An Phu Ward violate the religious freedom of citizens according to the following laws.
The Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam 1992. Article 70 of Chapter V: “(1) The citizen shall enjoy freedom of belief and of religion; he can follow any religion or follow none. All religions are equal before the law. All religions are equal before the law. (2) The places of worship of all faiths and religions are protected by the law. (3) No one has the right to infringe on the freedom of faith and religion or to take advantage of the latter to violate State laws and policies.”
The Ordinance of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly No. 21/2004/PL-UBTVQH11 of June 18, 2004 Regarding Religious Belief and Religious Organizations. Chapter I - General Provisions, Article 1: “Citizens have the right to freedom of religious belief and of having a religion, and freedom of non-belief and not having a religion. The State guarantees freedom of religious belief and of religion for its citizens. Nobody is permitted to violate these freedoms. All religions are equal before the law. Citizens who have religious beliefs and a religion and those who are non-believers and do not have a religion must respect each other.” Chapter II - The activities of people with religious belief and the activities of adherents of a religion, religious dignitaries, people of religious vocation, Article 9: “(1.) People with religious belief and adherents of a religion are free to express their faith, conduct rites of worship and prayer, and to take part in and provide service for religious festivities, and to study religious teachings.”
Beside the cited laws, there is no known law in Vietnam that stipulates “citizens must obtain permission from, and report to, local authorities for conducting a prayer in their private home.” Therefore, the police of An Phu Ward committed illegal actions at Mr. Nguyen’s private home on Nov. 05, 2013.
The home owner said he will file a complaint regarding the illegal actions of police and security guards of An Phu Ward, Thuan An Town, Binh Duong Province, against freedom of religion and the Catholic faith in particular.
