VRNs (11/29/2014) - Saigon - Translated by Ngoc Nhi Nguyen (Danlambao) - Ho Duy Hai is a former student (born 1985) sentenced to death for allegedly killing two female postal workers at Cau Voi Post Office, Thu Thua District, Long An, South Viet Nam, in March 2008.
Many articles have been written about the case and stated that Ho Duy Hai is not the culprit, there was no convincing evidence to convict Ho Duy Hai, for example at the scene, police authorities investigators obtained a lot of fingerprints, but none was identical to the 10 fingerprints of Ho Duy Hai; Knife and cutting board considered to be the killing weapons, was supplied to the Court by the investigation team, who ordered some officials to buy from the market. These are the two most basic evidences, and a lot of other evidences were not investigated properly either.
Mrs Nguyen Thi Loan (born 1963) lives in the village 1, Duy Thanh, Thu Thua District, Long An province, is the mother of Ho Duy Hai . She said her son was arrested by police 3 months after the murder and the police accused him of murdering the two women and robbing the Post office.
"Since the 21 March 2008 till now, Ho Duy Hai was given the death sentence by two courts," she said.
Mrs Loan insisted that her son is not guilty and said, " Criminal Police of Long An Province had the experts confirmed that the10 fingerprints of Ho Duy Hai did not match with the fingerprints left on the sinks and water faucets at the crime scene. So whose fingerprints were they and why did the police agencies not looking for this person, but arrested and sentenced unfairly my son. Where is real the culprit, I do not know.
The police sent postal clerk of Nhi Thanh Commune to a grocery store to buy a knife and a cutting board, to be submitted to Court as evidence of the case. Entries on the case were erased and changed... "
Besides, Mrs Loan said "the witness said he did not see Ho Duy Hai at the scene but the police changed this and said he saw Ho Duy Hai. This witness is still alive and he is willing to testify to this."
"There were someone who secretly wrote to the journalists, ordering them not to write about the case of Ho Duy Hai." Mrs Loan choked back her tears, went on to say "It is so unfair for my family. All this injustice but no one helped us. Even the former Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Police was upset and said to the journalist " Is it that easy to send someone to death ?" But still there was no intervention from anywhere."
Mrs Loan sobbed uncontrollably "I am so upset! I have traveled from the South all the way to the North to Central Government to beg for my son, but no one would spare me a glance!"
Amid cries, Mrs Loan tried hard to continue, "I went to the Parliament but they did not allow me to speak there... At the court I was pushed out by the police. I went to various government offices to protest and held demonstrations but the police also chased me away. No one wanted to take on my son 's case.
Seven years my son was imprisoned for being wrongfully convicted, but no one listened or helped. Every time I visited my son he would say: Mother, please help me prove that I am innocent. In court, I was given the indictment to read, but I did not do it, why did the police arrest me and keep me here? I cried for 7 years long I have no tears left!"
Mrs Nguyen Thi Ruoi, Ho Duy Hai 's aunty, said: "There are rumours all around that my nephew is being executed to save the real culprit, who is the son of a high ranking government official or of a very rich person. A reporter from Nong Thon Ngay Nay magazine told me this."
Mrs Loan petitioned for her son's innocence for 7 years continuously, but the authorities remain silent despite knowing the pain of a mother whose child has been sentenced wrongly to death, while the real perpetrator still roam free.
She said "I could only put in the application then had to go home, as no one would see me. I was not allowed to see the person in charge of that office but only saw the receptionist."
At the Provincial Parliament in Long An, they said "It's out of our hands" and advised me to go all the way to the Central Government up North to protest. I went to the Central Government Office, they took my form then told me to go home, no one would do anything, I cried by myself then went home. There is no justice at all, I cried, then went home by myself, they did not want to even look at an innocent citizen.
Every year I went to the Central Office in Ha Noi, holding banners outside their gate petitioning for my son for months on end then had to go home again, no one wanted to take on the case."
Mrs Loan sobbed "I promised myself that I will keep petitioning until my son is proven innocent, if I fail I will self immolate in front of the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. If my son gets executed wrongly what's the point of me going home by myself? It is very urgent now, they will inject poison to kill my son soon, I fear I won't be able to save my son in time. "
Mrs Ruoi said, her family has begged the family of Mr Nguyen Minh Triet, President of the Republic Socialist of Vietnam, but the case remains silent: "In 2009, I went to Mr Nguyen Minh Triet's wife and presented the case. After that our family received two written requests asking the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Supreme People's Court to clarify the matter, but still the case remains silenced for the next 7 years."
Three days ago, on 25 Nov 2014, Chief Justice of Long An province and the court clerk met her family and informed Mrs Loan, that there had been a decision to put her son to death, but they would not reveal the date.
Chief Justice of Long An, the representative of the government, bluntly asked her: "You agree to lethal injection and after that agree to take the body home or not?. Mrs Loan asked him back, very upset "Do you have children?". She added frustratingly "My son is innocent, it is your job to protect him, anyone who is out to kill my son will die along with me also".
Immediately after that, Mrs Loan and Mrs Ruoi went to the Parliament Office in Hanoi to continue protesting for his innocence, but the receptionist only told them, "Come back on Monday and someone will look at it then".
Why do government agencies remains indifferent and has no feeling towards the anguish of a mother whose son is so close to being executed wrongly?
Mrs Ruoi wished: "I want Ho Duy Hai to be freed. Since Ho Duy Hai was put in jail it affects our entire family, no one can do any work. Ho Duy Hai is a very gentle and obedient boy. The family is very upset and feeling terrible. All his youth has been spent in jail."
Mrs Loan sobbed: "I beg you please, all Vietnamese living overseas and in Viet Nam, please raise your voice with the government to ask for the release of my son, I don't ask for compensation. I just wish my child released to me, I need my son, he is not guilty, I do not need compensation, nothing can exchange for my son."
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