- The entire Vietnam compatriots at home and abroad,
- National Assembly and the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security.
- Democratic governments and the International Human Rights Agencies
On Nov 7, 2013, Vietnam permanent mission at the United Nations announced Vietnam was the latest member of the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Recently, Vietnam President has submitted this convention to Vietnam National Assembly for ratification on Oct 23, 2014. To date, there has been a sudden outbreak of many acts of cruelty, brutal torture, humiliation inflicted upon innocent civilians by the public security forces.
1. On 29 October, former prisoners of conscience Pham Ba Hai and Hoa Hao Buddhist Le Van Soc went to Dalat to visit a former prisoner of conscience Duong Au. There was a security officer sitting next them to interfere. Then this force (plainclothes) followed Mr. Hai and Mr. Soc to near their hotel and suddenly assaulting them brutally in a deserted street. The end of the play is an appearance of a plain clothed policeman coming to rescue.
On the next day 30 October, Mr Hai and Soc took flight to the northern Vinh city (Nghe An province) to visit other former PoC and PoC’s families such as Chu Manh Son, Dau Van Duong, Dang Xuan Dieu. As soon as they got off the plane at the airport, they were rounded up and arrested for a brazenly trumped-up excuse that the duo had assaulted and robbed belongings of a resident in Dalat. During harassment, a high-ranked security officer tortured and used corporal punishment by hooking his nose and jerked upwards; stubbing a burning cigarette on his arm and insulted him as a real criminal.
Meanwhile, former PoC Chu Manh Son he had not picked two friends up yet was arrested and taken to the Nghi An police station and headquarter of Yen Thanh district. At the two places, he was called as “dog” and beaten and threatened beating to death. Finally, they fined him 2,500,000 VND (120 USD) otherwise not returned his motorbike and gadgets) with reason as violating administrative probation.
2. On Nov 1 and 2, 2014, hundreds of police-hired thugs blocked the entrances to the chapel of the Christian Mennonite church at My Phuoc village, Ben Cat District, Binh Duong province aimed at preventing H’Mong believers, students and workers from worshiping on Saturday and Sunday. At the same time, the combined force threw stones, bricks into the chapel and then rushed into the chapel to beat believers. Many injuries had to remain inside the chapel because they were afraid of going out. Some other believers were hunt when fled into the nearby forest. The victims and residents have phoned the local police and local authorities, but they did not arrive at the scene to solve and rescue.
Binh Duong authorities long want to wipe these unregistered Mennonite Protestants and harassing the head, Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang, assaulting and robbing many dignitaries, breaking down their headquarter such as the incident of 9th and 12th June, 2014 with 76 pastors and followers beaten, slandered. The incident on Nov 1st and 2nd is the climax, but not the end point for the campaign to erase this religion.
3. On the evening of Nov 2, 2014, former prisoner of conscience, freelance journalist Truong Minh Duc on a motorbike was stopped by a group of plainclothed police. He was chased and beaten very brutally at the T-junction Suoi Giua of highway 13, Binh Duong province. Among at least 8 agents involved in the raid there is a lieutenant colonel who illegally detained and beat Mr Duc before at his home in Ben Cat district, Binh Duong province. Some used helmets repeatedly to hit at his head while others kicked on his flank to be unconscious. They took away his all belongings, including ID card, a laptop, a tablet, four ATM cards and 600 US dollars.
With two months, Mr. Duc reportedly was assaulted three times by police-sponsored thugs. The first is at 63 Kham Thien street, Dong Da district, Hanoi on Sep 8, 2014. The second is at midnight of Sep 11, 2014 at the police headquarters of My Phuoc town, Ben Cat district, Binh Duong province.
From the three incidents above, the civil society organizations declare:
1. When taking the floor before Assembly on 23 October, President Truong Tan Sang said adopting United Nations Convention against Torture must conform to the laws and constitution of Vietnam. So the above incidents are the appropriate modes mentioned? In addition, Mr. Tran Van Hang, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, said the ratification of the UN Convention against Torture is "an important legal basis" to "fight against the false, slandered allegations about torture, mistreatment of prisoners, etc. by "hostile forces against the State of Vietnam". So the acts of ruthless swagger took place were staged by the hostile forces?
2. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, gone to Italia recently to meet Pope Francis on 18 October, said Vietnam fully respects religious freedom. He had just come to India (27 October) and visited the place that Buddha attained enlightenment to show his having religion. So far what he has ordered for the administration to do in Thai Ha parish as confiscating land of Ba Giang lake in the end of October, and attacking into the chapel of the Mennonite believers are the way he is exercising the respect and promotion for religious freedom?
3. All Vietnamese people are increasingly reeling from currency devaluation, public debt buckling backs (20 million VND per capita), environmental pollution, poor health, exorbitant school fee and corruption, etc. Now people are in the state of suspense because police increasingly behaves like thugs and robbers: assaulting, plundering from civilians to pro-democracy activists, torturing to death countless detainees with undeserving crimes. And then there may have only a few perpetrators severely punished according to law.
4. State and the Communist Party of Vietnam must take full responsibility for creating the blind and brutal tools, just knowing "the party lives on, so I live on”; persons completely lost conscience, despite laws, only knowing how to follow orders to help maintain the regime. The sinister policy only thickens a criminal records and prolongs indictment that one day people will show them to both those who had instructed and who enforce. Their faces and names are being recorded.
Vietnam, November 6, 2014.
The civil society organizations co-signed:
1) Bach Dang Giang Foundation: Pham Ba Hai (MBE).
2) Bauxite Việt Nam: Prof. Nguyễn Huệ Chi, Prof. Phạm Xuân Yêm
3) Non-violent movement: Dr. Nguyễn Đan Quế
4) Vietnam Path: Mr. Trần Văn Huỳnh
5) Civil Society Forum: Nguyễn Quang A (Ph.D.)
6) Cao Dai Church: Mr. Hứa Phi, Mr. Nguyễn Kim Lân, Mrs. Bạch Phụng
7) Evangelical Lutheran Community Church Vietnam-America: Pastor Nguyễn Hoàng Hoa.
8) Christian Mennonite Church: Pastor Nguyễn Hồng Quang, Pastor Phạm Ngọc Thạch
9) Worker Farmer Solidarity Association: Mr. Nguyen Mai
10) Friendship Association of Political and Religious Prisoners: Nguyễn Bắc Truyển (LLB)
11) Brotherhood for Democracy: Lawyer Nguyen Van Dai.
12) Association to Protect Freedom of Religion:Ms. Hà Thị Vân
13) Gourd and Squash Mutual Association: Mr. Nguyen Le Hung
14) Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience: Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, Catholic Priest Phan Van Loi.
15) Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam: Pham Chi Dung (Ph.D.)
16) Vietnamese Women for Human Rights: Ms.Huynh Thuc Vy, Mrs. Tran Thi Hai, Ms. Tran Thuy Nga
17) Evangelical Protestant Church: Pastor Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, Pastor Lê Quang Du
18) Democracy Bloc 8406: Engineer Đỗ Nam Hải.
19) Viet Labors: Ms Đỗ Thị Minh Hạnh
20) Network of Vietnamese Bloggers: Ms. Nguyen Hoang Vi
21) Nguyen Kim Dien Group: Catholic Priest Nguyen Huu Giai
22) Hoa Hao Buddhists Church, Purity: Mr. Lê Quang Liêm, Mr. Phan Tấn Hòa, Mr. Tống Văn Chính, Mr. Lê Văn Sóc.
23) Oppressed Petitioners Solidarity Movement: Ms. Tran Ngoc Anh
24) Delegation of Vietnamese United Buddhists Church: Ven. Thich Khong Tanh. Ven. Thich Vien Hy.
25) Justice and Peace Office of Vietnam Redemptorists: Father Dinh Huu Thoai.
*Translation by Trang Thien Long
