Prominent Vietnamese Dissident Refuses to Live in Exile in U.S., Wanting to Remain to Fight for Multi-party Democracy

 

 

By Vu Quoc Ngu – Defend the Defenders

October 10, 2015

Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, a prominent Vietnamese political prisoner who is serving his long-term imprisonment in the country, has refused to be released early and live in exile in the U.S. but stay in the home country to fight for multi-party democracy, said his father.

Mr. Tran Van Huynh, the father of entrepreneur Thuc, said many times officials of the Vietnamese communist government have come to Xuyen Moc prison in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau where the democracy advocate is jailed to propose him to go to the U.S. like a number of other political prisoners, however, the suggestion had been turned down.

Human rights  and pro-democracy activist Mr. Thuc, who was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to 16 years in jail for “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration” under Article 79 of Vietnam’s Penal Code, said he wants to remain in the country to fight for removing the controversial articles of the Penal Code which aim to silence the local dissent.

Representatives of Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security have pledged to reduce Thuc’s sentence if he confesses guilty, however, the activist has rejected the proposal, saying he is innocent and demanding for unconditional release.

In 2010, Mr. Thuc was tried in day-long trial alongside fellow dissidents Le Cong Dinh, Nguyen Tien Trung and Le Thang Long. The London-based Amnesty International called the trial “a mockery of justice” and said the “trial allowed no meaningful defense for the accused.” The trial judges deliberated for 15 minutes before returning with the judgment, which took 45 minutes to read.  Amnesty International said the judgment had clearly been prepared in advance of the hearing.

He was imprisoned for 16 years, followed by five years house arrest, for “activities aimed at subverting the people’s administration. His sentence is the longest ever passed on a Vietnamese dissident.

His imprisonment was condemned by then British Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis and American ambassador Michael W. Michalak while the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded his detention was arbitrary and requested the Vietnamese government to release him immediately.

In the past few years, Vietnam’s communist government has early released a number of political dissidents who peacefully exercised the rights of free expression enshrined in the country’s Constitution.

Among released were chemical teacher Dinh Dang Dinh, France-trained legal doctor Cu Huy Ha Vu, bloggers Nguyen Van Hai and Ta Phong Tan. Mr. Dinh died shortly after being freed due to poor health caused by the inhumane treatment in prison while the last three were brought directly from prisons to airports where they had been forced to take international flights to the U.S. for exile.

Their releases were results of diplomatic efforts of the U.S. and other democratic governments as well as pressure of international human rights bodies as Vietnam has sought international political and economical support to settle its economic difficulties and deal with China’s violations of its sovereignty in the East Sea.

Dr. Vu said Vietnam has treated prisoners of conscience as goods in exchange of economic aids from Western countries. According to the New York-based Human Rights Watch, Vietnam is holding between 150 and 200 prisoners of conscience, but Hanoi always denies it, saying it imprisons only law violators.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has intensified its political crackdown against local dissidents and human rights activists few months ahead of the 12^th National Congress of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam which has vowed to keep the country under a one-party regime and not tolerated criticism . Along with hiring thugs and using plainclothes agents to brutally attack activists, Vietnam has also detained a number of others.

On September 23, Hanoi police briefly detained the five-member staff of the independent Luong Tam (Conscience) TV for questioning after its three programs reporting human rights violations in the communist nation.

Two days earlier, authorities in Thai Binh province arrested Tran Anh Kim, the political prisoner who completed his 5-and-half-year imprisonment in January, and charged him with conducting anti-state activities under Article 79. Mr. Kim, 66, face imprisonment of between twelve and twenty years if convicted.

Vietnam will also try Nguyen Viet Dung, founder and leader of the unsanctioned Republican Party of Vietnam which strives to fight for multi-party democracy and human rights enhancement, for peaceful demonstration in Hanoi in April to protest the city’s plan for massive cutting down thousands of valuable aged trees in main streets in the city.

 

 

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