Vietnam: Free Democracy Campaigners
Rights Activists Appealed Verdicts in Politically Motivated Cases
Human Rights Watch
| August 28, 2023
The Vietnamese authorities
should quash recent verdicts in the politically motivated cases against the
dissidents Tran Van Bang and Bui Tuan Lam and immediately release them, Human
Rights Watch said today. Higher courts are scheduled to hear the appeals of Tran
Van Bang on August 29 and Bui Tuan Lam on August 30, 2023.
Police arrested Tran
Van Bang in March and Bui
Tuan Lam in September 2022 and
charged them with conducting propaganda against the state under article 117 of
the penal code. In May 2023 courts convicted and sentenced Tran Van Bang to
eight years in prison and Bui Tuan Lam to five and a half years.
“Tran Van Bang and Bui Tuan Lam openly criticized how the Communist Party of
Vietnam rules the country,” said Phil
Robertson, deputy Asia director at
Human Rights Watch. “The peaceful exercise of political dissent is not a crime
and the cases against them should be dropped.”
Tran Van Bang, 62, is a former soldier and an engineer, as well as a rights
activist. Bui Tuan Lam, also known as Peter Lam Bui or Onion Bae, 39, is a
street noodle vendor who became famous in 2021 for imitating the celebrity chef
Salt Bae, who was seen spreading
salt over a US$2,000 gold-encrusted steak and spoon-feeding it
to Vietnam’s public security minister, To Lam.
During the past decade, Tran Van Bang and Bui Tuan Lam have advocated for civil
and political rights in Vietnam. Both participated in anti-China demonstrations
as well as protests about environmental and human rights issues. Both publicly
voiced their support for political prisoners and detainees and joined activities
to provide financial assistance and emotional support to fellow activists and
their families.
The police over the years have harassed and threatened both activists numerous
times and placed them under house arrest during important political events.
Pro-government thugs have attacked and injured them.
Bui Tuan Lam’s family members were not allowed to attend his trial in May. When
his wife, Le
Thanh Lam, showed up near the court
on the morning of his trial, police apprehended and dragged her in the street,
and detained her for several hours. Inside the court, one of Bui Tuan Lam’s
defense lawyers, Ngo Anh Tuan, was ordered to leave the courtroom before he
finished his defense argument.
Tran Van Bang’s health, which had deteriorated in the months before his arrest,
worsened in recent months due to the lack of appropriate medical care in police
detention.
Vietnam is holding at least 159 political prisoners for exercising their basic
rights and liberties after being convicted in trials that do not meet
international fair trial standards. Twenty-three other people are being held in
pretrial detention on politically motivated charges.
“The Vietnam government’s blatant violations of its international human rights
obligations are even more egregious because of its current membership in the
United Nations Human Rights Council,” Robertson said. “International donors and
trade partners should press the Vietnamese government to release all dissidents
and others imprisoned for exercising their civil and political rights.”
For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Vietnam, please visit:
https://www.hrw.org/asia/vietnam
For more information, please contact:
In Cape Cod, Phil Robertson (English, Thai): +1-917-378-4097 (mobile); or robertp@hrw.org.
Twitter: @Reaproy
In Washington, DC, John Sifton (English): +1-646-479-2499 (mobile); or siftonj@hrw.org.