Description of the situation:
The Observatory has been informed by the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) about the suspected abduction and subsequent arbitrary detention of blogger Mr. Truong Duy Nhat [1].
According to the information received, on January 26, 2019 Mr. Truong Duy Nhat went missing in Bangkok, Thailand, where he had fled to from Vietnam to seek political asylum. The day before, he had gone to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Bangkok in order to file an asylum claim.
It is suspected that Mr. Truong Duy Nhat was abducted by unknown individuals in Bangkok before being taken back to Vietnam against his will.
On March 15, 2019, Ms. Cao Thi Xuan Phuong, Mr. Truong Duy Nhat’s wife, was allegedly informed by unknown sources that her husband was being held at Hanoi’s T16 detention centre.
On March 20, 2019, Ms. Cao Thi Xuan Phuong went to Hanoi’s T16 detention centre to attempt to visit her husband. However, the prison authorities denied her visitation rights. Moreover, they told her that her husband had been arrested on January 28, 2019, and transferred on the same day to T16 detention centre.
On March 25, 2019, during a press conference in Hanoi, Public Security Ministry Spokesperson Lt Gen Tran Van Ve accused Mr. Truong Duy Nhat of taking advantage of documents in possession of the newspaper Dai Doan Ket, where he was a journalist from 1995 to 2010, to buy properties without an auction, causing financial loss to the State. Lt Gen Ve said the case was still under investigation.
The Observatory recalls that this is not the first time Mr. Truong Duy Nhat has been targeted. On June 26, 2014, the Supreme People’s Court in Danang, central Vietnam, upheld a two-year prison sentence against him for publishing articles on his blog that were critical of the government, which Mr. Truong Duy Nhat served [2].
The Observatory is also concerned about the situation of Mr. Bach Hong Quyen, another Vietnamese blogger and human rights campaigner, who is currently living in Thailand with UNHCR refugee status. Mr. Bach Hong Quyen helped Mr. Truong Duy Nhat with his administrative procedures in Thailand and feels under threat from the Thai authorities because of his knowledge about Mr. Truong Duy Nhat’s suspected abduction. Mr. Bach Hong Quyen’s family is under surveillance by Thai authorities and on March 20, 2019, Thai plainclothes police officers entered his house. The police officers then left as they could not find him.
The Observatory strongly condemns the suspected abduction and arbitrary detention of Mr. Truong Duy Nhat, as they seem to be only aimed at sanctioning him for his legitimate human rights activities, and urges the Vietnamese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him and ensure an independent investigation into his suspected abduction. The Observatory further fears that Mr. Truong Duy Nhat would be at risk of torture and ill-treatment while in detention, which would be contrary to Vietnam’s obligations under Article 3 of the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The Observatory also urges the Thai authorities to protect all human rights defenders in Thailand, regardless of their nationality, put an end to all acts of harassment against Mr. Bach Hong Quyen, and comply with their non-refoulement obligations under Article 3 of the Convention against Torture.
Actions requested:
Please write to the authorities of Vietnam asking them to:
i. Guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical integrity and psychological well-being of Mr. Truong Duy Nhat and of all human rights defenders in Vietnam;
ii. Immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Truong Duy Nhat as his detention is arbitrary and merely aimed at punishing him for his human rights activities;
iii. Put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against him and all human rights defenders in Vietnam, and ensure in all circumstances that they are able to carry out their legitimate activities without any hindrance and fear of reprisals;
iv. Guarantee the access of Mr. Truong Duy Nhat to his relatives and a lawyer of his choice;
v. Conduct an immediate, thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Truong Duy Nhat’s suspected abduction and subsequent reappearance in Hanoi’s T16 jail;
vi. Conform to the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, in particular with Articles 1, 5(b), and 12.2;
vii. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Vietnam.
Please also write to the authorities of Thailand asking them to:
i. Guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical integrity and psychological well-being of Mr. Bach Hong Quyen and all human rights defenders in the country, regardless of their nationality;
ii. Conduct an immediate, thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Truong Duy Nhat’s suspected abduction in Bangkok and subsequent reappearance in Hanoi’s T16 jail;
iii. Put an end to any act of harassment against Mr. Bach Hong Quyen and all human rights defenders in the country, regardless of their nationality;
iv. Comply with their non-refoulement obligations under Article 3 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;
v. Conform to the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, in particular with Articles 1, 5(b), and 12.2;
vi. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Thailand.
Addresses:
Authorities from Vietnam:
Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, President of Viet Nam, Email: banbientap@nguyenphutrong.org
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Viet Nam, Email: banbientap@nguyenxuanphuc.org
Mr. Pham Binh Minh, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam; Fax: 84-4-38231872 – 84-4-37992682, Email: bc.mfa@mofa.gov.vn
Mr. Le Vinh Tan, Minister of Home Affairs of Viet Nam, Fax: 84-4-39781005
Mr. Le Thanh Long, Minister of Justice of Viet Nam, Fax: 84-4-38431431
Mr. To Lam, Minister of Public Security of Viet Nam, Fax: 84-4-9420223
Mr. Mai Tien Dung, Minister, Office of the Government (OOG), Viet Nam; Fax: 84-4-80 44130
Mr. Chi Dung Duong, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Viet Nam to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; Fax: +41 (0) 22-798 07 24; Email: info@vnmission-ge.gov.vn
Mr. Vuong Thua Phong, Ambassador, Embassy of Viet Nam in Brussels, Belgium. Fax: +32 (0)2 374 93 76; Email: vnemb.brussels@skynet.be - unescochau@yahoo.com
Please also write to the diplomatic representations of Vietnam in your respective countries.
Authorities from Thailand:
Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, Prime Minister of Thailand, Fax: +66 (0) 2 282 5131
Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Fax: +66 (0) 2 643 5320; Email: minister@mfa.go.th
Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong, Minister of Justice of Thailand, Fax: +66 (0) 2 953 0503
Pol Gen Chaktip Chaijinda, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, Fax: +66 (0) 2 251 5956 / +66 (0) 2 251 8702
Mr. Wat Tingsamit, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, Email: help@nhrc.or.th
H.E. Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Thailand to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 715 10 00 / 10 02; Email: mission.thailand@ties.itu.int
Embassy of Thailand in Brussels, Belgium, Fax: +32 2 648 30 66; Email: thaibxl@pophost.eunet.be
Please also write to the diplomatic representations of Thailand in your respective countries.
***
Paris-Geneva, March 28, 2019
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
Tel and fax FIDH +33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80
Tel and fax OMCT +41 (0) 22 809 49 39 / +41 22 809 49 29
[1] Mr. Truong Duy Nhat is a former journalist with State-run newspapers Bao Cong An Quang Nam Danang (Quang Nam Danang Security Police newspaper) and Dai Doan Ket (Great Solidarity newspaper). In 2011, he quit his work as a reporter to write for his blog “Mot Goc Nhin Khac” (A Different Point of View), which became widely known for its criticism of the government. In his blog, Mr. Truong Duy Nhat frequently criticizes the performance of top government officials, including the Prime Minister, on human rights issues.
[2] See Observatory Press Release published on June 30, 2014.