Trinh Ba Tu and Bui Van Thuan enter third week of hunger strike at Prison No. 6 in Nghe An

Trinh Ba Tu and Bui Van Thuan

Two political prisoners remain on a hunger strike at Prison No. 6 in Nghe An Province to protest being held in what they claim are inhumane and discriminatory conditions. Land rights advocate Trinh Ba Tu and democracy activist Bui Van Thuan, both serving eight years in prison each under Art. 117, have now been on strike for 23 days.

Dang Dinh Bach

The two, along with climate defender and lawyer Dang Dinh Bach, began their strike on Sept. 28. On Oct. 16, Tu’s sister, Trinh Thi Thao, visited him in prison and reported to Project88 that while Bach had to stop his strike after ten days due to his poor health, both Thuan and Tu are doing well and have vowed to continue striking. Thao also reported that the prison has made some modest compromises in response to the group’s demands, including agreeing to open the cells up for a few hours on Sundays so that the prisoners can recreate together. Thao also told Project88 that Tu received a medical exam in prison and has lost significant weight, dropping from 68kg to 59 kg. Thuan had reportedly previously been suffering from joint pain but has since improved.

Bach, Thuan, and Tu specifically called out two wardens — Thai Van Thuy and Nguyen Van Du, for what they allege are arbitrary and discriminatory practices against political prisoners. In a formal letter, Bach made a series of demands, including an end to “tiger cage” confinement that “devastates our physical and mental well-being.” Bach had previously described tiger cages as a detention cell of about 15 square meters, shared with one other prisoner, with a yard of the same size surrounded by high walls and wire mesh above. Their former inmate Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, who was freed last month in a forced pardon, reported that the group had been held in the tiger cages since mid April.

Many prisoners have undertaken hunger strikes at Prison No. 6 in recent years to protest similar mistreatment. Thuc and Bach even recounted being attacked by knife-wielding men last year who had forcibly entered their cells dressed in prison uniforms. The group is calling on Vietnam to improve the conditions at Prison No. 6, as well as release all political prisoners “to pave the way for the country to democratize, to build a state of law, to respect the law, and to protect the human rights of each person in a genuine way.” Read the full letter detailing their demands, written by Bach’s wife Tran Phuong Thao, below.

© 2024 The 88 Project

___________________

 

Hanoi, 07.10.2024

Dear friends, colleagues, and international organizations,

Since 28.09.2024, my husband Dang Dinh Bach has gone on a hunger strike in Prison No. 6, Nghe A province, to demand strict enforcement of laws and dignified prison conditions, after all of his and my efforts combined to file formal complaints were mostly ignored. (During three years, we filed nearly 30 letters of complaints, suggestions and denunciations of mistreatment in prison).

Bach is joined by two other prisoners of conscience, Bui Van Thuan and Trinh Ba Tu.

Bach explained during my visit on 03.10.2024 that the decision to go on a hunger strike was not easy to take, but he can no longer witness older prisoners (70, 80 years old) being broken under current inhuman detention conditions.

Bách expressed his wish to establish a direct dialogue mechanism with the New Board of Directors of Prison Camp No. 6, who have been in charge since April 2024 (Deputy Warden Thai Van Thuy and Head of Sub-camp 1 Nguyen Van Du), in the spirit of mutual understanding and respect and in order to thoroughly resolve outstanding issues and ensure legal detention conditions meet basic living conditions for prisoners.

Below are some of the situations that Bach requests to be at least reversed to the situation before April 2024 for prisoners in Group A, Sub-camp 1, Prison Camp No. 6:

+ Abolish the tiger cage confinement.

 Like before, the cell door should be kept open from 5:30 am to 5:30 pm so that the prisoners can go to the small yard (in front of each cell) to exercise and do yoga outdoors.

Right now, the cell is only open four hours a day, not enough time for the laundry to dry outside, and the cell is always dark, sticky and humid.

+ Like before, prisoners of group A should be allowed to go to the group’s common yard to socialize and have common activities on Saturdays and Sundays .

+ Like before, prisoners must be allowed to give, donate, exchange books with each other and with the family at home.

+ Like before, the family must be allowed to provide a small desk lamp for reading and writing because it’s very dark in the cell even during the day.

+ Electrical wires and outlet boxes must be maintained to ensure safety for prisoners. Outlets and switches should be inside the cell and not outside, so that prisoners don’t have to blindly search for them with their fingers before using.

+ Give clear and reasonable notice of the censorship review period for letters and books sent by families. If letters and books are confiscated, the reason must be given in writing.

+ Request for immediate repair of the telephone in the visiting room. It is very often disconnected/interrupted at least 3-4 times during each visit, causing an inconvenience, wasting time, and affecting the rights of prisoners and their families. The time spent waiting for the phone to be repaired and reconnected should be compensated to ensure that prisoners receive the full 60-minute visit time.

+ Like before, boiling water should be provided three times/day. Currently, it can only be bought in the morning in an “unofficial way” and “paid” with instant noodles.

+ Very urgent! Prisoners with latent tuberculosis should be treated (WHO recommendation) and not only dismissed with the explanation that “latent tuberculosis is not tuberculosis,” in order to protect the individual and control the spread of TB in the high risk environment of a prison.

Together with Bui Van Thuan and Trinh Ba Tu, Bach calls on the State to release political prisoners and social activists,

-to pave the way for the country to democratize,

-to build a state of law,

-to respect the law,

-and to protect the human rights of each person in a genuine way.

Only then, the country can enter an era of national development.

The Communist Party of Vietnam should give up its monopoly on the country and society.

 

Dear friends, colleagues and international organizations,

I am very worried about my husband’s health, but I understand the urge in Bach’s heart to try to support and protect the old and weak. His actions are justified.

I call on you all to request the Vietnamese authorities to meet, discuss, and work directly with my husband to meet his demands for legitimate rights.

As Vietnam is serving as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2023-2025 term, please help us in calling for an emergency visit of the Special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and the Special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Yours faithfully,

Tran Phuong Thao