Interview with Pham Thanh Nghien (Part 1 – Arrest)

© 2013 The 88 Project – Free Expression Interview Series 

Frontlinedefenders – “Human rights defender Ms Pham Thanh Nghien has been held in prison since she was arrested on 18 September 2008 for attempting to stage a peaceful protest. Her family has recently learned that her trial is expected to take place on 17 December 2009 in Hai Phong. Pham Thanh Nghien is a member of Bloc 8406, a pro-democracy network of human rights defenders and organisations which began working in 2006 by publishing a Manifesto on Freedom and Democracy in Vietnam. Pham Thanh Nghien is the 2009 recipient of the Human Rights Watch Hellman/Hammett Award.”
We interview Pham Thanh Nghien, former political prisoner under article 88 of the Vietnamese criminal code, about her arrest, treatments during the investigation period, during her imprisonment, and her life upon completion of the sentence.