Nguyen Trung Ton

March 2018:

Pastor Nguyen Trung Ton was suffering in prison from injuries sustained in a brutal attack from unknown thugs with special police equipment in February 2017. His wife reported that his leg was in pain, awaiting surgery, and that his vision was blurry.

One of his eyes was completely blurry, as he lacked adequate medical care and clean water in prison. After the Feburary 2017 attack, both of his knees were broken and he was only able to receive surgery on one knee before his arrest. He has also been unable to walk correctly since the assault. 

October 2018:

Nguyen Trung Ton’s family sent him some medicines because he had been so ill in prison. However, the prison sent it back. Authorities also ignored the petition from his family to ask for his medical treatment with the family's own money. Nguyen Thi Lanh, his wife, said that Ton made a phone call home on October 22, and he wasmstill suffering from an injured leg from when security agents kidnapped and tortured him in February 2017. In addition, his kidney disease had worsened because of the inflammation of his prostate, which was also disturbing his sleep. Prison authorities had denied his request for treatment, even though he could barely walk. Moreover, police and commune officers in Thanh Hoa province stated that they would supervise Ms. Lanh, Ton's wife.  

May 2019:

Prison authorities at Gia Trung prison camp were refusing to provide Phan Van Thu with medical treatment, despite having diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, and being in heart failure. He was being housed with Nguyen Trung Ton, who was also suffering from untreated health issues after a brutal attack from unknown thugs with special police equipment in February 2017.

June 2023:

Pastor Nguyen Trung Ton’s health has taken a severe turn for the worse in Gia Trung prison, according to his wife Lanh Nguyen. She reported to Project88 that his eyesight was nearly gone, and he was suffering from post-COVID complications yet he hadn't received any medical care.

September 2017:

Amnesty International released an Urgent Action for Pham Van Troi, Truong Minh Duc, and Nguyen Trung Ton. They were being held in incommunicado detention and need access to healthcare treatment.

Front Line Defenders also released an action for Nguyen Trung Ton, Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Bac Truyen, and Truong Minh Duc, calling for their immediate release after their arrests.

Several UN Rapporteurs released a letter expressing concern about the arrests and detentions of Nguyen Bac Truyen, Truong Minh Duc, Nguyen Trung Ton, Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Van Tuc, and Le Dinh Luong. They highlighted the issue that these arrests took place during a concerted crackdown on human rights activists and point out that Vietnam has international obligations to protect universal freedoms, such as the rights to freedom of expression and assembly. 

February 2018:

Detained political activist and pastor Nguyen Trung Ton's son addressed the 10th Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 20 to tell the story of the harassment against his father, the imprisonment of his father, the struggle of his mother to sustain the family, and, more generally, the story of persecution against independent-minded religious leaders. Nguyen Trung Trong Nghia, 22 at the time, told the audience: "While in jail, my father has been denied a lawyer. And it was only a few weeks ago, after 6 months, that my mother was able to see meet my dad. Everybody busted out in tears as my 10-year-old brother started crying because he sees dad. My mom couldn’t hold her tears, thinking of what has been happening for our family for the past 16 years. Ever since, we started to be different, ever since we started to stand for what is right, ever since we started to say 'enough is enough'." Read and watch his full remarks here. 

March 2018:

The group Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT)- France demanded the immediate release of imprisoned pastor Nguyen Trung Ton. ACAT fears that he faces possible mistreatment in prison and notes that he suffered complex health issues while imprisoned from 2011-2013, such as kidney stones and eye issues. He also is suffering from a leg injury sustained after being brutally attacked by unknown thugs in the spring of 2017. 

April 2018:

Governments, advocacy groups, and individuals alike condemned the harsh sentences against Ton and his co-defendants after their trial. “The Vietnamese government should thank them for their efforts to improve the country instead of arresting and putting them on trial," said Human Rights Watch's Asia Director, Brad Adams, in a statement ahead of the trial. The Spokesperson of the EU External Action division noted in their statement that the rights exercised by the defendants are "guaranteed by the Vietnamese Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."  The United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister, Harriett Baldwin, agreed that peaceful expression of one's opinions should not be considered a crime. Heather Nauert, US State Department Spokesperson, also supported other governments and organizations in calling for the release of the prisoners and for Vietnam to uphold international obligations. "Individuals have the right to the fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, both online and offline," she said in her statement.

June 2018:

After Ton's appeal trial, Amnesty International released a statement condemning the decision to uphold his and his co-defendants' sentences, saying that: "These activists have been deliberately silenced by Vietnam’s authorities for bravely speaking out in a country where freedom of expression is under attack."

December 2018:

Nguyen Thi Lanh, Nguyen Trung Ton's wife, and other relatives of imprisoned activists met with US Embassy representatives in Hanoi to raise concerns about the health and treatment of Ton, and fellow imprisoned Brotherhood for Democracy members Truong Minh Duc, Tran Thi Xuan, and Pham Van Troi, in prison. At Gia Trung Detention Center, Ton had been isolated and forced to review prison rules. The center had forced him every day to write letters accepting the charges against him, but he maintained his innocence and refused to write the letters. He was also still suffering from an injured leg from when security agents kidnapped and tortured him in February 2017, as well as other ailments. Xuan has also had health problems while imprisoned. 

April 2020:

Relatives of 30 political prisoners also released an open letter in which they called for the release of their imprisoned family members. They expressed concern over unsanitary prison conditions and the inability to visit their loved ones during the COVID-19 crisis. Nguyen Trung Ton’s wife told Radio Free Asia that: “I am worried because the conditions in jail are not safe for the health of the prisoners and sick prisoners aren’t being examined.” Ton was still suffering from a years-old leg injury inflicted upon him in an attack by unknown thugs with special police equipment.

Jailed Vietnam Activist Punished for Not Pleading Guilty, Radio Free Asia, December 7, 2018

Vietnam Human Rights Defenders’ Weekly Report for May 20-26, 2019: Prisoners in An Diem Conduct Hunger Strike after Imprisoned Blogger Nguyen Van Hoa Taken Away, Defend the Defenders, May 26, 2019

Hai tù nhân chính trị Nguyễn Văn Túc và Nguyễn Trung Tôn bị ngược đãi và sức khỏe yếu trong tù, Radio Free Asia Vietnamese, August 29, 2019

Vietnam Arrests Young Businessman For Critical Facebook Comments, Radio Free Asia, September 30, 2019

Relatives of Vietnam’s Political Prisoners Plead For Release Amid Coronavirus Fears, Radio Free Asia, April 15, 2020

Family of Prisoner of Conscience Nguyen Trung Ton Harassed When US Ambassador Visits Locality, Defend the Defenders, June 30, 2020

Family of Vietnamese Political Prisoner Detained During U.S. Ambassador Visit, Radio Free Asia, July 2, 2020

Family interview, April 2024