Nguyen Duy Tan

Father Tan has been active in the promotion of freedom of religion and human rights in Vietnam for many years and often advocates for the rights of his parishioners and members of his community. He spoke out to support peaceful protesters demonstrating in national protests in June 2018 and supported dissident writer Pham Doan Trang after the release of her new book, “Politics for the Masses” in 2018. On June 19, 2018, Father Tan also protested in front of Bien Hoa prison north of Ho Chi Minh City, demanding the release of one of his parishioners, Pham Ngoc Hanh. Hanh, a mother of five, was detained after protesting in the nationwide demonstrations in June. Due to his activism and criticism of the government, he has often been targeting by authorities and even assailants backing the government. In 2017, pro-government vigilantes attacked Nguyen Duy Tan and members of his community at their church.