Pham Thanh Nghien

Current Status: At risk

Other Names: Phạm Thanh Nghiên

Date of Birth: November 24, 1977

Gender: F

Religion: Christian (Catholic)

Ethnicity: Kinh

Occupation: Blogger

Areas of Activism:

Democracy
Environment
Freedom of expression
Human rights
Sovereignty

Known Affiliations:

Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience Association
Bloc 8406
Network of Vietnamese Bloggers

Communities At Risk:

Loc Hung vegetable garden

Highlighted Human Rights Concerns:

Former Political Prisoner

Details - Background, History of Activism, Family Situation, Contact Information.

Background

In 2016, Pham Thanh Nghien got married Huynh Anh Tu, a former prisoner of conscience, who has lived in Loc Hung since 2014. They have a toddler and had just completed building their own house in Loc Hung vegetable garden one week before the new house was torn down during the forced evictions on January 4 and 8, 2019.

Profile photo source: Facebook Dương Đại Triều Lâm

History of Activism

On September 2008, Pham Thanh Nghien was arrested because of her protest against China’s illegal claim towards Paracel and Spratly Islands. Accused of “conducting propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam," Nghien was sentenced to four years in jail and three years under house arrest on January 29, 2010.

Family Situation

Her husband is a former prisoner Huynh Anh Tu, and they have a toddler.

Contact Information

Facebook Phạm Thanh Nghiên

Resources

Nhà báo Phạm Thanh Nghiên bị tuyên án 4 năm tù, Voice of America Vietnamese, January 29, 2010

Vietnam, dissident Pham Thanh Nghien sentenced to 7 years, AsiaNews, January 30, 2010

Interview with Pham Thanh Nghien (Part 1 – Arrest), The 88 Project, April 5, 2013

January 8, 2019: house destroyed during forced eviction at Loc Hung vegetable garden

Incident Type Forced eviction

Date January 8, 2019

Perpetrator Local administration

Location: Loc Hung vegetable garden, Ward 6, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City (map)

Rights Violated

freedom of movement
respect of privacy, family, home, and correspondence

Actions Taken By

Details

In the early morning of January 8, the authorities carried out their land-grabbing for the second day at Loc Hung vegetable garden, Ward 6, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

A house of former political prisoners Pham Thanh Nghien and Huynh Anh Tu was destroyed on this day. The couple just completed building their new house in Loc Hung with their ten-year savings, only to see that house destroyed a week after. Pham Thanh Nghien managed to leave to bring her one-year-old daughter to a safe place thanks to a friend’s support, while Huynh Anh Tu stayed behind and witnessed the destruction of their house at 4:25 pm.

Tu and Nghien’s family is now in a particularly precarious situation: as a former refugee in Thailand and long-term political prisoner, Huynh Anh Tu does not have any identification papers, so they are unable to rent. Nghien and Tu’s toddler has asthma and they need a home with electricity for her to have access to a functioning nebulizer aspirator.

Note: Loc Hung vegetable garden is a six-hectare area that belongs to the Catholic Church of Vietnam in Ward 6, District Tan Binh, Ho Chi Minh City. That area has been in dispute between the local government and the households for nearly twenty years. The authorities prevented the Loc Hung residents from legalizing their land use right even though the residents have valid documents to support their claim.

The negotiation ended with the first forced eviction on January 4, destroying around 10 houses by a powerful force, including police, civil defense forces, and volunteer youth, with equipment such as bulldozers and firetrucks. After the second day of land-grabbing on January 8, 2019, all 112 houses were totally destroyed.

Please read more on the land-grabbing at Loc Hung vegetable garden, here.

Supporting Documents