Nguyen Nam Phong
Nguyễn Nam Phong
Current Status: Released - at risk
Date of Birth: August 15, 1980
Gender: M
Religion: Christian (Catholic)
Ethnicity: Kinh
Known Prison(s):
Ha Tinh province police detention center, Ha Tinh province (February 6, 2018 - July 28, 2019)
Activist Focus:
- Environment
Details
Immediate Concerns
History of Activism
July 2019:
Nguyen Nam Phong was released from prison on July 28. Friends and family who wanted to meet him at the prison gate couldn’t see him because he had already left the prison when they arrived. He was the main financial supporter of a family with three children. Phong and his wife’s eldest daughter was diagnosed with cancer and passed away on June 15, 2019, while Phong was still in prison.
Nguyen Nam Phong was the driver for Catholic priest Nguyen Dinh Thuc from the Song Ngoc parish and activist Hoang Duc Binh when Hoang Duc Binh was arrested on May 15 in Nghe An province. Binh was escorting priest Nguyen Dinh Thuc from the Song Ngoc parish in Dien Chau district to Vinh city. The police stopped their car in Dien Chau district’s center and violently removed Binh from the car. When the police ordered the driver, Phong, to open the car to let them to take Binh out, Phong refused.
Family SituationHe was the main financial supporter of a family with three children. Phong and his wife’s eldest daughter was diagnosed with cancer and passed away on June 15, 2019, while Phong was still in prison.
April 2019:
Phong and his wife's eldest daughter, who was a ninth-grader, was diagnosed with cancer, causing her a bruised and painful right leg. Dctors advised the family to amputate her leg to extend her survival, which would make the situation even harder for the family.
Update June 2019: Nguyen Nam Phong's daughter continued to struggle with health issues while her father was in prison and was at risk of having her leg amputated.
Sentenced to 2 years in prison under Art. 330 (2015 Code). Released July 28, 2019.
November 28, 2017
- Art 330
Provincial/city
Viet Nam
February 6, 2018 - Date of trial
2 years in prison
November 28, 2019
July 28, 2019
Details of Imprisonment
Resources
Nguyen Nam Phong was arrested on November 28, 2017, and charged with “resisting persons in the performance of their official duties” under Article 330 of the 2015 Criminal Code. He was tried together with Hoang Duc Binh.
January 2018:
Phong and Hoang Duc Binh were supposed to face trial on January 25, but the trial was rescheduled just before it was about to begin.
February 2018:
Hoang Duc Binh was sentenced to 14 years in prison; Nguyen Nam Phong was sentenced to two years.
September 2018:
Political prisoner Nguyen Nam Phong’s wife, Mrs. Yen, said that Phong was beaten many times when he was held in Nguyen Kim detention center, Nghe An province. Police brought a picture of Ho Chi Minh to him and forced Phong to greet him, and then continued beating Phong. They also slandered Phong with terrible words and scolded him, saying, “You follow the exiled reactionaries!” In August, Mrs. Yen and their three children visited Phong in Ha Tinh provincial detention center. His health was in poor condition due to forced labor.
July 2019:
Nguyen Nam Phong was released from prison on July 28. Friends and family who wanted to meet him at the prison gate couldn’t see him because he had already left the prison when they arrived. He was the main financial supporter of a family with three children. Phong and his wife’s eldest daughter was diagnosed with cancer and passed away on June 15, 2019, while Phong was still in prison.
Actions TakenJanuary 2018:
Human Rights Watch called for Binh and Phong's releases ahead of the scheduled trial. Brad Adams, Asia Director, stated: “There is no sign that Vietnam is slowing down its intensive crackdown on rights activists in the last 14 month."
February 2018:
Heather Nauert, Spokesperson for the US Department of State, released a statement speaking out against the convictions of Binh and Phong, stating: "The United States is deeply troubled that a Vietnamese court has convicted and sentenced peaceful labor and environmental activist Hoang Duc Binh and Nguyen Nam Phong to fourteen years and two years in prison, respectively, under vague articles of the Penal code."
On February 23, UN human rights experts called on the government of Vietnam to release individuals jailed for protesting the Formosa chemical spill.
Vietnam jails environmental blogger for 14 years, Reuters, February 6, 2018
Prisoner of Conscience Nguyen Nam Phong Says He Was Beaten in Pre-trial Detention, Defend the Defenders, May 10, 2018
Vietnamese priest seeks support for convict's ailing child, UCA News, April 4, 2019
Profile last updated: 2024-06-13 20:34:03