Y Aron Eban

Y Aron Eban is an Ede human rights defender who fights for religious freedom and an end to discrimination of ethnic minority groups in Vietnam. Due to his religious beliefs and peaceful activism, Y Aron has been targeted and severely harassed by the Vietnamese government since 2001.

Y Aron told Project88 that there were times he was illegally detained for days and brutally beaten. In 2012, the police of Krong Pac district, Dak Lak province, detained him for seven days for interrogation because he shared hymns and songs in his mother language. The police accused him of being part of the FULRO (United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races), a long-defunct Montagnard resistance army. At the detention center, he was beaten on his head and his face, resulting in his him losing hearing in his left ear. After his release, Y Aron was publicly denounced by the police in front of his neighbors and villagers.

In 2014, he was detained for 14 days and once again severely beaten. Y Aron said there were more people gathered at his house for religious practice than those who visited the government church. So the police accused him of “undermining the policy of national unity” and arrested him. During the interrogation, Y Aron was kicked all over, especially on his head and chest, which he says led to health issues. He was then released after being publicly denounced.

From 2014 to 2018, Y Aron was put under strict surveillance. He was forced to report his daily activities to the Krong Pac district police monthly, and his freedom of movement was restricted.

According to Y Aron, in May 2019, the Vietnamese government took land from a group of Montagnards, in which his and relatives’ land were included, to build public parks and housing, giving them little  or no compensation for the land. He was not home during the land confiscation, as he was attending a religious training course. However, he reported the violations to international organizations. The police soon visited Y Aron’s family, seeking him out.

In November 2019, Y Aron attended an international religious conference named SEAFoRB in Thailand, where he publicly accused the Vietnamese government of the violations. Fearing reprisal, he applied for refugee status and has stayed in Thailand since then.