Profile

Dang Huu Nam

Đặng Hữu Nam

Detainment Type: At risk

Photo of Dang Huu Nam

Date of Birth: August 19, 1976

Gender: M

Religion: Christian (Protestant)

Ethnicity: Kinh

Occupation: Religious leader

Citizen: Y

Citizenship Status: Citizen (by birth, descent)

Human Rights Defender: Y

Activist Focus:

  • Environment
  • Freedom of expression
  • Religious freedom

Details

Dang Huu Nam is an outspoken advocate for the Formosa environmental disaster victims.

He is the former pastor of My Khanh parish in Nghe An province, but he was suspended from administering pastoral care due to his activism. He also previously worked in Vinh and Ha Tinh provinces. 

Nam’s activism is rooted in his religious beliefs. In 1999, he left his government job to become a monk because he strongly desired to help people. In 2008, Nam became a parish priest and helped to educate people. He taught people about their rights and the injustices in society. In addition, he has been an outspoken advocate against governmental corruption.

Nam fought to protect the environment and protect the victims of environmental degradation. He has devoted his life to fighting against public policy that hurts the Vietnamese people.

In 2016, soon after the Formosa toxic waste spill, Nam was one of the first to speak out against environmental degradation and the government’s lack of an effective response. He helped organize protests in the community. At most of the protests he organized, there were between 7,000 and 10,000 participants. The largest protest he organized had 20,000 attendees.

In addition to his organizing work, Nam also documented evidence of environmental harm and helped prepare legal documents that would help people bring future lawsuits against Formosa.

Due to his involvement in the Formosa protest movement, Nam has experienced harassment. He was detained many times during 2016-2018. Notably, he was threatened by state authorities and has received death threats. Nam is not sure who the death threats were from but suspects they were from the authorities and organizations associated with the Vietnamese Communist Party. 

Photo Source: Sky News.

Resources:

Interviews with Dang Huu Nam in February and March 2024. 

Essex lorry deaths: Victims believed to be from rural Vietnamese town, says priest, Sky News, October 26, 2019. Archived version.

October, 2021: religious duties suspended

October, 2021
District
Viet Nam
both judicial/extrajudicial
Unknown
Unknown
No
No
January 10, 2022 - Date of trial - sanctioned by the diocese in administrative trial

Catholic priest Dang Huu Nam has been suspended and not allowed to perform religious duties such as pastoral care and sacramental rites since 2021. He alleges that he has also been confined in his residence, stopped receiving benefits, had his food rations cut off between October 2021 and April 2023, and was not taken to the doctor when he fell ill. 

According to a complaint letter Father Nam sent to the Diocese leadership, Bishop Nguyen Huu Long accused him of “discussing politics, creating problems with the state, causing troubles for me, being anti-communist in a stupid manner, in the wrong place at the wrong time.” The diocese officially sanctioned Nam for what he called “trumped up charges” after a 10-day administrative trial on Jan. 10, 2022.

Profile last updated: 2024-09-16 23:08:10

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