Vietnam Free Expression Newsletter 50/2018- Week of December 17-23

Nguyen Tan An
This week, we remember five Hoa Hao Buddhists who were sentenced to a total of 19 years in prison on December 21, 2017 for hanging flags of the former government of South Vietnam and for online postings. The Hoa Hao Buddhist religion is heavily restricted in Vietnam. The activists are: Nguyen Tan An (sentenced to 5 years), Huynh Thi Kim Quyen (4 years), Nguyen Ngoc Qui (4 years), Pham Van Trong (3 years), and Nguyen Thanh Binh (3 years).We also remember ethnic Montagnard Christians Nhi, also known as Bă Tiêm, and Y Drim Nie, who were arrested in December 2008 and 2012, respectively. Nhi protested against the local government’s suppression of religious freedom. He was tried and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment under Article 87 (undermining the unity policy) of the 1999 Penal Code. He is due for release from prison this month. Y Drim Nie is a Protestant missionary who was arrested because he preached the gospel in his village. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Vietnamese authorities halted a workshop hosted by Vietnamese NGOs this week. The theme of the workshop was civil society working with government on social issues. According to Radio Free Asia: “Local police entered the hotel where the event was being held and ordered organizers to shut it down, accusing them of violating a wartime decree from 1957, which stipulates that those who arrange a gathering of more than five people in a public place must inform local authorities of their meeting 24 hours in advance.” Amnesty International condemned the move, which comes just a week before Vietnam’s Law on Cybersecurity will go into effect. Read the Vietnamese’s analysis of the incident, here.

Human Rights Watch released a statement this week condemning Vietnam’s Law on Cybersecurity, which is scheduled to go into effect in January, saying: “The cyber security law and draft decree’s data retention, localization, and surveillance provisions would facilitate greater access to user data by abusive security bureaus and law enforcement authorities, without adequate safeguards for privacy, fair trial rights, and other rights.” The law requires Internet service providers to store data — including identification numbers, health information, and contact information — on servers in Vietnam and to turn over data to authorities without court documents. Human Rights Watch urges Vietnam to revise the law, heeding obligations under international law.

Concerned groups and individuals in Vietnam and abroad sent Vietnamese leaders a petition this week, called “An Eight-Point Demand for 2019.” In it, they called for reform to the one-party state, including releasing political prisoners, protections for free press and association, and a reformed legal system and elections.

The Vietnamese has reported that Vietnam’s troublesome use of the death penalty continued in 2018, with more people sentenced to death in 2018 than in 2017 and the name of the lethal drug used in executions still unknown to the public. Vietnam also still permits the death penalty for non-violent crimes and for Article 109 of the 2015 Criminal Code, which has been used to sentence human rights and democracy leaders to prison.

A Star of Vietnam: “Mainly, she chafed against censorship. She always had to submit her songs to censors, who would forbid some of those songs. What’s more, the censors were arbitrary. ‘The system doesn’t have specific rules for us to follow,’ says Mai Khoi, ‘and the censors have all the power, to do whatever they want.’ She was sick of having to ask permission, for anything and everything. You always have to ask permission in Vietnam. Mai Khoi wrote a song on this subject, ‘Please, Sir.’ ‘Please, sir, let us sing.’ ‘Please, sir, let us exhibit our art.’ ‘Let us publish books.’ ‘Let us fall in love.’ ‘Let us share our views.’ ‘Let us volunteer for good causes.'”Weighing up political developments in Vietnam: “Vietnamese social media charged that Chinese business interests would be given 99-year leases in the special economic zones and that this was a threat to national security. The Law on Cyber Security was widely viewed as restricting free speech in the social media. Massive [sic] and protests erupted in June, with protests turning violent in Binh Thuan province. Political analysts attributed the protests to an undercurrent of public dissatisfaction with malaise in the government.”

Sons of Revolution: Vietnam’s New Protest Movement: “Bui Tin was not alone in this sentiment. Many today inside Vietnam still cherish the revolutionary ideals of the nation’s founding father, Ho Chi Minh, inspired more by a deep-seated nationalism rather than any allegiance to communism. Former advisor to the minister of planning and investment (2001 – 2006) Le Dang Doanh, a VCP member, was among the many intellectuals who signed a petition to the National Assembly, urging a postponement of the special economic zones law. In the past, dissident groups calling for human rights and multiparty democracy, backed by Vietnamese exile communities in the United States and France, had only marginal impact on the general public. This new genre of mass protest, which is capturing the imagination of a wider public, can be traced back to a 2007 campaign launched against a controversial Chinese investment in a bauxite mine in the Central Highlands.”

Industry warning on new cyber security law: “The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), a regional industry association representing most of the world’s top tech companies, expressed concern in a representation to the minister of public security. It said the provisions would stifle investment and growth and damage all companies in Vietnam with an online presence. Google is said by Vietnamese officials to be preparing to open an office in compliance with the new law, but there’s been no confirmation from the company or other tech giants. The Vietnamese government says it is moving to suppress what it sees as toxic comment on the internet, a term that encompasses any criticism of the Communist party and its policies.”

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Above, left: Le Dinh Luong, right, clockwise from top: Nguyen Hoang Nam, Tran Thi Nga, Nguyen Van Hoa, Bui Van Trung. Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Huynh Thuc Vy
As we approach the end of another difficult year for political prisoners and activists in Vietnam, consider contributing to the Doan Ket Fund, a fund established by the NOW! Campaign to support political prisoners in Vietnam. “Doan Ket” is Vietnamese for “solidarity.” All donations go directly and entirely to political prisoners and their families or to individuals identified by the NOW! Campaign as at risk of arrest, detention, and imprisonment.

© 2018 The 88 Project