Minister of Public Security Demands Investigation into Death of Detained Boy in Hanoi

Mother and relatives of 17-year-old Du blame Hanoi police for his death

Mother and relatives of 17-year-old Du blame Hanoi police for his death

Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang has requested the police in Hanoi to investigate deeply to determine the real causes of the recent death of a 17-year-old detained boy. The move was taken responding to strong protest of the family’s victim Do Dang Du as well as public concerns about his case.

by Vu Quoc Ngu, October 15, 2015

Vietnamese Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang has requested the police in Hanoi to investigate deeply to determine the real causes of the recent death of a 17-year-old detained boy.

The move was taken responding to strong protest of the family’s victim Do Dang Du as well as public concerns about his case.

Du, the boy from Dong Cuu village, Dong Phuong Yen commune, Chuong My district, on August 5 was caught in the act of stealing VND1.5 million ($67) from his neighbor. Although he returned the money to the owner, he was arrested by the Chuong My district police on the same day.

Later, Du was transferred to the Hanoi detention facility No. 3 based in Xa La, Ha Dong district.

On Oct. 4, Du was transferred to the Ha Dong Central Hospital and later to the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital, with a numerous injuries on his body and head. He died on Oct. 10.

During his treatment in the hospital, the police in Hanoi blocked his room, not allowing his relatives and friends to visit him.

After he died, the Police Department in Hanoi said Du’s injuries were caused by Vu Van Binh, another detainee held in the same cell with the victim. The city’s police prosecuted 17-year-old Binh for “intentionally injuring” and pledged to investigate responsibilities of police officers of the detention facility for allowing the beating to take place.

The city’s police invited army medical staff to conduct an autopsy, however, a number of facts were not included in the report, said lawyer Tran Thu Nam who was hired by the victim’s family to attend the autopsy.

The police convinced the family to take his body for immediate bury on the same day.

Du’s relatives and his friends said it is hard to know the real reasons for his death due to the lack of independent investigation. His family believed he was tortured by police in detention.

The family said it had not received any documents confirming Du’s detention since he was detained August 5.

Meanwhile, police torture is a systemic problem across Vietnam, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch while the Ministry of Public Security reported 226 deaths of detainees and prisoners in police detention facilities in the past four years.

The ministry said most of the deaths were caused by suicides and severe diseases, however, families of the victims believe the real cause is police torture.

Vietnam ratified the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Treatments in 2014, however, the police torture has not been prevented. Since the beginning of 2015, nearly ten individuals died or suffered from severe injuries due to police torture, according to state media.