HCM City-based Activist Beaten by Plainclothes Agents after Commemorating China’s Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo

One of victims of attacks carried out by Vietnam’s security agents

By Defend the Defenders, July 17, 2017

In the evening of July 16, Ms. Suong Quynh, an activist in Ho Chi Minh City, was followed and beaten by a group of plainclothes agents on her way returning home from a ceremony which commemorated the passing of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who won Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

Ms. Quynh, who has participated in a number of events which aim to promote human rights and democracy in Vietnam, said she was attacked by the plainclothes agents when she was driving her motorbike after leaving the private residence of Professor Tuong Lai, a government critic in HCM City.

The assault was made on Phu My Bridge. At first, she thought they were robbers and shouted out for help, then there were several locals coming to protect her and fight back against the attackers.

One of the attackers said they were police officers and their acts aimed to deal with “reactionary individuals,” the brand Vietnam’s government uses for political dissidents, human rights defenders and social activists. However, local residents continued to beat the attackers until they left the scene.

Thanks to the help of local residents, Quynh suffered light injuries. Later, police came but refused to accompany her to her house. Quynh also refused to go to the local police station to report the attack because she said she feels unsafe to go there.

Government’s violence against activists is systemic in Vietnam with numerous assaults recorded in recent years. Last month, Human Rights Watch released its report documenting 36 attacks against local political dissidents, human rights campaigners, social activists and independent bloggers in the period between January 2016 and April 2017. As many as 45 activists were assaulted in these cases and many of them suffered severe injuries.