Former Political Prisoner Kidnapped, Held in Secret Place for Nearly Two Weeks

Nguyen An

Former political prisoner Nguyen An

Defend the Defenders, August 27, 2018

 

On August 15, Vietnam’s authorities kidnapped former political prisoner Nguyen Anand held him in a secret placefor nearly two weeks until August 27, his daughter Nguyen Thi Tra My has told Defend the Defenders.

Ms. My said police from Quang Trung commune, Thong Nhat district in Dong Nai province together with plainclothes agents from the province’s Police Department detained Mr. An at around 4.30 PM while he was havinga drink at a cafeteria about two kilometers from his village Le Loi.

The cafeteria owner witnessed the detention and informed his family.

Police took him to the Quang Trung communal police station. When his family came to ask about him, they said they would release him soon.

The police car with which police transferred Mr. Nguyen An to unknown place on the evening of August 15. The registration number showed it belongs to police in HCM City

At 7 PM of the same day, a seven-seat van with the registration number 50A-005.34 belonging to the Ho Chi Minh City’s Police Department came and police dragged him into the car and spedaway. The family couldn’t chase the vehicle.

In next days, his family wentto the communal police station to question police chief Cang but the officer refused to answer, just saying Nguyen An had beentaken to HCM City.

On August 20, My and her mother Dao Thi Hue went to the Investigation Branch of the HCM City Police Department station in Phan Dang Luu No. 4, Phu Nhuan district to ask about him but police officers told them that they did nothavehim, saying he maybe held by the police unit under the authority of the Ministry of Public Security.

When the family went to the Southern Region’s Representative Office of the ministry, they met a police officer namedPhuc who the family recognized as one of police officers participating in Mr. An’s abductionthe previous week. Phuc told them that the police would release An soon.

Four days later, the family returned to the office but received the same answers.

In late night of August 27, Ms. My informed that her father came home unexpectedly. However, she She did not answer Defend the Defenders’ questions about her father’s detention.

Mr. An, 60, isa former soldier of the Vietnam Republic’s Army. He was arrested in 1979 and charged with subversion. Later, he was sentenced to four years in prison, and released in 1983.

My told Defend the Defenders that her father participated in the peaceful mass demonstration on June 10 this year to protest two bills on Special Economic Zone and Cyber Security. About one month prior to his detention, he was summoned by the local police for interrogation, however, he was busy and did not go to meet with police as they asked.