Vietnam Republican Party Leader Detained for 7th Day, May Face Criminal Charge

nguyen viet dung

One month ago, he formed the RPV which strives to fight corruption, protect the country’s sovereignty and enhance human rights, these issues are sensitive in the one-party regime. According to social network, the young party has eight members, including the five detained on Sunday.

By Vu Quoc Ngu | Apr 17, 2015 (Defend the Defenders)

Hanoi city’s police have still kept in detention Nguyen Viet Dung, the founder of the newly-established Republican Party of Vietnam (RPV) for the 7th day without noticing his family for his situation, local networks reported.

Currently, the Nghe An province-based engineer is held in a detention facility of Hoan Kiem district police. The 30-year old activist may face criminal charge of “abusing freedom and democracy to infringe upon the interests of the state” under Article 258 or “conducting propaganda against the state” under Article 88 of the country’s Penal Code, observers said.

On afternoon of April 12, Mr. Dung and his four fellows were summoned by Hanoi’s police to question them about their participation in a peaceful demonstration in the morning of the same day against the city’s program to massively chop down 6,700 aged trees in the city’s main streets.

The police detained them, accusing them of conducting public disorders. They released the four guys three days later but holds the founder of the RPV for further questioning.

Mr. Dung was an excellent student, said his classmates in the poor province in the central region. He graduated as an engineer in the prestigious Hanoi Politechnic University.

The young engineer has interest in politics and strives to promote multi-party democracy and human rights in Vietnam, where the communist have ruled for decades.

One month ago, he formed the RPV which strives to fight corruption, protect the country’s sovereignty and enhance human rights, these issues are sensitive in the one-party regime. According to social network, the young party has eight members, including the five detained on Sunday.

Although Vietnam’s 2013 Constitution states that every Vietnamese has the right of freedom of assembly and association, the communists have not tolerated any attempt for setting up other parties.

Vowing to keep the country under one-party regime, the communist government has demanded all civil organizations to register for their activities, and launched severe crackdown against political dissidents and human rights advocates. Communist leaders repeatedly demand the security forces to prevent the establishment of opposition parties.

According to international human rights bodies, Vietnam is imprisoning between 150 and 200 political prisoners. Hanoi always denies, saying it holds only law violators.