Vietnam Central Highlands Police Severely Beat Local Dissident, Questioning Another Pro-democracy Activist

Mr. Son (left) welcomed Mr. Nhat when the latter was freed in late August

Mr. Son (left) welcomed Mr. Nhat when the latter was freed in late August

Mr. Nhat said a policeman named Minh blocked him while another policeman named Long barbarically beat him in the bus under witness of other passengers.

By Vu Quoc Ngu, November 10, 2015

Police in Vietnam’s Central Highlands province of Lam Dong on November 8 brutally beat Tran Minh Nhat, a local political dissident, and detained pro-democracy activist Chu Manh Son for interrogation.

The assault happened on Sunday when Mr. Nhat and Mr. Son, two former prisoners of conscience, were on their way from Ho Chi Minh City to Lam Ha district where Nhat resides.

Mr. Son, who completed his 30-month imprisonment in February last year, said that in early Sunday morning when they were on a bus, policemen stopped the bus and attacked Nhat, who was released on August 27 after four years in jail but still under another four years of house arrest.

Mr. Nhat said a policeman named Minh blocked him while another policeman named Long barbarically beat him in the bus under witness of other passengers.

Later, policemen detained the two pro-democracy activists at the police station in Dinh Van ward, Lam Ha district for interrogation, and released them in late evening of the same day.

Police robbed a cell phone and a camera memory card from Mr. Son and four books from Mr. Nhat as well as some T-shirts with logos which call for human rights and multi-party democracy.

Dinh Huy Thai, head of the Lam Ha district police, threatened the duo that the police will not ensure security for them when they go out of the police station. In fact, police sent thugs to chase the two activists but the two former political prisoners successfully avoided being attacked.

Nhat, 27, is now under home treatment for serious injuries caused by the assault. He does not want to go to public hospitals because of the risks of being attacked by police, he said.

Since being freed in late August, Nhat has been constantly harassed by local authorities who often summon him to local police station for interrogation.

On August 28, one day after he returned home from a prison, a number of activists came to visit him. On their way back, the visitors were brutally attacked by local police. The victims included land rights activist Ms. Tran Thi Nga, a member of the unsanctioned Vietnam Women for Human Rights, Mr. Truong Minh Tam, a member of the unregistered Vietnam Pathway, Mr. Le Dinh Luong, younger uncle of human rights lawyer Le Quoc Quan, and a young couple who want to remain unnamed. Mr. Son was also among the activists severely assaulted by the police. Son, Tam and Luong were severely beaten, with many injuries and bleeding on their faces and heads.

Vietnam’s police have intensified crackdown against local political dissidents and human rights activists nationwide few months ahead of the ruling communist party’s National Congress slated in early 2016.

Police arrested former political prisoner Tran Anh Kim from Thai Binh and Nguyen Viet Dung, the leader and founder of the unsanctioned Republican Party of Vietnam and charged them under controversial Articles 79 and 245 of the country’s Penal Code, respectively. They remain in pre-trial detention.

According to the New York-based Human Rights Watch, Vietnam is holding between 150 and 200 prisoners of conscience. Hanoi denies this by saying only law violators are being imprisoned.

In addition, security forces have also deployed plainclothes agents or hired thugs to attack pro-democracy activists and human rights defenders in many localities, including the capital city of Hanoi. Among victims of government-backed assaults are human rights lawyers Tran Thu Nam and Le Van Luan, bloggers Doan Trang, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Truong Van Dung, Nguyen Chi Tuyen, Trinh Anh Tuan, Tran Duc Thach, and Truong Minh Huong.

On November 6, in order to block labor activist Do Thi Minh Hanh from attending anti-China protest on the occasion of the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Vietnam, security forces in Ho Chi Minh City locked her apartment.

Pro-government thugs in Hanoi have threatened local human rights activists and political dissidents, including Ms. Mai Phuong Thao (Thao Teresa) and Mr. Trinh Ba Phuong as well as blogger Nguyen Lan Thang.

The Communist Party of Vietnam has ruled the country for decades and it vows to make all efforts to keep the country under a one-party regime. The communist leaders have requested the police forces not to allow the formation of opposition party nor tolerate any government criticism.