Trial Date Set for Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang

(Compass) – Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang, prominent rights activist and general secretary of the Mennonite church in Vietnam , is scheduled to be tried on November 12. His wife was informed of this on Saturday, October 30. Irregularities and inconsistencies continue to surround the case. Mrs. Quang was denied the bi-weekly visit scheduled for October 15 and went daily after that to try to see her husband. She was finally told on October 22 that she would not be allowed to see him unless she agreed to try to convince him to admit to his “crime.” Quang was arrested on June 8 on the charge of “inciting others to resist officers of the law doing their duty.” Meanwhile, constant heavy pressure is being placed on Montagnard Mennonites in the Central Highlands. On October 22, Human Rights Watch released news of the September 24 destruction of a Mennonite church, office and home of Pastor Chinh. Compass has received reports and photos of other concurrent abuses.