Vietnam arrests human rights attorneys
ICC Note: The human rights situation in Vietnam continues to deteriorate
4/23/07 Vietnam (Tears of the Oppressed) On March 6, human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai an elder in the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church in Vietnam was arrested, as was fellow lawyer, Le Thi Cong Nhan. According to reports, police searched their homes and confiscated “many documents with the content of propaganda against the state of Vietnam ” and “many religious documents that were about to be provided to foreign sources”. These arrests follow the re-arrest in February of outspoken Catholic priest, Father Van Ly. All three have been charged with “propagating against” and “defaming” the Vietnamese government. If convicted, their incarceration could be anywhere from three to 12 years, and 20 years if they are found guilty of a crime “particularly serious” in nature.
