Seoul refuses to extradite political dissident to Vietnam
The High Court has decided to consider Vietnamese dissident, Chanh Huu Nyugen, as a political refugee and confirmed that his organization the government of Free Vietnam is not a terrorist organization.
Seoul (AsiaNews/KT) The South Korean High Court yesterday rejected a request for the extradition of Chanh Huu Nguyen, a Vietnamese dissident, thus confirming that he is not a terrorist but a democracy leader. Nguyen, 55, has been detained since April: he was arrested in Seoul at the request of Vietnam, which has accused him of attempted to bomb the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2001 and a statue of a national hero, Ho Chi Minh, between 1999 and 2000.
"The court has decided to regard him as a political dissident and to treat him as such," said the court in its ruling. The judges added that the government of Free Vietnam, a sort of government-in-exile that the dissident founded in 1981 in the United States, is a political not a terrorist institution that is aimed at protesting against the communist regime and establishing a democratic society in Vietnam.
The court emphasized that the attacks Nguyen is accused of "did not cause any injuries or damage facilities", and recalled that Vietnam is not a signatory of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.
The decision has been interpreted in the light of Seoul's statements about abiding by international law that upholds the principle of non-extradition of political dissidents: the judges further held that the close economic and diplomatic relations between the government and Hanoi did not bring any influence to bear on the case.
Kwon Yong-suk, Nguyen's lawyer, said: "The court made the right decision in terms of justice and human rights. It will reaffirm South Korea's international status as a country that defends human rights and will do the country good in the long term."
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