Vietnam, hundreds of police deployed to arrest a dissident lawyer
Ho Chi Minh City ( AsiaNews / Agencies) - Hundreds of police officers and government officials fired on and raided the home of a Vietnamese dissident lawyer, who was arrested at the end of the blitz . The operation took place over the weekend, in conjunction with the heavy criticisms of the UN High Commissioner for systematic violations of human rights in the Asian nation, where forced detention, imprisonment and abuse of government critics as well as those of the Communist Party are the norm. Witnesses said Nguyen Bac Truyen, a former political prisoner, was surrounded, handcuffed, blindfolded and dragged away from the house of his girlfriend, Bin Thi Kim Phuong, in the southern province of Dong Thap.
The
couple was in the woman's house preparing for their wedding which was to take
place in the coming days. Police
smashed windows, broke down the doors and destroyed the furnishings, in
addition to confiscating the man's laptop and phone. He
provides free legal assistance to victims of forced evictions, particularly in rural
areas and has been fighting a long time for a multi- party democracy in a
country still dominated by Communist ideology.
According
to the judiciary, he is under investigation for alleged "theft of property"
in the context of an ownership dispute. Activists
of the U.S. NGO Freedom House report
that was released after 24 hours of detention, but it is still "at risk
arrest or personal attacks".
Between
2007 and 2010, Nguyen Bac Truyen was jailed along with two other people for breaching
Article 88 of the Penal Code, the infamous and controversial paragraph that
punishes those who "conduct propaganda against the state". Human
rights activists and members of the press have repeatedly accused Hanoi of
exploiting this law to "silence internal dissent". The
three men were part of the Bloc 8406 movement which emerged in April 2006 and campaigns
for the transformation of the country into a multi-party democracy. Released
in May 2010, since then he has been constantly subjected to personal attacks
and threats by the authorities.
The
Vietnamese government has been pursuing a harsh campaign against dissidents,
bloggers, religious leaders (including Buddhists), Catholic activists and entire
communities. A clear example of this was seen last
year in the diocese of Vinh, where national media and the government
promoted a smear campaign and targeted attacks against the bishop and faithful.
The repression also affects individuals guilty of claiming the right to
religious freedom and respect for citizens' civil rights.
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03/02/2021 16:08
