Dân Quyền: Tại buổi gặp 4 đại diện của các tổ chức
xã hội dân sự ở Hà Nội, ông Nguyễn Quang A đã trân trọng trao bức thư
dưới đây của 10 tổ chức xã hội dân sự độc lập cho 2 thượng nghị sĩ John
McCain (Cộng hòa) và Sheldon Whitehouse (Dân chủ). Dưới đây Dân quyền
xin giới thiệu bản dịch và nguyên bản tiếng Anh.
THƯ CHUNG CỦA CÁC TỔ CHỨC XÃ HỘI DÂN SỰ ĐỘC LẬP VIỆT NAM
Gửi: Thượng nghị sĩ John McCain
Thượng nghị sĩ Sheldon Whitehouse
Ngày 08 tháng Tám năm 2014
Kính thưa Thượng nghị sĩ John McCain và Thượng nghị sĩ Sheldon Whitehouse:
Về: Hậu quả tiêu cực gián tiếp của việc dỡ bỏ lệnh cấm bán vũ khí sát thương cho Việt Nam
Trước tiên, chúng tôi xin gửi lời chào mừng chân thành tới hai ông
trong chuyến thăm lần này tới Việt Nam. Kể từ khi Việt Nam và Hoa Kỳ
chính thức bình thường hóa quan hệ ngoại giao, tên của hai ông luôn ở
tuyến đầu của tất cả những nỗ lực thúc đẩy và củng cố sự hợp tác giữa
hai đất nước. Dĩ nhiên với mối quan hệ đối tác gần gũi với Hoa Kỳ, Việt
Nam đã và đang được hưởng lợi trên cả phương diện kinh tế và xã hội. Bởi
vậy, chúng tôi muốn bày tỏ sự biết ơn của chúng tôi đối với sự cống
hiến của hai ông nhằm thúc đẩy mối quan hệ Hoa Kỳ-Việt Nam.
Chúng tôi được biết rằng trong những tháng vừa qua Quốc hội Hoa Kỳ
đã tăng cường xem xét việc nới lỏng và bãi bỏ lệnh cấm bán và chuyển
giao vũ khí sát thương cho chính phủ Việt Nam. Trong khi động thái mới
này hứa hẹn sẽ mang lại mối quan hệ quân sự tốt đẹp giữa hai quốc gia,
đóng góp vào việc tăng cường sức mạng quốc phòng của Việt Nam trong điều
kiện khiêu khích gia tăng ở vùng biển Hoa Nam (tên quốc tế: South China
Sea, tên Việt Nam: Biển Đông), chúng tôi cho rằng cần thiết phải nêu ra
các quan ngại của chúng tôi về những rủi ro liên quan đến việc bãi bỏ
lệnh cấm bán vũ khí này.
Mặc dù chính phủ Việt Nam đã đẩy mạnh những nỗ lực trên trường quốc
tế nhằm thể hiện sự tán dương của họ đối với các quyền con người bằng
cách tham gia Công ước Liên hợp quốc về Chống tra tấn và giành được một
ghế trong Hội đồng Nhân quyền Liên hợp quốc, thành tích nhân quyền của
Việt Nam vẫn nghèo nàn, nếu không muốn nói là còn tệ hơn. Trong 12 tháng
qua, chính phủ Việt Nam đã tiếp tục thi hành những đạo luật an ninh
quốc gia mơ hồ, chẳng hạn như Điều 79, 88 và 258 Bộ luật Hình sự, để bắt
bớ và cầm tù nhiều hơn những blogger, nhà báo, nhà vận động pháp lý,
các nhà hoạt động nhân quyền và quyền của người dân tộc thiểu số. Cùng
với việc bịt miệng các tiếng nói bất đồng, con số người chết vì những
hành động hung bạo của cảnh sát cũng gia tăng, thường xuyên có cac vụ
đàn áp các tổ chức tôn giáo phi nhà nước và tiếp tục có những sự sách
nhiễu và đe dọa đối với các nhà hoạt động bảo vệ nhân quyền. Một điều rõ
ràng là Việt Nam vẫn còn khoảng cách lớn giữa những lời hứa long trọng
về nhân quyền trên trường quốc tế và việc thực thi chúng ở cấp quốc gia.
Mặc dù gần đây đã có một số tù nhân chính trị được trả tự do, điều
mà chúng tôi cũng mong đợi và trân trọng sự bày tỏ thiện chí của chính
phủ trong việc cải thiện nhân quyền, tuy nhiên, chúng tôi vẫn phải lưu ý
rằng sự cải thiện đang diễn ra, nếu có, có thể bị đảo ngược khi chính
phủ vẫn tỏ ra mơ hồ, không rõ ràng trong kế hoạch giải quyết những vấn
đề nhân quyền đang tồn tại. Vì vậy, một bước thụt lùi về nhân quyền là
hoàn toàn có thể xảy ra một khi chính phủ đạt được các mục tiêu chính
trị của họ. Trong một kịch bản như vậy, chúng tôi tin rằng họ sẽ đi
ngược lại thiện chí của Quốc hội Hoa Kỳ nhằm có được vũ khí sát thương
để chống lại công dân Việt Nam.
Với những quan ngại chúng tôi đã nêu ra, chúng tôi muốn thúc giục
Quốc hội Hoa Kỳ, trước khi bán bất cứ vũ khí nào cho Việt Nam, yêu cầu
Việt Nam đặt ra một lộ trình rõ ràng với những hành động cụ thể và đo
lường được trong việc giải quyết các vấn đề cấp bách về nhân quyền.
Những hành động đó phải bao gồm, trước tiên và trên hết, là bãi bỏ các
quy định mơ hồ về an ninh quốc gia, tôn trọng các nhà hoạt động bảo vệ
nhân quyền và trả tự do ngay lập tức, vô điều kiện cho tất cả các tù
nhân lương tâm ở Việt Nam hiện nay, trong đó bao gồm cả 25 người trong
danh sách kèm theo thư này.
Xin cảm ơn sự quan tâm của hai ông đối với vấn đề này.
Trân trọng,
Các tổ chức cùng ký tên:
1. Diễn đàn Xã hội Dân sự
2. Hội đoàn kết công nông Việt Nam
3. Hội Ái hữu Tù nhân Chính trị và Tôn giáo Việt Nam
4. Hội Anh em Dân chủ
5. Hội Bầu Bí Tương Thân
6. No-U FC Hà Nội
7. No-U FC Sài Gòn
8. Một nhóm các tín đồ Phật giáo Hòa Hảo miền Tây
9. Phong trào Con đường Việt Nam
10. Tổ chức Sáng kiến Thể hiện Lương tâm Người Việt Hải ngoại (VOICE)
---------------
Nguyên bản thư tiếng Anh và danh sách 25 người đính kèm thư:
JOINT LETTER BY VIETNAM’S INDEPENDENT CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS
To: Senator John McCain
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
August 8, 2014
Dear Senators John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse:
Re: Negative Repercussions of a Lift of the Lethal Weapons Ban in Vietnam
First of all, we would like to extend a heartfelt welcome to you
upon your visit to Vietnam. Since Vietnam and the US formally normalized
diplomatic relations, your names have always been at the forefront of
every effort to promote and strengthen cooperation between the two
countries. It is with certainty that due to the close partnership with
the US, Vietnam has been benefitting both economically and socially.
Therefore, we would like to express our gratitude for your dedication
towards the advancement of the US – Vietnam relations.
It comes to our knowledge that in recent months there has been
increased consideration among the US Congress towards easing and lifting
the ban on the sale and transfer of lethal weapons to the Vietnam
Government. While this new development would promise much-appreciated
military cooperation between the two nations, which would contribute to
the strengthening of Vietnam’s defense force amid growing aggressiveness
in the South China Sea, we deem it necessary to put forward our
concerns in terms of the risks related to the removal of the arms sales
ban.
Although Vietnam has stepped up efforts on the international stage
to demonstrate its celebration for human rights by joining the UN
Convention against Torture and winning a seat on the UN Human Rights
Council, its human rights record at home remains poor, if not
deteriorating. In the last 12 months, the Vietnamese government has
continued to employ vague national security laws, such as Article 79, 88
and 258 of its Penal Code, to arrest and imprison more bloggers,
journalists, legal advocates, human rights and ethnic minority rights
activists. Along with silencing dissident voices, there are increasing
numbers of deaths resulting from police brutality, frequent crackdowns
on non-state religious associations, and continued harassment and
intimidation of human rights defenders. It is clear that Vietnam still
maintains a big gap between its ceremonious pledges of human rights
commitment in the international arena and its implementation at the
national level.
Although there have been recent releases of some political
prisoners, which we welcome and appreciate this demonstration of the
government’s intention to improve on human rights, however, we must note
that the ongoing improvement, if any, could be inconsistent as the
government remains largely ambiguous and elusive in its plan to address
perpetuating human rights issues. Thus, a backward step in human rights
could be possible once the government achieves its political goals. In
such a scenario, we believe it would be against the US Congress’s
goodwill to have the lethal weapons turned against the Vietnamese
citizens.
With regard to our aforementioned concerns, we would urge the US
Congress, ahead of any possible arms sales, to request Vietnam to put
forth a clear agenda of concrete and measurable actions in addressing
urgent human rights issues. Those actions must include, first and
foremost, repeal of vague national security laws, respect for human
rights defenders and the immediate and unconditional release of all the
Vietnamese prisoners of consciences, including these 25 people as listed
in the attached document.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
Yours sincerely,
We the undersigned:
1. Civil Society Forum
2. The United Workers-Farmers Organization of Vietnam
3. The Association of Political & Religious Prisoners of Vietnam
4. The Brotherhood for Democracy
5. Bau Bi Tuong Than Association
6. No-U FC of Hanoi
7. No-U FC of Saigon
8. A group of followers of Hoa Hao Buddhist Church West branch
9. The Vietnam Path Movement
10. Vietnamese Overseas Initiative for Conscience Empowerment (VOICE)
* * *
LIST OF 25 PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE
1. Bui Thi Minh Hang
• DOB: 1964
• Years Sentenced: Pending
• Location: Lap Vo Detention Center, Dong Thap Prison
• Criminal Charge(s): Causing public disorder (§ 245 VCC)
• Details: Bui Thi Minh Hang is an outspoken advocate on behalf of
peasants whose lands were confiscated to make room for development
projects. She was among a group of 21 people on mopeds that were
attacked by Dong Thap police on 12 Feb 2014, about 140 km of Ho Chi Minh
City. The group was on their way to visit Nguyen Bac Truyen, a lawyer
and former political prisoner in Dong Thap.
• Compelling Reason for Release: Health deteriorating due to hunger strike in May 2014 which lasted 2 weeks
2. Dinh Nguyen Kha
• DOB: 1988
• Years Sentenced: 4 years imprisonment; 3 years house-arrest
• Location: Xuyen Moc Prison, Ba Ria Vung Tau Province
• Criminal Charge(s): Spreading propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (§88 VCC)
• Details: Dinh Nguyen Kha was arrested in 2012 for handing out
leaflets that “distort the Party and the State’s policies related to
religion and land, and exhibit a twisted viewpoint regarding the Spratly
and Paracel islands and the border land between Vietnam and China.” The
state media accused him of “calling and agitating people to protest
against the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam.”
3. Do Nam Trung
• DOB: 1981
• Years Sentenced: Pending
• Location: Dong Nai Prison, Dong Nai Province
• Criminal Charge(s): Causing public disorder (§ 245 VCC)
• Details: Do Nam Trung is a member of the Brotherhood for
Democracy. He has been accused of provoking a violent riot in a Dong Nai
Province's industrial park in May 2014 along with Le Thi Phuong Anh and
Pham Minh Vu.
4. Doan Huy Chuong
• DOB: 1985
• Years Sentenced: 7 years imprisonment
• Location: Xuan Loc Prison, Binh Duong Province (K2)
• Criminal Charge(s): Disrupting security (§89 VCC).
• Details: Doan Huy Chuong is a labor activist who organized a
strike in a shoe factory in Tra Vinh Province and distributed anti-
government leaflets. Arrested on 11 February 2010, tried on 26 June 2010
in Tra Vinh Province; sentence upheld at appellate trial in Tra Vinh
Province on 18 March 2011. As President of the United Workers and
Farmers Association (UWFA), Doan Huy Chuong was previously arrested in
Nov. 2006 and later sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
• Compelling Reason for Release: Suffers from internal injuries as a result of being tortured in prison
5. Duong Thi Tron
• DOB: 1947
• Years Sentenced: 9 years imprisonment
• Location: Xuan Loc Prison, Binh Duong Province (K5)
• Criminal Charge(s): Causing public disorder (§245 VCC) and resisting officers performing their duties (§ 257 VCC)
• Details: Hoa Hao Buddhist Church-Original Branch (HHBC-O) is
independent to the state-controlled Hoa Hao Buddhist Commission and does
not accept any interference by the Vietnamese authorities. Tron is an
active member of HHBC-O (Dong Thap) and í the wife of its chairman,
Nguyen Van Tho.
• Compelling Reason for Release: She is suffering from low blood pressure and old age. She does not have access to medication.
6. Le Quoc Quan
• DOB: 1971
• Years Sentenced: 2.5 years imprisonment
• Location: An Diem Prison, Quang Nam Province
• Criminal Charge(s): Tax evasion (§161 VCC)
• Details: Le Quoc Quan is a human rights lawyer, democracy activist
and prominent Catholic blogger. He was arrested by the Vietnamese
government on charges of tax evasion on 27 December 2012, convicted on 2
October 2013, and sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined 100,000
USD. The arrest was condemned by international human rights
organizations and the US government.
• Compelling Reason for Release: Deteriorating health as a result of three hunger strikes
7. Le Thi Phuong Anh
• DOB: 1984
• Years Sentenced: Pending
• Location: Dong Nai Prison, Dong Nai Province
• Criminal Charge(s): Causing public disorder (§ 245 VCC)
• Details: Le Thi Phuong Anh is a human rights and democracy
activist. She has been accused of provoking a violent riot in a Dong Nai
Province's industrial park in May 2014 along with Do Nam Trung and Pham
Minh Vu
8. Mai Thi Dung
• DOB: 1969
• Years Sentenced: 11 years imprisonment
• Location: Thanh Xuan Prison, Hanoi
• Criminal Charge(s): Causing public disorder (§245 VCC)
• Details: Mai Thi Dung is a religious worker of the Hoa Hao
Buddhist Church - Original Branch. She was arrested and charged under
Article 245 for resisting and defending a religious gathering that was
being interrupted by the authorities.
• Compelling Reason for Release: Suffers from internal injuries as a
result of being tortured in prison and is currently undergoing medical
complications due to kidney stones
9. Ngo Hao
• DOB: 1943
• Years Sentenced: 15 years imprisonment; 5 years house-arrest
• Location: Xuan Phuoc Prison, Phu Yen Province
• Criminal Charge(s): Conducting activities to overthrow the people's government (§79 VCC)
• Details: Ngo Hao is a democracy activist. He was arrested for
writing and spreading articles criticizing the government's policies.
• Compelling Reason for Release: Suffering from old age; forced to
work in prison and currently does not have strength to stand on his own.
10. Nguyen Hoang Quoc Hung
• DOB: 1982
• Years Sentenced: 9 years imprisonment
• Location: Xuyen Moc Prison, Ba Ria Vung Tau Province
• Criminal Charge(s): Disrupting security (§89 VCC).
• Details: Nguyen Hoang Quoc Hung is a member of “Victims of
Injustice”—a group that advocates on behalf of victims of land
confiscation.
11. Nguyen Huu Vinh (Ba Sam)
• DOB: 1956
• Years Sentenced: Pending
• Location: Hanoi
• Criminal Charge(s): Abusing democratic freedoms (§258 VCC)
• Details: Nguyen Huu Vinh – a liberal blogger – is well known for
his regular posts which have opposing opinions. He is also known for
delivering news about China’s hostile and provocative moves against
Vietnam’s territorial sovereignty, a topic the government of Vietnam
deemed sensitive to the relations between the two countries and
therefore, often ignored.
12. Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy
• DOB: 1980
• Years Sentenced: Pending
• Location: Hanoi
• Criminal Charge(s): Abusing democratic freedoms (§258 VCC)
• Details: Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy is an employee of Nguyen Huu Vinh's
business. She was accused of helping Vinh “publish online articles with
bad contents and misleading information to lower the prestige and create
public distrust of government offices, social organizations and
citizens”
13. Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh
• DOB: 1986
• Years Sentenced: Pending
• Location: Lap Vo Detention Center, Dong Thap Prison
• Criminal Charge(s): Causing public disorder (§ 245 VCC)
• Details: Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh is a religious worker in the Hoa
Hao Buddhist Church - Original Branch. She was arrested along with Bui
Thi Minh Hang on their way to visit Nguyen Bac Truyen.
14. Nguyen Van Hai (Dieu Cay) .
• DOB: 1952
• Years Sentenced: 12 years imprisonment; 5 years house-arrest
• Location: Prison No.6, Nghe An Province
• Criminal Charge(s): Spreading propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (§88 VCC)
• Details: Nguyen Van Hai, also known as Nguyen Hoang Hai, better
known by his pen name Dieu Cay, is a Vietnamese blogger who has been
prosecuted by the government of Vietnam for tax evasion and
"disseminating anti-state information and materials". His imprisonment
was protested by several international human rights organizations, and
Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience.
• Compelling Reason for Release: Imprisoned in solitary confinement.
15. Nguyen Van Lia
• DOB: 1940
• Years Sentenced: 4.5 years imprisonment
• Location: Xuan Loc Prison, Binh Duong Province (K2)
• Criminal Charge(s): Abusing democratic freedoms (§258 VCC)
• Details: Nguyen Van Lia is a longtime adherent of Hoa Hao
Buddhism, a religious group often suppressed by the government, and the
co-author of several Hoa Hao Buddhist religious instruction texts and
books. He was charged with violating Article 258 of the penal code for
“abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the
state,” a vague crime that could result in a sentence of up to seven
years.
• Compelling Reason for Release: Suffers from old age; high blood
pressure and does not have access to medication. His family is not
permitted to send medication.
16. Nguyen Van Ly
• DOB: 1946
• Years Sentenced: 8 years imprisonment; 5 years house-arrest
• Location: Nam Ha Prison, Ha Nam Province
• Criminal Charge(s): Spreading propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (§88 VCC)
• Details: Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly is a Vietnamese Roman
Catholic priest and dissident involved in many pro-democracy movements
for which he was imprisoned for a total of almost 15 years. For his
ongoing imprisonment and continuous non-violent protest, Amnesty
International adopted Father Lý in December 1983 as a prisoner of
conscience. Most recently, his support for the Bloc 8406 manifesto has
led to his sentence on 30 March 2007, for an additional eight years in
prison.
17. Nguyen Van Minh
• DOB: 1980
• Years Sentenced: Pending
• Location: Lap Vo Detention Center, Dong Thap Prison
• Criminal Charge(s): Resisting persons in the performance of their official duties. (§275 VCC).
• Details: Nguyen Van Minh is a religious worker of the Hoa Hao
Buddhist Church - Original Branch. He was arrested along with Bui Thi
Minh Hang on their way to visit Nguyen Bac Truyen.
18. Pham Minh Vu
• DOB: 1980
• Years Sentenced: Pending
• Location: Dong Nai Prison
• Criminal Charge(s): Causing public disorder (§ 245 VCC)
• Details: Pham Minh Vu is a member of the Brotherhood for
Democracy. He has been accused of provoking a violent riot in a Dong Nai
Province's industrial park in May 2014 along with Le Thi Phuong Anh and
Do Nam Trung.
19. Pham Viet Dao
• DOB: 1951
• Years Sentenced: 15 months imprisonment
• Location: Hanoi
• Criminal Charge(s): Abusing democratic freedoms (§258 VCC)
• Details: Pham Viet Dao is a former Vietnamese Communist Party
member and government official. He was convicted under Article 258 of
Vietnam’s penal code for allegedly “abusing democratic freedoms to
infringe on the interests of the State.”
20. Phan Van Thu
• DOB: 1948
• Years Sentenced: Life imprisonment
• Location: Unknown
• Criminal Charge(s): Conducting activities to overthrow the people's government (§79 VCC)
• Details: Phan Van Thu was arrested on 05 February 2012 in Phu Yen
Province. He was allegedly the leader of Public Law Council of Bia Son,
which the Vietnamese police newspaper has accused of “conducting
activities to overthrow the people's government.”
21. Ta Phong Tan
• DOB: 1968
• Years Sentenced: 10 years imprisonment; 5 years house-arrest
• Location: Yen Dinh Prison, Thanh Hoa Province
• Criminal Charge(s): Spreading propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (§88 VCC)
• Details: Ta Phong Tan is a Vietnamese dissident blogger, a former
policewoman and member of the Communist Party of Vietnam. She was
arrested in September 2011 under anti-state propaganda charges for her
blog posts alleging government corruption.
• Compelling Reason for Release: Under psychological pressure because of civil disobedience within prison.
22. Tran Huynh Duy Thuc
• DOB: 1965
• Years Sentenced: 16 years imprisonment; 5 years house-arrest
• Location: Xuyen Moc Prinson, Dong Nai Province
• Criminal Charge(s): Conducting activities to overthrow the people's government (§79 VCC)
• Details: According to the indictment, along with Nguyen Tien
Trung, Le Cong Dinh and Le Thang Long, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc had sought to
build a multiparty system and written 53 articles, amongst them "The
Vietnam’s Roadmap", and posted them on the internet. Thuc was director
general of the OCI telecommunication company. Initially at his arrest on
24 May 2009, he had been accused of “theft of telecom fees”. Later the
charge was turned to “spreading propaganda against the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam” (§88 VCC) and finally to subversive activities (§79
VCC). He was tried on 20 January 2010 in Ho Chi Minh City. His sentence
was upheld at the appellate trial on 11 May 2010.
• Compelling Reason for Release: Was forced into solitary confinement as a disciplinary punishment.
23. Tran Vu Anh Binh
• DOB: 1974
• Years Sentenced: 6 years imprisonment; 2 years house-arrest
• Location: An Phuoc Prison, Binh Duong Province
• Criminal Charge(s): Tran Vu Anh Binh is a Catholic songwriter and
member of the Patriotic Youth Group (PYG) who participated in anti-China
demonstrations in Ho Chi Minh City. Along with 4 members of PYG, he was
arrested on 19 September 2011 in HCM City.
24. Truong Duy Nhat
• DOB: 1964
• Years Sentenced: 2 years imprisonment
• Location: Hoa Son Prison, Da Nang
• Criminal Charge(s): Abusing democratic freedoms (§258 VCC)
• Details: Truong Duy Nhat was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for
allegedly "abusing the rights of freedom" in writing his blog "Another
Point of View". The charges were based on 12 specific entries on his
blog in which he criticized the performances of top government and Party
officials, including the General Secretary and the Prime Minister.
25. Vo Minh Tri (Viet Khang)
• DOB: 1978
• Years Sentenced: 4 years imprisonment; 2 years house-arrest
• Location: Xuan Loc Prison, Binh Duong Province (K2)
• Criminal Charge(s): Spreading propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (§88 VCC)
• Details: Vo Minh Tri has composed 2 patriotic songs: “Who are
you?” and “Where is my Vietnam?”. He personally performed them and
posted them on the internet to support anti-China demonstrations in
Vietnam. He was arrested on 23 December 2011 in HCM City.
Total years of imprisonment: | 121.25 |
Total years of house-arrest: | 32 |
Total cases of life imprisonment: | 1 |
Total cases still pending: | 8 |