Father Nguyen Van Ly

Frankfurt/M./Hue (4 September 2002) - On 28 August the Vietnamese village administration in Thuy Bieu arrested the Christian Hoang Trong Dung and announced shortly afterwards over loudspeakers that a two-year re-educating detention has been ordered against him. ISHR protests against this arbitrary detention, which was pronounced without a trial in a court of law. Hoang Trong Dung is a supporter of Father Nguyen Van Ly, who was sentenced to a total of 20 years of house arrest and prison in October 2001.

Hoang Trong Dung has been well-known since the end of 2000 for his committed fight for religious freedom. Together with other Catholics of Nguyet Bieu, Dung demanded the return of confiscated church property, which the poor church community desperately needs for the maintenance of its church. Hoang Trong Dung was repeatedly arrested by the police and abused while in detention.

After the arrest of Father Nguyen Van Ly, Dung was sentenced to six months house arrest in a public show trial in July 2001. The justification for the current detention lists 15 different charges, amongst them co-operation with Father Ly in the fight for the return of church property, disregard of the house arrest arrangements and non-participation in the last parliamentary elections. According to information of ISHR, Dung is being detained in the labour camp Hoan Cat in the province Quang Tri. In recent years, numerous Catholic laymen, novices and priests have been interned in this labour camp.
Father Ly in solitary confinement.

Father Nguyen Van Ly lives in a 12-square meter, bugged cell in a house separated from the prison. Each day he is allowed two walks in a yard, which is fenced with barbed wire, and is guarded by armed policemen. The people who bring him his meals twice a day are not allowed to speak with him. They and the guards are constantly replaced. Father Ly lives in total isolation. He is not allowed any books, paper or writing implements. He is allowed to write one letter every month to his family; however, out of nine letters, only three reached their destination. Only pre-registered relatives were allowed to visit him for 15 minutes every four months, although they had travelled far distances from Southern or Central Vietnamese regions. Moped riders, who had given the relatives a lift to the Northern Vietnamese prison, were intimidated by the police.

The arrest of Hoang Trong Dung is in violation of all international human right standards. Since a continuation of the re-education detention depends on the "progress evaluation report" written by the prison ward, this form of punishment is more strongly feared in Vietnam than any other form of detention. With this act, Vietnam falls into lawlessness and arbitrariness.

ISHR condemns the continuing collective arrests of family members of Christians in the communities cared for by Father Nguyen Van Ly. Not only people who worked for and supported him, but also two of his nephews are victims of this policy. Ly's nephews have already spent more than a year in detention without any charges having been brought against them.