June 25, 2009

Hon. Lawrence Cannon

Minister of Foreign Affairs

House of Commons

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0A6

Dear Minister Cannon,

I am writing you this letter to express my serious concerns regarding the detention of Le

Cong Dinh, Vietnamese lawyer and dissident writer arrested by Vietnam on 13 June

2009.

Mr. Le Cong Dinh have been charged with ‘spreading propaganda against the state’ –

an offence which carries up to twenty years in prison. In the process, his home and

office were searched and his documents were seized by the officials.

The arrest of this individual fits a pattern of activities by the Hanoi government, intended

to quash opposition to the regime. In recent years we have witnessed the detention of

pro-democracy and human rights advocates in Vietnam including Father Nguyen Van

Ly, then writer Tran Khai Thanh Thuy, lawyer Nguyen Van Dai, lawyer Le Thi Cong

Nhan, lawyer Le Tran Luat and now lawyer Le Cong Dinh.

Minister, I request that you voice Canada’s concerns regarding Vietnam’s treatment of

political dissidents and call upon Vietnam to immediately and unconditionally release

Mr. Le Cong Dinh in accordance with Article 19 of the United Nations International

Covenant of Civil and Political Rights to which Vietnam is a signatory.

Sincerely,

Paul Dewar, M.P.

Ottawa Centre

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