The People's Democratic Party dangdanchunhandan@yahoo.com http://ddcnd.org/main/ - Highlight the Human Rights Situation in Vietnam - Total of 97 years in jail to silence pro-democracy activists Vietnam – September 17, 2008 – In the last week, with the visit of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte in Hanoi for bilateral talks on human rights and several other issues. Hanoi authorities have cracked down hard on Vietnamese dissidents. Many pro-democratic activists were detained, imprisoned and sentenced for exercising their rights to freedom of expression. On September 10, 2008, Writer Nguyen Xuan Nghia in Hai Phong, Poet Tran Duc Thach in Nghe An, Mr. Ngo Quynh in Ha Noi, Mr. Pham Van Troi in Ha Tay and Mr. Nguyen Van Tuc in Thai Binh, were all arrested and incarcerated at prison B14 in Ha noi. On September 10, 2008, Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, resident of Sai Gon, and also known as the dissident blogger Dieu Cay who has written on the disputed islands of Spratly and Paracel, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for trumped up charges of tax evasion. On September 15, 2008, Mr. Luong Van Sinh, a farmer from the Binh Thuan province, who lost his land and property to corrupted government officials, was sentenced to two years of imprisonment. Mr. Sinh was accused of committing an "act to disrupt the public's security", a violation of Vietnamese criminal code, Article 258. Vietnam is a member of the UN Commission on Human Rights in which the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Article 19, clearly protects the right to "seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, or through any other media of his choice". In addition, according to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 9, "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile" and The Socialist Republic of Vietnam's Constitution itself advocates the "right of freedom expression, right of freedom press, right of freedom exchange information and right to form an association and right to demonstration" in Article 69. The Vietnam Communist Party has ignored these basic human rights; they continue to use harsh sentences in order to suppress and silence their citizens, cracking down on innocent people without showing any sign of political reform. Since 2007 to this date Hanoi authorities have given nearly of 100 years imprisonment to the pro-democracy activists. The People's Democratic Party vehemently condemns the suppression by the Vietnam Communist Party. We urgently call on the U.S. Congressional members to show support and promote freedom, democracy and human rights in Viet Nam. Please pass the Viet Nam Human Rights Act H.R. 3096. Regards, Do Thanh Cong Spokesperson of the People's Democratic Party The article is published in Vietnamese, and a copy of HR 3096, the Viet Nam Human Rights Act of 2007, is attached.---------   more »