Vietnam: Free Blogger ‘Mother Mushroom’

Update 6/29/2017: Vietnamese blogger and rights activist Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh was sentenced to ten years in jail on June 29, 2017, with the aid of the People’s Court of Khanh Hoa province. The baseless conviction and cruel sentencing reflect the Vietnamese government’s punitive suppression of nonviolent activism and dissent, Human Rights Watch said. The conviction must be quashed, and Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh at once released. “The Vietnamese authorities make use of indistinct countrywide security laws to silence activists and throttle free speech,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “International donors should not watch silently as activists like Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh are jailed for a decade for protecting the human rights of all Vietnamese.”

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, 38, who blogs under the pen call “Mother Mushroom” (Me Nam), turned into arrested in October 2016 and charged with “conducting propaganda towards the country” under article 88 of the penal code, which has been often used to punish critics of the authorities and activists arbitrarily. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh wrote on social and political problems, including land confiscation, police brutality, and freedom of expression. She received a Hellman-Hammett provide from Human Rights Watch in 2010 as an author defending unfastened expression and was named the 2015 Civil Rights Defender of the Year by way of Civil Rights Defenders. With the motto, “Who will talk in case you don’t?” Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh was encouraged above interest by surroundings unfastened from worry.

Vietnam’s donors and change partners ought to urgently call for the discharge of Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, as well as all others detained or imprisoned for peaceful sports and speech. They must press the Vietnamese government to amend the draconian legal guidelines used to punish peaceful dissent. (New York) – Vietnam must right now unfastened Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh (also called “Mother Mushroom”) and drop all fees against her, Human Rights Watch said today. Police arrested her in October 2016 and pressed a charge of “engaging in propaganda in opposition to the kingdom,” according to Article 88 of the penal code. The People’s Court of Khanh Hoa province plans to hear her case on June 29, 2017.

“It’s outrageous to put Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh on trial in reality for the use of her proper to free expression to call for government reform and duty,” stated Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The scandal right here is not what Mother Mushroom stated, however Hanoi’s cussed refusal to repeal draconian, rights-abusing laws that punish nonviolent dissent and tarnish Vietnam’s global popularity.”With the motto, “Who will talk if you don’t?” Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh wrote on social and political issues, land confiscation, police brutality, and freedom of expression. She voiced aid for fellow dissidents and publicly campaigned for the release of many political prisoners, including Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Nguyen Ngoc Gia, Nguyen Hoang Quoc Hung, and Nguyen Huu Vinh (also called Anh Ba Sam). Above all, she encouraged social and political surroundings unfastened from fear. The morning earlier than she changed into arrested, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh went with Nguyen Thi Nay, the mom of political prisoner Nguyen Huu Quoc Duy, to him in prison.

In September 2009, the police took Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh from her domestic within the nighttime. They questioned her approximately her weblog posts that criticized China’s regulations and its disputed claims to the Spratly and Paracel Islands. She was released after 9 days. However, she remained under intrusive surveillance by police, who persevered to strain her to shut down her blog.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh participated in numerous public protests that endorsed human rights and cleanser surroundings. She becomes concerned about steady police harassment, intimidation, interrogation and positioned under residence arrest on several events to save her from attending crucial occasions. Police detained her two times in 2014 to prevent her from flying to Hanoi to attend conferences at the Australian Embassy in July and at the Canadian and Norwegian Embassies in November. In March 2015, police detained her again to prevent her from going to Hanoi to wait for a assembly at the German Embassy. In July 2015, she reported being assaulted with men’s aid in civilian garments in front of law enforcement officials for collaborating in a sit-down protest to a marketing campaign for the release of political prisoners.

State media said that the police alleged that Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh’s proof for anti-country blogging covered a document named “Stop police killing civilians.” The document included records on 31 cases concerning folks that died in police custody, which she and others had gathered from Kingdom media. The police claimed that the record “bears an adverse viewpoint against the human beings police pressure. The record makes the readers misunderstand the character of the hassle, offends and lowers the status of the human beings police pressure, and harms the relationship between the human beings and the police force.”

Many instances summarized in “Stop police killing civilians” were documented and posted using Human Rights Watch, which includes the violent deaths in police custody of Nguyen Quoc Bao, Nguyen Van Khuong, Trinh Xuan Tung, Tu Ngoc Thach, and Y Ket Bap. According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, reported by way of Kingdom media, from October 2011 to September 2014, there were 226 cases of death in detention centers.

The police claimed that during Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh’s house’s quest, they discovered many documents imparting evidence of crimes. Among those documents have been slogans inclusive of “Fish Need Water,” “The Country Needs Transparency” (Ca can not such; Nuoc can mine beach), “Take Legal Action Against Formosa” (Khoi to Formosa), “No Formosa,” “Formosa Get Out,” and anti-China claims over the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands which include “No to Chinese Expansionism.”Like her Facebook and blog posts, the police report said that different “crimes” she devoted covered giving interviews to CNN and Radio Free Asia. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh obtained a Hellman-Hammett provide from Human Rights Watch in 2010 as an author defending free expression. In 2015, Civil Rights Defenders gave her the 2015 Civil Rights Defender of the Year award. In March 2017, she obtained the International Women of Courage award from the State Department.

“For the ultimate 10 years, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh has worked tirelessly to develop human rights and promote freedom and democracy in Vietnam,” said Phil Robertson. “International donors and alternate partners ought to publicly condemn her arrest and urge the Vietnamese authorities to at once and unconditionally launch her.”

In addition to blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, Human Rights Watch urges Vietnam to release all detained or imprisoned nonviolent activities and speeches unconditionally. Among folks held and pending research consist of prominent rights defenders Nguyen Van Dai and Tran Thi Nga. Since his detention in December 2015, it’s far pronounced that with the aid of early May 2017, Nguyen Van Dai has not been allowed to get the right of entry to prison to recommend. According to protection lawyer Ha Huy Son, Tran Thi Nga (detained because January 2017) has been sick for three weeks and may only devour porridge. She asked the authorities to permit her to are looking for medical remedies at the medical institution two times. However, her requests have been denied. Both Nguyen Van Dai and Tran Thi Nga had been charged under Article 88 of the penal code.