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Vietnam: Free Blogger ‘Mother Mushroom’

(New York, June 28, 2017) – Vietnam should lose Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh (additionally referred to as “Mother Mushroom”) and drop all costs towards her, Human Rights Watch stated today. Police arrested her in October 2016 and pressed a rate of “engaging in propaganda towards the country” by 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 place Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh on trial truly for using her proper to free expression to call for government reform and responsibility,” stated Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The scandal here isn’t what Mother Mushroom said; however, Hanoi’s cussed refusal to repeal draconian, rights-abusing legal guidelines that punish nonviolent dissent and tarnish Vietnam’s global recognition.”

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, 38, blogs under the pen called Mother Mushroom (Me Nam). The pen name got here from her 11-yr-vintage daughter, whom she calls “Mushroom.” International donors and alternate companions must publicly condemn her arrest and urge the Vietnamese authorities to, without delay, unconditionally launch her.

Brad Adams, Asia Director

With the motto, “Who will speak if you don’t?” Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh wrote on social and political problems, land confiscation, police brutality, and freedom of expression. She voiced assistance for fellow dissidents and publicly campaigned to discharge many political prisoners consisting, including Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, Nguyen Ngoc Gia, Nguyen Hoang Quoc Hung, and Nguyen Huu Vinh (additionally known as Anh Ba Sam). Above all, she endorsed a social and political environment unfastened from worry. The morning before she was arrested, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh went with Nguyen Thi Nay, the mother of political prisoner Nguyen Huu Quoc Duy, to try and visit him in jail.

In September 2009, the police took Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh from her domestic in the middle of the night. They wondered about her blog posts criticizing authorities’ guidelines on China and its disputed claims to the Spratly and Paracel Islands. She changed into launched after nine days. However, she remained under intrusive surveillance by police, who continued to train her to shut down her blog.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh participated in numerous public protests recommending human rights and cleaner surroundings. She changed into the challenge to regular police harassment, intimidation, and interrogation and was positioned under house arrest several times to prevent her from attending essential events. Police detained her twice in 2014 to prevent her from flying to Hanoi to participate in the meetings at the Australian Embassy in July and at the Canadian and Norwegian Embassies in November. In March 2015, police detained her again to save her from going to Hanoi to wait for a meeting at the German Embassy. In July 2015, she reported being assaulted using guys in civilian clothes in front of law enforcement officials for participating in a sit-down protest to campaign for releasing political prisoners.

State media reported that the police alleged that Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh’s anti-kingdom blogging evidence included a record named “Stop police killing civilians.” The paper covered information on 31 instances regarding individuals who died in police custody, which she and others had accumulated from state media. The police claimed the report “bears an antagonistic standpoint against the people’s police force. The report makes the readers misunderstand the character of the trouble, offends and lowers the status of the people’s police pressure, and harms the connection between the humans and the police pressure.”

Vietnam: Free Blogger ‘Mother Mushroom’ 11

 

 

Many instances summarized in “Stop police killing civilians” have been documented and published by way of Human Rights Watch, together with 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 using national media, from October 2011 to September 2014, there were 226 cases of demise in detention facilities.

The police claimed that they found many files providing evidence of crimes during the search of Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh’s house. Among those documents had been slogans together with “Fish Need Water,” “The Country Needs Transparency” (Ca can’t such; Nuoc can Minh seashore), “Take Legal Action Against Formosa” (Khoi to Formosa), “No Formosa,” “Formosa Get Out,” and anti-China claims over the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands inclusive of “No to Chinese Expansionism.”

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The police record stated that, similar to her Facebook and blog posts, she had different “crimes” she dedicated protected by giving interviews to CNN and Radio Free Asia.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh received a Hellman-Hammett Grant from Human Rights Watch in 2010 as a writer defending loose expression. 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 ten years, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh has labored tirelessly to boost human rights and promote freedom and democracy in Vietnam,” stated Phil Robertson. “International donors and trade companions should publicly condemn her arrest and urge the Vietnamese authorities to right now and unconditionally launch her.”

In addition to blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, Human Rights Watch urges Vietnam to unconditionally release all those detained or imprisoned for their nonviolent sports and speeches. Among folks being held and pending investigation encompass outstanding rights defenders Nguyen Van Dai and Tran Thi Nga. Since his detention in December 2015, it’s far stated that by early May 2017, Nguyen Van Dai has no longer be allowed access to legal counsel. According to protection attorney Ha Huy Son, Tran Thi Nga (detained because January 2017) has been sick for three weeks and may handiest consume porridge. She requested the government permit her to seek medical treatment twice in the sanatorium, but her requests were denied. Both Nguyen Van Dai and Tran Thi Nga had been charged under Article 88 of the penal code.

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