On 23 May 2019, prisoner of conscience Hoang Duc Binh who is presently imprisoned at An Diem prison with Nguyen
Van Hoa, told his family during their monthly visit that Nguyen Van Hoa is being held in solitary confinement and had
been tortured by prison guards.
Nguyen Van Hoa is a journalist who worked for the Vietnamese service desk at Radio Free Asia. In summer 2016, the
Formosa environmental disaster occurred in the four provinces in the central coastline of Viet Nam. Nguyen Van Hoa
was among the first media persons to approach the affected area and cover the situation.
Several demonstrations were held by people in Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces during the period of the disaster to
demand the Vietnamese government to respond to the situation. The local authorities reacted to these demonstrations
with anti-riot police, using excessive force. Clashes happened between police and protestors leading to a series of
arrests targeting community leaders, environmental activists and journalists.
Nguyen Van Hoa was arrested in January 2017 and charged with “conducting propaganda against the state” under
article 88 of the 1999 Penal Code. On November 2017, in a secret trial, Nguyen Van Hoa was convicted and sentenced
to seven years in prison. Neither his lawyer nor his family were present during the court proceedings.
In August 2018, Nguyen Van Hoa was allowed to testify in court during a trial against environmental activist Le Dinh
Luong. During those proceedings, he told the judge that he had been beaten by interrogators to give forced confessions.
Instead of promptly launching an investigation into his claim, the judge sent him back to prison and without any action
on the allegation.
During his time at An Diem prison, the authorities have attempted many times to force Nguyen Van Hoa to admit the
charges against him but they have never succeeded.
Amnesty International often receives reports from various sources about the ill-treatment of prisoners of conscience in
prisons across the country. . Incidents include: beatings by a cell mate or prison guard, reduction in food rations,
restricted or no access to medical care. Also, there are reports of cancellation of family visits. In addition, prisoners have
reported being held incommunicado or under conditions of solitary confinement for an extended period.
Amnesty International has recently released a report showing that the number of prisoners of conscience jailed across
Viet Nam has surged by one third to 128 in signs of a growing crackdown on peaceful activism. Over the past year, the
Vietnamese authorities have intensified their crackdown on the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful
assembly, association, thought, conscience, and religion.

PLEASE WRITE AN APPEAL TO:

His Excellency Prime Minister,
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc
Số 16, Lê Hồng Phong,
Bà Đình, Hà Nội, Việt Nam
Email: [email protected]