Vietnam: Internet writer’s sentence reduced

English PEN welcomes the decision of an appeals court to reduce the sentence being served by university teacher and Internet writer Pham Minh Hoang.

Pham Minh Hoang (pen name Phan Kien Quoc) holds French and Vietnamese nationality. He was arrested in August 2010 and was sentenced a year later, after being found guilty of “activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s government.” Pham’s three year sentence was reduced on appeal to seventeen months at a hearing on 29 November 2011 at the People’s Supreme Court in Ho Chi Minh City. He is expected to be released on 12 January 2012, but will have to serve three years of house arrest following his release. We continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Pham Minh Hoang and all other writers and journalists currently detained in Vietnam in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Vietnam is a signatory.

In his blog, Pham Minh Hoang has written about a variety of social topics, including freedom of expression, education, the environment and workers rights. He is said to be a member of the banned party Viet Tan.

The following information is taken from a 29 November 2011 alert by Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF):

At today’s hearing, the appeal court judge said he had taken account of Hoang’s “recognition” of “his  errors,” his request for clemency and his pledge to sever all ties with Viet Tan, an outlawed pro-democracy party. The judge said he also took account of his parents’ age – they are both in their 90s – and the desire to “maintain good relations between France and Vietnam.

TAKE ACTION

Please send appeals:

- Welcoming the reduction of the prison sentence handed down to university teacher and Internet writer Pham Minh Hoang;
- Calling for Pham Minh Hoang’s immediate and unconditional release, as well as of all those currently detained in Vietnam solely for the peaceful expression their opinions, in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Vietnam is a signatory.

Appeals to be sent to:

Mr Truong Tan Sang
President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Hanoi
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Mr Pham Binh Minh
Minister of Foreign Affairs
1 Ton That Dam Street
Ba Dinh district, Ha Noi
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Fax: 844 3823 1872
E-mail: bc.mfa@mofa.gov.vn  

Please also send appeals to the Vietnamese Embassy in London. (NB You may wish to ask the diplomatic representative for Vietnam in your country to forward your appeals to its government.)

His Excellency Mr Vu Quang Minh
Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
12-14 Victoria Road,
London
W8 5RD
Fax: 020 7937 6108
Email: consular@vietnamembassy.org.uk

It would also be advantageous to ask your country’s diplomatic representatives in Vietnam to intervene in the case.

His Excelleny Dr Antony Stokes
Central Building
4th floor
31 Hai Ba Trung
Hanoi
Fax: ( 84) (4)3936 0561
Email: behanoi02@vnn.vn