Aquatic engineer Nguyen Ngoc Anh, sentenced to six years in prison for peacefully expressing his disagreement with government policies, was physically assaulted in prison by a fellow prisoner. Despite serious injuries to his leg and head, he has been denied access to any medical care and instead locked in solitary confinement. The recent incident follows months of mental abuse by several prisoners, including daily death threats, which the prison officials failed to act on, despite being aware of the abuse.
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Director of Ben Tre Provincial Police Force, Vo Hung Minh
404D Đồng Văn Cống, Phường 7,
TP. Bến Tre, Bến Tre,
Vietnam
Email: [email protected]
Ambassador Ha Kim Ngoc
Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
1233 20th St NW Ste 400, Washington DC 20036
Phone: 202 861 0737 I Fax: 202 861 0917
Email: [email protected]
Salutation: Dear Ambassador
Dear Mr. Vo Hung Minh,
I am writing to express my grave concern about the continuing imprisonment and treatment of prisoner of conscience Nguyen Ngoc Anh, who was arrested on 30 August 2018 after he used Facebook to criticize a draft law aimed at establishing special economic zones in the country.
Currently held at Ben Tre detention center, Nguyen Ngoc Anh has reported being routinely subjected to mental abuse by other prisoners, including daily death threats. During her latest monthly visit, Nguyen Ngoc Anh told his wife that his cellmate had physically assaulted him, leaving him bloody and unconscious. Disturbingly, prison authorities have failed to discipline the aggressor and have yet to acknowledge the formal complaint lodged by Nguyen Ngoc Anh’s about the incident. Instead, Nguyen Ngoc Anh was then sent to a separated cell and denied all access to medical treatment.
Convicted and sentenced to six years in prison in June 2019 after being convicted of “conducting propaganda against the state”, Nguyen Ngoc Anh has been imprisoned solely for peacefully expressing his opinions.
I urge you to ensure that Nguyen Ngoc Anh is released immediately and unconditionally; pending release, grant Nguyen Ngoc Anh prompt, regular and unrestricted access to adequate medical care on request or as necessary; ensure that pending release, Nguyen Ngoc Anh is treated in full accordance with the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules), and specifically does not subject him to torture or other ill-treatment, including poor conditions of detention and prolonged solitary confinement.
Yours sincerely,
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