Vietnam Human Rights Network
4745 El Cajon Blvd., Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92115
Tel: (619) 284-5111

To: Mr. Kofi Annan
Secretary General of the United Nations
United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Email.: ecu@un.org

Ref.: The prosecution of Mr. Nguyen Vu Binh, journalist and human rights activist by the government of Vietnam.

Dear Mr. Secretary General:

On behalf of the Vietnam Human Rights Network, a consortium of Vietnamese Human Rights Organizations and Activists worldwide, I respectfully and urgently beg your attention to the above blatant infringement of the human rights of Mr. Nguyen Vu Binh.

The government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRVN) has arrested Nguyen Vu Binh on September 25, 2002 and has taken steps to prosecute him for "spying" against the regime. These are extremely serious criminal charges under the criminal code of the SRVN. Hanoi regime has also
furtively scheduled the hearing of his case on December 31, 2003, in the belief that only very few people would pay any attentions to their violations of Nguyen Vu Binh's human rights since the international
community and world public opinion would be preoccupied with the coming of the New Year.

Nguyen Vu Binh, who received the prestigious Hellman/Hammet writers'award in 2002, was a journalist at the official Communist Party of Vietnam journal, Communist Review for 10 years. In December 2000 he attempted to form an independent political party- the Liberal Democratic Party.
On July 20, he wrote a long testimony to the U.S. Congress concerning human rights violations in Vietnam.

Mr. Nguyen Vu Binh has never advocated the use of violence. He only spoke out his minds in a very constructive ways for promoting human rights and democracy for Vietnam. He is truly a victim of serious human rights violations committed by the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, a state member of the United Nations.

Your immediate intervention on his hehalf would be greatly appreciated.

Respectfully Yours,

Nguyen Thanh Trang
Chairman
Vietnam Human Rights Network

Copies also sent to:

1. Gen. Colin Powell
    Secretary of State
    US State Department
    Washington, D.C. 20520
    Email: secretary@state.gov

2. Hon. Raymond F. Burghardt
    Ambassador, US Embassy
   7 Lanh Ha St.
   Hanoi, Vietnam
   Email: irchano@pd.state.gov

3. Hon. Branco Socanac
   Rapporter
   Office of High Commissioner on Human Rights
   UN Office at Geneva
   1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
   Email: 1503@ohchr.org

4. Hon. Najat Al-Hajai
   Chair
   Office of High Commissioner on Human Rights
   UN Office at Geneva
   1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
   Email: 1503@ohchr.org