20 Vietnamese Detainees Died in Police Stations So Far in 2014: Local Media
by Vu Quoc Ngu - Nov 6, 2014
According to kienthuc.net.vn, Nguyen Tung Lam in the northern city of Haiphong is the latest individual who died in Nam Son commune police station in An Duong district. Mr. Lam, 30, was detained in the late evening of Oct 30 in the communal police station for allegedly stealing a bicycle nearby. In the morning of Nov 1, he was found dead. Police explained that Mr. Lam hung him with his belt to avoid being punished. There were seven detainees whose deaths were hanging up in police stations so far this year, according to police’s explanations. In many cases, the dead people were with a number of injuries on their bodies, proving they may suffer from police’s torture. However, the autopsies of these case were conducted by police, often without presence of died detainees’ family representatives. On Oct. 28, Nguyen Van Ha was said to use cotton rope to hang himself in police station in Tan An ward in Ia Gi district in Binh Thuan province. However, his daughter Nguyen Thi Diem said the weak rope could not kill her father whose body is big. Nguyen Thi Thu, sister of Mr. Ha, said she found a number of injuries in many places in her brother’s body. People may have died not only in police stations, but also on the streets. A number of people were beaten to death by policemen in many localities due to minor faults such traffic violations. According to activists, there were 67 Vietnamese who died in police stations or died after getting beaten by the police between Aug 8, 2010 and Aug 18, 2014. As many as 36 of them were said to have committed suicides, 29 died “by hanging up.” In mid-September, the Human Rights Watch issued a report on Vietnam’s police brutality, according to which police’s abuse occurs in 44 provinces and five largest cities in all regions of the country between August 2010 and July 2014. During the four-year period, 28 Vietnamese died in police custody during their detention period, while 11 others were severely beaten by investigators. In early September, the NA’s Legal Committee held its first public hearing to consider measures to stamp out police brutality and make it harder for heavy-handed interrogators to resort to torture and coercion. In a one-party Vietnam, the ruling communist party controls legislature, executive and justice and it gives unlimited power to police forces which in turn protect the party’s political monopoly, said political observers. Few police officers have been punished strictly for their torture against suspected detainees. Last month, Vietnam’s Supreme People’s Procuracy indicted six police officers in the central province of Phu Yen for beating a local man, causing his death more than two years ago. Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang admitted that 19 police officers have been fired for torturing suspects between 2011 and 2013. During the same three-year period, 183 others were disciplined for violating investigative procedures and regulations through dismissal, demotion or reassignment, he said. Last month, President Truong Tan Sang asked the country’s legislative body National Assembly to ratify the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. However, Vietnam said it will not directly apply the convention as it contains some contents that are not regulated in the country’s law system. The implementation of the convention will abide by its Constitution as well as bilateral cooperation or multi-lateral ties with other countries on a back-to-back basis.
Vietnam Human Rights Network |