Vietnam bans blogger from US rights award trip
19 December 2012
HANOI: A Vietnamese blogger said on Wednesday authorities had banned him from travelling to the United States to collect a rights award on behalf of his father and sister, a move criticised by Human Rights Watch and the US embassy.
Huynh Trong Hieu, 24, said he was attempting to check in at Ho Chi Minh City airport on Sunday when immigration officials confiscated his passport and ticket.
"The authorities want to show everyone that if you try to fight for democracy (in Vietnam) you will be kept under pressure," Hieu, a second-year law student who runs a pro-democracy blog, told AFP Wednesday.
Hieu was on his way to the US to accept the Hellman-Hammett prize from HRW on behalf of his father Huynh Ngoc Tuan and sister Huynh Thuc Vy, both prominent pro-democracy bloggers in Vietnam.
Tuan and Vy are not officially under arrest but Hieu told AFP they were routinely harassed by police.
"The Vietnam government's banning of Hieu from travelling just compounds the rights violations they have already visited on the Huynh family for exercising their right to free speech," said Phil Robertson, HRW's Asia deputy director.
"It shows the depth of intolerance the Vietnamese authorities have for anyone brave enough to challenge the official line."
The US embassy said Tuesday it was "troubled" by the ban on Hieu travelling to the US. It urged the government to "allow his family and all Vietnamese to peacefully express their views without fear of retribution".
Vietnam routinely arrests and imprisons pro-democracy activists, with dozens of bloggers, lawyers and other activists currently serving lengthy jail terms for their writing or for involvement in peaceful protest.
HRW says Vietnam, where the Communist Party forbids political debate, has jailed at least 10 activists this year while at least seven other bloggers and activists are awaiting trial.
On Monday Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged police to fight against "hostile forces" whom he said could be planning to incite violence against the state.
The police must crack down on "opposition political organisations that run counter to the benefits of the country and the people", Dung said, according to a statement on the government website.
Vietnam Human Rights Network |