Vietnam pro-democracy lawyer disbarred

 

Hanoi – DPA-06-23-2009 - The Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association has revoked the membership of a pro-democracy lawyer arrested on political charges earlier this month, the association said Tuesday. The decision to disbar lawyer Le Cong Dinh, 41, was signed by bar association chairman Nguyen Cong Trung on Monday.

Dinh was arrested June 13 on charges of "colluding with domestic and foreign reactionaries to sabotage the Vietnamese state." He had defended several pro-democracy activists jailed over the past three years.

The bar association said its decision was based on concerns about "professional ethics" and on a request from the police agency investigating Dinh's case.

There was disagreement among Vietnamese lawyers as to whether the disbarment was appropriate.

"Article 9 of the criminal procedure code states that no one is considered guilty or subject to any kind of punishment until the court's verdict," said Ho Chi Minh City lawyer Pham Quoc Hung. "A bar association cannot decide to disbar someone just because the lawyer is being prosecuted."

"I think the Ho Chi Minh City Bar acted in accordance with its rules, but whether (Dinh) is guilty or not depends on the decision of the court," said Pham Hong Hai, former head of the Hanoi Bar Association.

Ambassadors of European Union countries in Vietnam expressed "grave concern" Monday over Dinh's arrest.

In a joint statement, the EU diplomats called on the government "to release speedily Mr Dinh and all non-violent detainees who have peacefully exercised their right to freedom of expression."

The EU statement follows similar protests by the US government and international human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International.

Dinh is charged with violating Article 88 of the Vietnamese criminal code, which forbids distributing information opposing the government.

The crime carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Under Vietnamese law, suspects can be held for between four and 16 months without trial.

Dinh was close to several dissidents who formed a pro-democracy movement in 2006 known as Bloc 8406. He defended human rights lawyers Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan in May 2007, when they were sentenced to prison for "disseminating propaganda harmful to the State."

Dinh rose to prominence in 2003 when, as a lawyer at the firm White and Case, he defended Vietnamese catfish farmers against US anti-dumping tariffs. He established his own firm in March.

 

 

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