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Dr. Le Nguyen Sang’s Appeal Trial
The People’s Democratic
Party July 14, 2007
Viet Nam - Dr. Le Nguyen Sang’s appeal trial is scheduled for July 27, 2007 in People's Court, Sai Gon, Viet Nam.
His May 10th trial earlier this year, together with other members of the People's Democratic Party, lawyer Nguyen Bac Truyen and journalist Huynh Nguyen Dao. Dr. Le Nguyen Sang, handed down a sentencing of 5 years imprisonment with 2 years of house arrest for the alleged crime of "propagating against Viet Nam". The sentence has been condemned strongly by human rights organizations and foreign governments all over the world.
Recently, the European Parliament, adopted a "Resolution on Vietnam", condemning repression against Vietnamese dissidents and called on the Vietnamese government to respect and guarantee the fundamental rights of the Vietnamese people: “Calls, therefore, for the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals imprisoned for the sole reason that they have peacefully and legitimately exercised their right to freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom of religion, including the Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly (sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment), Nguyen Phong (six years), Nguyen Binh Thanh (five years), the lawyers Nguyen Van Dai (five years) (all members of the pro-democracy and reform group Bloc 8406) and Le Thi Cong Nhan (four years), spokeswoman for the Progression Party, Tran Quoc Hien (five years), representative of the Workers-Farmers Organisation, the leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Le Nguyen Sang (five years), Nguyen Bac Truyen (four years) and Huynh Nguyen Dao (three years), and the Buddhists Hoa Hao Duong Thi Tron (six years), Le Van Soc (six years) and Nguyen Van Thuy (five years), Nguyen Van Tho (four years), the Patriarch of the UBCV, Thich Huyen Quang, Thich Quang Do and Bui Thi Kim Tanh”.
The resolution also calls on Vietnam "to carry out political and institutional reforms in order to establish democracy and the genuine rule of law, beginning with the introduction of a multi-party system, a free press and free trade unions ," in order to solve social issues where conflict, arbitrary law and government corruption have caused hundreds of farmers to stage on-going protests in Sai Gon and Ha Noi starting June 22, 2007.
Vietnam Human Rights Network |