RESOLUTION ON VIET NAM
Resolution on Vietnam submitted by Suisse Romand Centre and seconded by the Algerian,
American, Belgian (French-speaking), Canadian, Catalan, Chinese Independent, Croatian, English, Finnish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Macedonian, Mexican, Netherlands, Polish, Portuguese, Québecois, Russian, San Miguel de Allende, Slovak, Slovene, Swiss German, Swiss Italian and Reto-romansh, Sydney and Vietnamese Writers Abroad Centres
The Assembly of Delegates of International PEN, meeting at its 71st Congress in Bled, Slovenia, 14th – 21st June 2005,
Notes that the novelist Nguyen Dinh Huy, 73, the essayist Nguyen Van Ly, 59, and the journalist Nguyen Dan Que, 63, were released on the occasion of the Vietnamese New Year. Victims of arbitrary detention, they have already served a major part of their sentence, notably Nguyen Dinh Huy (12 on 15 years' imprisonment). After returning home, they have been submitted to 5 years' probationary detention or placed under severe house arrest;
Deplores that other writers are still in prison, in administrative detention or under the threat of legal actions and economic sanctions, in violation of their right to express their opinions, to receive and to distribute information on the Internet, and to associate freely;
Shocked and indignant at the situation of imprisoned cyberdissidents, some of them "declared guilty of espionage" and condemned to very heavy prison sentences in unfair trials, where the defendants were not assured their right of defence. Among others:
- Nguyen Khac Toan, 50, journalist and essayist, sentenced for "espionage" in December 2002 to 12 years' imprisonment and 3 years' probationary detention. Arrested in January 2002 for his testimonies on poor farmers' demonstrations to protest against arbitrary expropriations and abuses by the authorities. He had published on Internet reports of these events and articles on corruption and violations of human rights. According to his mother, 83, he is very sick in the forced labour camp;
- Pham Hong Son, 37, writer and translator, sentenced for "espionage" in June 2003 to 13 years' imprisonment, reduced on appeal to 5 years plus 3 years' probationary detention. Arrested in March 2002 for having published many essays on Internet pleading for democracy and human rights. Kept in solitary confinement for months and deported to the forced labour camp. His wife reported he suffered from inguinal hernia and persistent inflammatory swelling of nose;
- Nguyen Vu Binh, 37, journalist and essayist, sentenced for "espionage" on 31 December 2003 to 7 years' imprisonment and 3 years' probationary detention. Arrested in September 2002 for having published numerous articles on Internet pleading for political and social reforms, as well as a testimony on violations of human rights. Kept in solitary confinement during 15 months on remand. He was in a disastrous state of health after two weeks' hunger strike in May 2004 to obtain that his wife and his young children be allowed to visit him at the forced labour camp;
- Nguyen Hong Quang, 47, writer and trained as a lawyer (banned from practising his profession), arrested in June 2004 and sentenced in November 2004 to 3 years' imprisonment for so-called "incitement to resist officers while doing their duty". Legal adviser for the prisoners of opinion, he has defended persecuted members of ethnic minority. He has carried out investigations into cases of human rights violation and published many essays on Internet;
Condemns the ongoing imprisonment of Truong Van Lan (Tran Van Luong), 65, arrested in 1985, death sentence commuted to life and the house arrest of Le Dinh Nhan (Thich Huyen Quang), 88, arrested in 1994. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has declared that the deprivation of their liberty was arbitrary, in contravention of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Viet Nam Opinions No 13/1999 and No 4/2001);
Urges the Vietnamese authorities to:
1. release immediately and unconditionally all persons, notably including writers and journalists, still in prison, in probationary or administrative detention, and under house arrest for having exercised their right to freedom of ___expression, among others: Truong Van Lan (Tran Van Luong), Nguyen Khac Toan, Pham Hong Son, Nguyen Vu Binh, Nguyen Hong Quang, Vo Lam Te (Huong Duong), Pham Van Thuong (Thich Tue Sy), Le Dinh Nhan (Thich Huyen Quang), Dang Phuc Tue (Thich Quang Do), Le Chi Quang, Nguyen Dinh Huy, Nguyen Van Ly and Nguyen Dan Que;
2. cease all harassments, intimidations and threats of legal actions or economic sanctions against independent writers and journalists, among others: Nguyen Thi Lan Anh (Lan Anh) and Do Nam Hai (Phuong Nam);
3. improve living conditions in prison, to allow sick prisoners to receive adequate medical care and to facilitate visits for their families; and
4. abolish censorship and to lift all restrictions on freedom of ___expression, freedom of the press, and freedom to create and publish.
81 Trung tâm Văn Bút có đại diện tại Hội Đồng Đại Biểu đã trực tiếp bỏ phiếu đồng thanh ủng hộ Quyết Nghị về Việt Nam
Tên Trung tâm Văn Bút viết bằng Pháp ngữ
Centres PEN Afghan, Algérien, Allemand, Américain, Anglais, Autrichien, Basque, Belge Francophone, Belge Néerlandophone, Bishkek, Bosniaque, Bulgare, Canadien, Catalan, Colombien, Chinois Indépendant, Coréen, Croate, Danois, Écossais, Écrivains Africains à l'Étranger, Écrivains Cubains en Exil, Écrivains en Exil/Branche Américaine, Écrivains en Exil/Branche Londres, Écrivains Germanophones à l'Étranger, Écrivains Iraniens en Exil, Écrivains Tibétains à l'Étranger, Écrivains Vietnamiens à l'Étranger, Égyptien, Espéranto, Etats-Unis d'Amérique, Finlandais, Français, Galicien, Ghanéen, Hongrois, Indien, Islandais, Israélien, Italien, Jamaicain, Japonais, Kosovar, Kurde, Liechtenstein, Lithuanien, Macédonien, Malawite, Marocain, Melbourne, Mexicain, Moldave, Monténégrin, Néerlandais, Népalais, Nigérien, Norvégien, Ougandais, Palestinien, Panaméen, Polonais, Portugais, Québécois, Roumain, Russe, San Miguel de Allende, Sénégalais, Serbe, Sierra Léonais, Slovaque, Slovène, Suédois, Suisse Allemand, Suisse Italien et Réto-Romanche, Suisse Romand, Sydney, Tatar, Tchèque, Trieste, Turc, Ougandais et Zambien.
Tên Trung tâm Văn Bút viết bằng Anh ngữ
Afghan, African Writers Abroad, Algerian, American, Austrian, Basque, Belgium Dutch-Speaking, Belgium French-Speaking, Bishkek, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Canadian, Catalan, Colombian, Croatian, Cuban Writers in Exile; Czech, Danish, Egyptian, English, Esperanto; Finnish, French, Galician, German, German-Speaking Writers Abroad, Ghanaian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Independent Chinese, Indian, Iranian Writers in Exile, Israeli, Italian, Jamaica. Japanese, Korean, Kosovo, Kurdish, Liechtenstein, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malawian, Melbourne, Mexican, Moldovan, Montenegrin, Moroccan, Nepalese, Netherlands, Nigerian, Norwegian, Palestinian, Panamanian, Polish, Portuguese, Quebecois, Romanian, Russian, San Miguel de Allende, Scottish, Senegalese, Serbian, Sierra Leonean, Slovak, Slovene, Suisse Romand, Swedish, Swiss German, Swiss Italian and Reto-Romansh, Sydney, Tatar, Tibetan Writers Abroad, Trieste, Turkish, Ugandan, USA, Vietnamese Writers Abroad, Writers in Exile/American Branch, Writers in Exile/London Branch and Zambian PEN Centres.