His Excellency Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung
Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam,
Head Office 16 Lê Hồng Phong Str.,
Ba Đình District,
Hà Nội, Việt Nam.
Tel: 080.48139 - 080.44707;
Fax: 080.48924;
Email: toasoanwebcp@chinhphu.vn
8 April 2014
Your Excellency,
We are writing as part of the global online campaign ’30 Days for Freedom’ to call for the release of Nguyen Van Hai - known by his pen name ‘Dieu Cay’ - imprisoned since April 2008, and all other journalists and bloggers currently in jail in Vietnam.
Nguyen Van Hai is serving a twelve-year prison sentence for “conducting propaganda against the state.” Initially condemned to two-and-a-half years in prison on charges of tax evasion – charges many believe were trumped up in order to silence his critical writing – after a one-day trial in 2012, he was given a second sentence on “anti-state” charges related to his online journalism.
Mr. Hai has endured solitary confinement and waged a hunger strike. Fearing for his deteriorating health, family members say he is barely recognisable.
Your Excellency, we are appalled that Mr. Hai’s detention and severe prison sentence is in retaliation for simply exercising his right to freedom of expression. His blog, Dieu Cay, covered politically sensitive issues, including government corruption and protests against China. His incarceration is apparently designed to stifle any discussion of these issues, but Mr. Hai’s courage in the face of significant danger and his commitment to documenting abuses of power will, on the contrary, only serve to amplify calls for greater freedoms in Viet Nam.
Your Excellency, we urge you to release Nguyen Van Hai, and all other jailed journalists and bloggers currently behind bars in Viet Nam. We call on you to embrace unfettered freedom of expression as a positive force in Vietnamese society, and as a cornerstone around which to continue building a strong state that respects international standards for human rights.
Sincerely,
#FreethePress
The 30 Days for Freedom campaign
Organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum, the ‘30 Days for Freedom’ campaign aims to highlight the plight of imprisoned journalists worldwide in the 30 days leading up to 3 May, World Press Freedom Day.
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