A day before his trial on Tuesday, the wife of a music teacher arrested in early September on charges of “carrying out propaganda against the state” said he was innocent and asked for his release.
Dang Dang Phuoc, 60, a teacher at Dak Lak Pedagogical College in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, often writes on Facebook about educational issues, human rights violations, corrupt officials and social injustice.
Police arrested him on September 8 and charged him with “making, storing, disseminating or propagating information, documents and articles intended to oppose the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” He faces up to 12 years in prison.
His case has drawn international attention, including from Human Rights Watch, which also urged the Vietnamese government to release him on Monday.
In a statement, the human rights group criticized authorities for targeting those who speak out on corruption in the Southeast Asian nation, despite claims they are working to root out corruption.
Speaking to the RFA Vietnam Service, Phuoc’s wife, Le Thi Ha, said her husband’s arrest had caused their family to lose their “main pillar” and left them in shock.
“In Vietnam, who (the authorities) arrest, when the arrests are made and how many years in prison those arrested are sentenced… it’s all in their hands,” he said. “However, to me, my husband is innocent. My wish is that my husband be released unconditionally.”
anti-corruption advocate
For the past decade, Phuoc has campaigned against corruption and advocated for better protection of civil and political rights. He has signed several pro-democracy petitions and has called for changes to Vietnam’s constitution, which gives the Communist Party a monopoly on power.
After After Phuoc’s arrest, the police summoned Ha for questioning at least twice and threatened to fire her if she shared information about her case on social media.
According to an indictment obtained by RFA, the Dak Lak Provincial Police Investigative Security Agency examined a recent recording of Phuoc and found that he “slandered the government to reduce people’s trust in the management and administration of the government and the state.” ”.
On Monday, Ha said his family and close friends plan to attend his trial on Tuesday, but questioned whether the court will allow it.
“Although the authorities said the trial would be open to the public, there are many precedents in Vietnam showing that even family members were not allowed to attend trials of activists and political dissidents,” he said. “I don’t know how my husband’s trial will go.”
house under surveillance
Meanwhile, he said, police have been keeping a close watch on his home and have sent plainclothes officers to document the activities of his family members over the weekend.
“His people are still parked on the road that leads to my house,” he told RFA. “Being aware of many previous cases where relatives of prisoners of conscience received invitations but were still prevented from attending the related trials, I left my home to increase the chances of being able to attend my husband’s trial.”
On Monday, Phuoc’s defense lawyers met with him and said he had been “well treated” in custody, describing him as “upbeat, positive, healthy and with no signs of depression or psychological breakdown whatsoever.”
“Of course he admitted to the act, but as for the crime, he said that he was exercising his right to tell the truth,” said lawyer Le Van Luan. “For tomorrow he prepared the content of his defense. Basically, the defense is strong and covers the entirety of your case.”
In a statement Monday, Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson echoed Ha’s call for Phuoc’s release.
“The Vietnamese government uses its excessively broad and abusive laws to prosecute people who call for reforms,” Robertson said. “The authorities should immediately drop the charges against Dang Dang Phuoc and other activists who play a key role in rooting out wrongdoing and corruption that the government says it opposes.”
He criticized the government for its contempt for freedom of expression, pointing out that it extends “even the activists who sing some songs criticizing them.”
“The European Union, which concluded a free trade agreement with Vietnam containing human rights conditions, and other trading partners should denounce the government for its relentless violations of rights,” he said.
Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.