(RSF/IFEX) – In a 9 March 2001 letter to Lt. General Le Minh Huong, minister of public security, RSF called for the end of the house arrest of Ha Sy Phu, a leading force behind the banned magazine “Langbian”. RSF believes that this measure deprives the dissident of his freedom and right to express himself. […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a 9 March 2001 letter to Lt. General Le Minh Huong, minister of public security, RSF called for the end of the house arrest of Ha Sy Phu, a leading force behind the banned magazine “Langbian”. RSF believes that this measure deprives the dissident of his freedom and right to express himself. Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary general, emphasised that the harassment of Vietnamese journalists and dissidents contravenes the country’s international commitments, especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Vietnam in September 1982, of which Article 19 guarantees freedom of expression. RSF also asked for the immediate release of journalist Nguyen Dinh Huy, who has been jailed since November 1993.
According to information obtained by RSF, Nguyen Xuan Tu, known under his pen name Ha Sy Phu, was formally placed under house arrest at his Dalat home on 8 February 2001 in accordance with governmental decree 31/CP. This decision, which also applies to a former Dalat city council authority, was announced on 12 February by the Vietnamese police newspaper “Cong An Nhan Dan”. According to this publication, both dissidents were placed under house arrest because they made “contact with reactionaries living abroad to sabotage Vietnam”. This measure was taken while demonstrations, which were repressed by the authorities, were taking place in this central highlands province.
In December 1995, Ha Sy Phu was arrested and jailed for more than one year for revealing “state secrets”. This 61 year-old biologist, released under international pressure, is one of the leaders of a dissident group in Dalat that created “Langbian” magazine. Under house arrest he has been the victim of daily harassment by the police. This has included searches of his home, confiscation of his computer, and pressure on his family. Ha Sy Phu was released on 4 January 2001. He has been free for only five weeks in the last four years.