Nguyen Quoc Quan

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Nguyen Quoc Quan speaks at Vietnamese conference
Nguyen Quoc Quan speaks at Vietnamese conference

Nguyen Quoc Quan (born around 1954) is a mathematics researcher from the United States and member of the leadership committee of the organization Viet Tan who was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam on November 17, 2007 for preparing pro-democracy flyers.[1] He also brought in a Vietnamese translation of "From Dictatorship to Democracy," a book about nonviolent resistance.[2] He stood trial in Vietnam on May 13, 2008 on charges of "terrorism"[3][4][2] and was sentenced to 6 months in prison.[5] He was released on May 17, 2008 and return to his home in Elk Grove, California to his wife and two teenage sons.[5][6]

Contents

[edit] Arrest

Nguyen Quoc Quan entered Vietnam on November 15, 2007 on a bicycle through the Cambodian border on false passport papers, since he was banned from Vietnam under his own name.[6]

On November 17, 2007 along with two other Viet Tan members (Truong Van Ba, a Hawaii restaurant owner, and Frenchwoman Nguyen Thi Thanh Van, a contributor to Viet Tan's Radio Chan Troi Moi radio show) was arrested in the southern suburb of Ho Chi Minh City [7][8] At the time, they were leading a "democracy seminar" and preparing pro-democracy pamphlets[9], when 20 security officers raided the house. [10] Also arrested in the same coup were Vietnamese citizens Nguyen The Vu, Nguyen Trong Khiem, Nguyen Viet Trung and Thai journalist Somsak Khunmi.[11]

The two-page pamphlet was entitled "Non-Violent Struggle: The Approach To Eradicate Dictatorship, Set The Stage for Democracy," and asks protesters to "faithfully maintain the discipline of non-violence."[5]

The arrests were not officially confirmed by the Vietnamese government until November 22, 2007. During the press briefing, officials declined to state which laws the detained individuals have broken, nor released any information about Nguyen Quoc Quan, whose whereabouts remained unknown for almost a week.[12]

At the beginning, state-controlled media in Vietnam have acknowledged jailing only some, but not all activists. The website of the newspaper Sai Gon Giai Phong originally showed an image of US national Nguyen Quoc Quan wearing prison garb, but hours later replaced it with a manipulated image of him wearing a white shirt. Subsequent articles also listed his nationality as "unknown" [13].

Authorities in Vietnam have attempted to link the arrest of these Viet Tan members to two Vietnamese Americans who reportedly attempted to smuggle firearms into the country six days after the original arrests. However, Viet Tan has firmly denied any association with those individuals [13].

[edit] International Response

The arrest was condemned by organizations and individuals worldwide including Reporters Without Borders[14][15] and Human Rights Watch[16]. In a letter to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, US representatives Loretta Sanchez, Zoe Lofgren, and Neil Abercrombie wrote "Not only do we ask you to work to return these United States citizens to the United States, but we ask you to convey to the government of Vietnam that the arbitrary detention of United States citizens is unacceptable." [17][18]

Coinciding with Human Rights Day on December 10, 2008, 11 members of the United States congress wrote a joint letter to the prime minister of Vietnam inquiring why the group of people are being detained in Vietnam and when they will be returned to their families in the United States. [19]

[edit] Appeal for Release

In response to the detention, California-based Viet Tan organized an international campaign under the name of Free Them Now that included a petition demanding for an immediate release. The petition collected more than 18,000 signatures.[20] In addition, an international lobbying campaign was undertaken to rally support of Western government officials behind this issue, including many elected officials from the United States, Norway, France and Australia. The broad support of this campaign by many officials is credited for his eventual release.[5]

On January 7, 2008 55 members of the California assembly signed a letter to the president of the Vietnam stating the "arbitrary detention of these individuals is unacceptable" and requested their immediate release.[21]

On March 12, 2008, chairman of Viet Tan, Do Hoang Diem, appeared before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs along with Nguyen Quoc Quan's wife to appeal to lawmakers to confront the issue.[22] The next day, U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) sponsored and introduced a house resolution condemning the detention of Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan, and calls for a removal of permanent normal trade relations status with Vietnam until Dr. Nguyen is released.[23] Co-sponsors of the bill include U.S. representatives Steven Chabot (R-OH), Thomas Davis (R-VA), Bob Filner (D-CA), Nicholas Lampson (D-TX), Daniel Lungren (R-CA), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Frank Wolf (R-VA).

Angela P. Aggeler, secretary for press and cultural affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, said "U.S. officials both here in Vietnam and in Washington have repeatedly called for the release of any individual for peacefully expressing his or her views and we have urged them to release Dr. Quan and that he be allowed to return to the United States as swiftly as possible,"[24]

[edit] Detention

During Nguyen Quoc Quan detention in Vietnam along with Thai citizen Somsak Khumni and Vietnamese businessman Nguyen The Vu[25], the U.S. consulate was allowed to visit him only once per month. Family visits were prohibited altogether.[22][1]. His wife was first granted a visa to visit him in January 2008, though the Vietnamese consulate revoked the visa one week prior her scheduled trip.[22] She was able to talk to him only after his release 6 months later[6].

[edit] Trial and Sentence

Nguyen Quoc Quan along with the other two remaining detainees, Nguyen The Vu, and Somsak Kunmi stood trial in Vietnam on May 13, 2008.[26][27][28] Officials from the U.S. consulate attended the behind-the-doors trial.[24] Nguyen Quoc Quan was sentenced to 6 months in prison, but since he has already served that time, was released on May 17, 2008.[5][29] Nguyen The Vu was released immediately, and Somsak Kunmi will server another three months before he will be released.[29] Other than the sentences, the preceding judge would not release any further detail of the trial.[29]

Following the sentencing, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman in Hanoi said in a statement: "We welcome his release and return to the United States. We remain disappointed by the decision of the Government of Vietnam to charge Dr. Quan with 'terrorism.' We are not aware of any information that would support charges of 'terrorism'. We object to the detention and prosecution of any individual for peacefully expressing his or her own views."[30]

Michael Orona, The US State Department deputy director overseeing human rights, said that Nguyen "shouldn't have been arrested in the first place."[5]

When Dr. Quan returned to United States, he was greeted by a group of cheering supporters, including Sacramento assembly man Dave Jones. [6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Tran Angelina Do (2008-05-07). Doing time for democracy in Vietnam (English). Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
  2. ^ a b Hanoi on Trial (English) (2008-05-12). Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  3. ^ Vietnamese Government to Bring to Trial American Activist Nguyen Quoc Quan and Two Other Democracy Promoters (2008-05-06). Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
  4. ^ Pro-democracy activists to be charged with terrorism in Vietnam (2008-05-05). Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Stephen Magagnini (2008-05-13). Capital man freed after six months in Vietnamese jail (English). Sacramento Bee. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
  6. ^ a b c d Demian Bulwa (2008-05-19). Vietnam deports American democracy activist (English). Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
  7. ^ Six activists arrested in Vietnam, says dissident group (English) (2007-11-20). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  8. ^ Vietnam Frees 3 U.S. Citizens (English) (2007-12-12). Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
  9. ^ Pro-reform party coddled in U.S (English) (2007-12-17). Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
  10. ^ Kay Johnson (2007-11-20). Vietnam Arrests a New Activist Breed (English). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  11. ^ Committee to Protect Jouranlist (2008-01-11). Thai journalist jailed without charge in Vietnam (English). Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  12. ^ Vietnam confirms secret arrest of Thai activist (English) (2007-11-23). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  13. ^ a b Shawn W Crispin (2007-11-30). Vietnam Vietnam caught between repression and reform (English). Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
  14. ^ Vietnam arrests foreign activists (2007-11-20). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  15. ^ Three pro-democracy activists to be tried in Ho Chi Minh City (2008-05-12). Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  16. ^ Vietnam: Democracy Activists Should Be Released (2007-11-28). Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  17. ^ Calif reps takes up case of U.S. citizens arrested in Vietnam (2007-11-21). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  18. ^ Calif reps takes up case of U.S. citizens arrested in Vietnam (2007-11-21). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  19. ^ Letter of 11 United States Members of Congress to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (2007-12-10). Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  20. ^ Free Them Now - An Appeal for the Immediate Release (English). Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
  21. ^ Letter of Support from 55 CA Assembly members (2008-01-07). Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  22. ^ a b c Mark Silva (2008-03-12). Vietnamese rights activists press Congress to act. Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
  23. ^ Zoe Lofgren (2008-03-13). H. Res. 1048: Condemning the detention of Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan, a citizen of the United States, by.... Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
  24. ^ a b Stephen Magagnini (2008-05-12). Capital-area man faces terror charge in Vietnam (English). Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  25. ^ Three pro-democracy activists to be tried in Ho Chi Minh City (English) (2008-05-12). Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  26. ^ Vietnamese Government to Bring to Trial American Activist Nguyen Quoc Quan and Two Other Democracy Promoters (English) (2008-05-06). Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
  27. ^ Pro-democracy activists to be charged with terrorism in Vietnam (English) (2008-05-05). Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
  28. ^ Vietnamese Government to Bring to Trial American Activist Nguyen Quoc Quan and Two Other Democracy Promoters (English) (2008-05-06). Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
  29. ^ a b c Vietnam sentences American for terrorism (2008-05-13). Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
  30. ^ Grant McCool (2008-05-13). U.S.-Vietnamese activist convicted, to be deported (English). Retrieved on 2008-05-13.

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