Case History: Pham Thanh Nghien
On 2 June 2015, human rights defender Ms Pham Thanh Nghien was severely beaten, along with family members and members of the Network of Vietnamese Bloggers, in a police attack outside her home in Haiphong.
Pham Thanh Nghien has been a vocal critic of the authorities in Vietnam, publishing several essays online and appearing frequently on radio to detail and discuss government violations of human rights. She promotes civil engagement in human rights issues, debate on territorial sovereignty, and tackling corruption. In 2009, she was a recipient of the Human Rights Watch Hellman/Hammett Award. She is a member of the Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience Association and Bloc 8406, a pro-democracy network of human rights defenders and organisations.
On 2 June 2015, human rights defender Ms Pham Thanh Nghien was severely beaten, along with family members and members of the Network of Vietnamese Bloggers, in a police attack outside her home in Haiphong.
At midday on 2 June 2015, Pham Thanh Nghien, three of her family members, and Ms Nguyễn Tiến Nam, Ms Nguyễn Ngọc Như Quỳnh, and Ms Dương Lâm of the Network of Vietnamese Bloggers, were attacked by plainclothes police officers in front of Pham Thanh Nghien's house. The bloggers, who had travelled from Hanoi to meet Nghien and discuss advocacy plans for the nationwide 2015 Human Rights Campaign, were stopped at the gate of Nghien's house by a large group of plain-clothes police officers, and refused access to area on the pretext that the driveway was under renovation. They then followed the police request to exit the taxi in which they had arrived, and upon doing so, were surrounded by the large group of police officers. Pham Thanh Nghien, upon becoming aware of the events, left her house with her two sisters and sister in law in order to help the bloggers. She recognised members of the group of police, which was comprised of approximately 30 men, as being amongst those engaged in regular monitoring of her home. Upon reaching the group, the human rights defender was struck in the face and pushed down. Her family members were also struck in the face. The police then separated Nghien from the bloggers and her family, and continued to beat her.
Besides suffering from bruises sustained in the beating, the human rights defender experienced acute pain following attack, in connection with a previous spinal degenerative disease and scoliosis.
In January 2010, Nghien was sentenced to four years imprisonment and three years of probation after being found guilty of spreading propaganda against the state. Prior to her sentencing, the human rights defender had been held in prison for over a year, awating trial in connection to her attempts to organise a peaceful pro-democracy protest.
