Le Quoc Quan
"The first 1.5 years of my imprisonment were very difficult. The conditions were harsh. I was in a prison cell of 60 square meters with about 50 other persons. Among them were killers, robbers, people with severe diseases."
‘I will go ahead, because I believe it is good for the people of Viet Nam.’
Le Quoc Quan is a Vietnamese human rights lawyer, democracy activist and Catholic blogger. Prior to his imprisonment in 2012, he ran a blog where he wrote about various issues including civil rights, political pluralism and religious freedom. As a lawyer, he represented many victims of human rights violations, before being disbarred in 2007 on the fabricated suspicion of engaging in “activities to overthrow the regime”.
Vietnamese authorities treat human rights defenders as “enemies of the State”. In Vietnam, there is no independent, privately-run media – domestic newspapers, television and radio stations are strictly controlled by the state. Internet communication is also strictly controlled and restricted. HRDs working for accountability and democracy receive accusations of being “foreign spies or agents”, “traitors”, or “violators of public order and peace”.
